Lots of people are E-mailing, calling and texting me with basically one question: What do you think will happen now? The context, of course, is the election of Barack Obama to be president and, to a lesser degree, the change in the US Congress. Here are a few initial, but not necessarily cohesive or complete thoughts . . .

-It’s a historic and momentous time for America. We can’t underestimate the seismic shift that has occurred in American politics or society with the elevation of a man of color to the presidency. Barack Obama is more than a man of color, though, he is biracial. In this way alone he brings together two critical communities–and because his father was African, he brings together two continents. There’s more: While he was raised as a secularist and chose liberal Christianity in his adulthood, many would consider Obama Islamic-born because his father was Muslim. (He at least had some orientation to Islam during his childhood and has Islamic family members in Kenya. Incidentally, I don’t see the presence of Islam in his history or Muslims in his family as negative in any way.) Add to this that President-Elect Obama just picked an Orthodox Jewish chief-of-staff, Rahm Emanuel (whom I’ve met and talked to) to run the White House! Emanuel attends Anshe Salom B’nai Israel Synagogue in Lakeview, IL, where Rabbi Asher Lopatin writes on his webpage, “Israel, the Torah and God are all one. If one of them is disrespected, the other one suffers.”

Just these aspects make Barack Obama a complex and intriguing individual and will surely make him one of our more memorable presidents.

- I’m tracking a lot of analysis on the numbers, the polls and the geo-political elements to the election outcome. They are all as interesting as the candidates themselves. I do agree with many liberal and conservative commentators that Barack Obama was tempered politically in the campaign by the sentiments of the American people. In a purely political sense, he moved toward the center. (That move is even more convincing after the appointment of Chief-of-Staff Emanuel who was a civilian volunteer for the Israeli Defense Forces and supported the Iraqi War.)  After Obama assumes office, no doubt his political team will continue to analyze the election data and use it to inform decisions on what initiatives the new administration should undertake. The passage of traditional marriage protection amendments in Florida, Arizona and, most notably, California, shows the “core” of American culture sill reflects traditional family values–and it may be getting stronger. The preservation of traditional marriage in California is being credited to blacks, Latinos and Mormons–all minorities on the ascendency. This trend can’t possibly be missed by Team Obama.

- Of course, there’s no question where Mr. Obama, Mr. Biden, Mr. Emanuel, et al, stand on the sanctity of human life. Mr. Obama is for abortion-on-demand through all nine months and up to delivery, though, like the Clintons, he emphasizes the need to reduce abortions. Mr. Biden doesn’t personally believe in abortion, but won’t impose that view on anyone else. Mr. Emanuel has a 100% pro-abortion record in the House of Representatives.

- Barack Obama will bring a wide range of people to Washington, among them many former members of the Clinton Administration. These people, especially the latter, will likely make life for my mission team a little more difficult, as will the new makeup of the Congress. The silver lining may be Obama’s relationship to the black church and current DNC chairman Howard Dean’s commitment to reach out to evangelicals and other religious traditionalists. I think these two things may moderate slightly any hostility toward us and the issues we consider important.

In summary, a major shift like this in the political landscape, whether you consider good or bad, should remind all of us that the Gospel transcends politics. The religious right makes the same mistake as the religious left when it replaces its trust in God with trust in political power structures. Politics and politicians will always disappoint. On the other hand, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

Some people are still in a daze about what happened yesterday. Here it is in brief:

Barack Obama took just over 63 million votes for president over John McCain’s 56 million, or roughly 52% to 46%. However, in our Electoral College system, which requires a candidate to achieve 270 electoral college votes to win, that equates to Obama, 349 and McCain, 162, as the count stands now. A few states remain undetermined because the votes were so close. (To find out more about how the Electoral College system works, visit http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepoliticalsystem/a/electcollege.htm.)

Meanwhile, in the Congress, nine Republican senators lost their seats and five new Democrats were elected. That means that the Democrat majority is stronger than it used to be, but isn’t strong enough to ward off certain blocking techniques used by minority parties.

In the House of Representatives, the Republican membership went down from199 to 172, and the Democrat count, of course, went up from 236 to 252. Again, the Democrat majority was strengthened.

On the state level, several governors were elected, but only Missouri switched parties from Republican to Democrat. There were changes in majority in some state legislatures as well.

A lot of people have called me to ask what this means for Faith and Action. I declared today a day of personal prayer and fasting to help answer that, but my quick response is, “nothing.” In other words, our mission remains consistent. We are not lobbyists; we are evangelists. We are called to proclaim God’s truth to everyone who serves in government here, regardless of political ideology or party affiliation.

And just as the people of God have learned over and over again throughout history, human power structures are bound to disappoint and become corrupt. It happens with every party and every political system, and it will keep happening. In fact, it will happen to any human institution, including churches and religious organizations.

This has been my prayer focus today, and it really helps to recalibrate the compass after such a disorienting campaign season:

Psalm 121, verse 2, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

From Election Update

Election Day, November 4–Rob Schenck in Manhattan preparing for an interview on a European news network. Rob had voted in his hometown on Manassas, Virginia, before catching a flight to New York for an afternoon meeting and this appearance. He talked with the host and another guest about the importance of religion in the presidential race. Rob and his ministry team call the media, “our other pulpit,” and see it as a means to convey the Christian message to audiences that would not otherwise hear it.