Pro-Life and Democrat

Although the excitement has died down a bit since the end of election season, I just came upon this video of Dr. Shaun Casey. Dr. Casey is a graduate of ACU and served as a Senior Advisor for Evangelical Outreach for Barack Obama during the campaign. He is a member of the Church of Christ, and he visited ACU during election season to talk with students, faculty, and staff about faith in public life (ACU also invited a prominent Republican speaker). In this video, he addresses the myth that having a Republican president or a Republican majority Congress or Supreme Court will lead to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and, therefore, to the end of abortion in the US. For those of you have asked me and countless other Christians who identify themselves with the Democratic party, this is how I can be a Democrat and pro-life.


Shaun Casey on Abortion from Christopher Berry on Vimeo.

Witnessing History

Regardless of our individual political ideologies, that today is a great moment in American history is undeniable. As I watched the celebrations last night and listened to the speeches of both McCain (who was very gracious and did his best to encourage unity) and Obama, I couldn't help but get a bit choked up. When I talked to two of my African American students today, however, my heart swelled even more for what this means to them, their families, and their future children and grandchildren. Both stressed that they have never felt like the same opportunities were available to them because of their skin color. Both mentioned that, until now, there was no proof available to them that their potential for achievement was unlimited. This is their time. And if Obama's greatest achievement in his presidency is that he will have opened these doors for my talented, brilliant students (although I'm very optimistic that he'll do much more), that is enough for me.