The Obama Project@WindonWater.net

One of the interesting outcomes of the Obama victory is the building of a coalition of religious people from diverse backgrounds. Particularly, African Americans and the Hispanic community showed up in force for Obama. In California, this had an effect that I’ll call “adverse” - Obama came out against Proposition 8 - the rescinding of the right of homosexuals to marry in the state of California, but his coalition voted in favor of the proposition.

I promised that I would discuss this topic after the election - a promise that lead to absolute silence on my blog. Talking about homosexuality and the black community seems a bit beyond my abilities - I am atypical in my beliefs and practices. Still - as one voice in the black community, and as one voice largely sympathetic to those who voted FOR Proposition 8 (though I don’t know that I would have), I’m going to do my best.

I’ll be back. But for now I want to share some of the thinking I’ve already done on the subject. On Ex Isle, I posted a lengthy exploration of the issue when it first erupted due to the Donnie McClurkin flap early in the primaries. For any who want to read that discussion (it is long, but interesting) here it is: http://www.exisle.net/mb/index.php?s=&showtopic=49441&view=findpost&p=1055991. It is likely that I will retread old ground here, but I’ll try to do it more succinctly, and more specifically to the topic of gay marriage.

The other thing I want to do is share this video of the late Rev. James Cleveland. To say he was a giant of gospel music would be like saying that the Grand Canyon is a big ditch. I remember when hearing that he had died of AIDS contracted from his gay lover, being shocked, offended, and nearly boycotting James Cleveland. It took years before I could reconcile my feelings about that. But in the end, he remains beloved. Whatever his struggles, whatever his ups and downs - he contributed not only immensely to the world of Gospel, but to my own life. His music always spoke to me when I needed a reminder that God was bigger than anything I might be going through.

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