Election seasons seem to become more and more divisive every couple of years. The fabric of our union as Americans feels as though it gets more fragile at the seams. Published 50 years ago, but as fresh as today’s newspaper, Methodist preacher Wallace Hamilton wrote: “The whole country today seems in an ugly mood, as if we’d all been suddenly bitten by the same venomous bug—class against class, black against white, younger generation against older. Everyone rallies around (their) hates—and some have call...
Election seasons seem to become more and more divisive every couple of years. The fabric of our union as Americans feels as though it gets more fragile at the seams. Published 50 years ago, but as fresh as today’s newspaper, Methodist preacher Wallace Hamilton wrote: “The whole country today seems in an ugly mood, as if we’d all been suddenly bitten by the same venomous bug—class against class, black against white, younger generation against older. Everyone rallies around (their) hates—and some have called us ‘The United Hates of America.’ I don’t intend to go into all of this,” he continues, “except to say that we who are Christian should be a healing influence in society, take some of the heat out of the hysteria, reduce the fever, and restore some decent balance in our judgments.” (p.83, What About Tomorrow?)
Such sentiment was more recently echoed by former senator John Danforth and Matt Malone in a September 2020 op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. They said:
"Today a growing number of Americans regard their political opponents not as fellow citizens with whom they disagree but as enemies; as politically, socially and even morally irredeemable. Millions of Americans consume news in echo chambers, while countless numbers have lost friends or even turned away from family over political disagreements.
This tendency to divide the world between us and them has come even to American churches, where righteous advocacy of social justice can come across as self-righteous scolding of individuals. Christians have a religious duty to champion the cause of justice. But as the prophet Micah teaches, they also have the duty to walk humbly with God and with their neighbors, especially when tempted to think of themselves as the swords of divine judgment.
Ultimately, everyone bears responsibility for polarization. This might seem like unwelcome news, but it’s the opposite. As long as the cause of the problem is someone else, then nothing can be done. But those who acknowledge how they contribute to the problem also can begin to imagine how they can create a better culture. In this world Americans would see each other as neighbors and treat each other as friends, even and especially when they disagree deeply.
We are priests from different Christian churches. We belong to different generations and have worked for different political parties. Yet we share a love of country that transcends those differences. Above all, we share a faith in God, who alone has the power to separate the righteous from the sinners."
In this spirit we begin today a five-week series in which we are joining other large United Methodist churches around the country to examine what it means to be the church in times of division. Doing mishpat and tzedakah means Practicing Mercy and Justice.
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