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Time to Summon Our Better Angels
By Rick Rouse, Author of A Journey Called Hope
Many of us are devastated by the results of the 2024 election as the country appears to embrace extremism. The new administration promises to use the military to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants and to unleash the Department of Justice as an agent of retribution in punishing political enemies. This at a time when polarization in this country has never been more apparent and violence is on the rise. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate groups this year in the United States has surpassed 1500, up from 838 that were tracked in 2020. The Anti-Defamation League reports that acts of anti-Semitism have tripled while white supremacy propaganda in social media has more than doubled in just one year (October 2023 to September 2024). CNN reports that since the election, some 20 states report racist threats to black college and university students conjuring up images of slaves and picking cotton.
How do Christians respond when the worst of our nature has been emboldened?
In Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address, he tried to appeal to the shared sense of unity and patriotism among Americans, urging them to use reason and compassion to avoid civil war by calling upon the "better angels of our nature" rather than succumbing to anger and division, despite the growing tensions between the North and South over slavery. Perhaps now is the time that we need to do the same. I believe we are called in our baptism to be agents of hope and healing in a world gone mad. Are we not disciples of Jesus who commanded us to follow the way of love? It is a counter-cultural and risky strategy, but one that has changed the course of nations in the past. We can strive to make real our Founders’ vision of liberty and justice for all by inviting American voters into an evolving society and increasingly diverse democracy. So, how can we move beyond the fear, the hate, the prejudice, and feeling of helplessness that seems to paralyze us?
What will it take to reclaim the promise of the American Dream for All?
In my recent book, A Journey Called Hope: Today’s Immigrant Stories and the American Dream, I offer five ways forward.
WAY ONE is love the neighbor. This is what Jesus called the new commandment. “Love one another just as I have loved you.” (John 13:34-35) A church reader board displayed the following: “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR WHO DOESN’T: look like you, think like you, love like you, speak like you, pray like you, vote like you. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, NO EXCEPTIONS.”
WAY TWO is a suggestion to try civil discourse. That is, find a way to talk in a respectful manner with those who may disagree our perspective. Make an effort to discover why a person may have a different point of view without becoming defensive. Most important, seek common ground where you have shared values. There are a number of groups like Braver Angels that are attempting to bridge the divide and to bring people together.
WAY THREE is to practice compassion and kindness. Our nation has been known for its generosity in reaching out to help hurting people domestically and all over the globe following a disaster. We have excelled at lifting people up in response to hardship. Matthew 25 is about the last judgement, suggesting that we are not judged based on our orthodoxy, our patriotism, or our idea of morality, but rather we are judged based on the compassion and justice we’ve shown towards vulnerable people.
WAY FOUR is to live with a spirit of generosity. America is often considered the richest nation in the world. Unless one has traveled to second or third world countries, one cannot appreciate how blessed one is to live in the United States. We think that if we let others into our country to partake of a share in its wealth, there will be less available for our nation’s citizens. What we fail to realize is that not only is there enough to go around, but that when the lowest among us rise up, the rest of us rise up as well. Our country is richer because of the gifts and resources we all bring to the table.
WAY FIVE is to embrace diversity. America is a rich tapestry of many different peoples representing a myriad of ethnic groups, cultures, lifestyles, and religions. This is what makes us a great country. This is also a vision of God’s beloved community. This is the promise of America.
When we recognize and embrace this truth, that all people, including newcomers, are welcome and have the opportunity to thrive, our nation will have a future with hope. We must never give up our dream of a better future for all.
I close with these words of Walter Brueggemann who suggests that “like the ancient prophets, we are dispatched back to the good work entrusted to us. It is the work of peace-making. It is the work of truth-telling. It is the work of justice-doing. It is good work, but it requires our resolve to stay in it, even in the face of the forces to the contrary that are sure to prevail for a season.” [i]
[i] Walter Brueggemann, “Beyond a Fetal Position” www.Churchanew.org
Top photo by Jackie Williamson from Pixabay