In his presidential campaign, Barack Obama made good use of catchy phrases--phrases that are inspiring, and take hold of the imagination. But his phrases were vague enough to allow hearers to interpret them any way they wished. "Change You Can Believe In" can mean pretty much any change at all. "Yes, We Can" is grammatically vague: it has a pronoun without antecedent, and an auxilliary verb without a main verb.

These are excellent sales slogans. Anybody may choose to buy into the product, and each of us can define it in our own way. That is the danger of such a slogan: if each of us defines it ou own way, we can deceive ourselves into thinking it's what we want it to be. The beauty of such a slogan is that it can grab at heartstrings and engender a great deal of support.

will.i.am latched onto Obama's "Yes, We Can" slogan, and he added music, movement and youth in his video. Like the slogans, the video plays on our emotions, and draws us into excitement about the Obama campaign. It includes Obama's statement, "There is nothing false about hope." Thus we are assured that the excitement we feel is rooted in truth.

With his videos, will.i.am and friends, and other artists as well, became an active part of the Obama campaign. They made good use of youtube with a number of music (and other) videos that were actually campaign advertisements.

Similar slogan-singing music videos also appealed to Hispanic voters.

After Obama won the election, will.i.am incorporated the euphoria of Obama's supporters with his style of music in another video of celebration. This video reflected a sense of accomplishment in a long line of leaders who supported justice, with the outcomeof the 2008 presidential election a part of that story. "Yes, We Can" was a part of the new song, "It's a New Day."

will.i.am is aware that skeptics question the slogans of the Obama campaign. But he and others are convinced that the new president will bring change we can believe in, changes that we want to see.

As capable as president-elect Obama is, bringing needed changes to this nation will be complex. He will have to work on many levels to bring about a consensus, to blend the ideals of the variety of supporters who heard something they held onto in his campaign.

Slogans and music may continue to be useful in carrying out the Obama agenda. So will the wisdom of many Americans working from their own values for the common good.

First Thoughts

This is my first post. I have resisted blogging up until this time. Now is the time for heavy thinkers to lift up their heads and post.

As an American Baptist minister, I recognize that some folks think it unlikely that I or other Baptists might actually use their brains and ask hard questions. But historically that is exactly what Baptists have done. American Baptists in Massachusets have an attractive and interesting downloadable document about the history and identity of American Baptists, 10 Facts You Should Know About American Baptists. Baptists in the States have for nearly four centuries stood for liberty and justice--for all people, not just for themselves. Baptist values are not in sync with those of the "religious right."

An interesting web site to visit is that of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America. Although the organization's early response to plans for US war against Iraq was disappointing, the web site is full of information about myriad peace-related events involving Baptists. Anyone who assumes that (all) Baptists are part of the religious right, and that we blindly support the actions or policies of any administration, needs to think again, and visit this web site.

Another web site that challenges some stereotypes about Baptists is that of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Rather than trying to force all Americans to be Christians, as seems to be the goal of some on the right, the Baptist Joint Committee works to defend the religous liberty of all Americans.

A third web site that may shake up some presuppositions about Baptists is the Rainbow Baptists web site. This web site is both a resource and an on-line voice for LGBT Baptists. Yes, there are such Baptists, and there are many Baptist congregations that welcome and affirm them.

These web sites, along with many other sources, represent some of the hard thinking that American Baptists have done and are doing. I hope to explore some interesting and sometimes difficult questions on this blog.