quietlyradical

Colossians 3:12-14 English Standard Version (ESV)

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Although I grew up in the church, I’d probably describe myself as something of a “lapsed Baptist.” Although I still believe in a higher power and in the afterlife, there have simply been too many things over the years that have left me disillusioned by formalized religion, especially most recently with the inexplicable adoration of evangelical Christians for Donald J. Trump.

Former President Jimmy Carter died last week. I was 13 years old when Carter was elected and over the years, I have read many of his books and admired both his faith and his acts of service. Former First Lady, Rosalyn Carter was a champion for mental health, and when my son died by suicide as he struggled with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder a decade ago while waiting for a bed in the single psychiatric hospital in the state of Illinois, something prompted me to write to Mrs. Carter. She wrote back – a very sympathetic and gracious letter, offering condolences for my loss and making suggestions with resources in my area for other parents that I might know in similar circumstances.

So, even though I generally shy away from quoting the Bible these days, observing the start contrast between the “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” embodied by the Carters and the brash, braggadocious, and vengeful characteristics of our soon-to-be next Commander-in-Chief, I felt compelled to reflect on how Christianity reached this sorry state.

My mother always said that she thought that President Carter was “too much of a gentleman for Washington, D.C.”, but I suspect that it was somewhat deeper than that. People who are givers and who believe in the power of “we” are, sadly, much rarer than those who are takers and subscribe only to the power of “me.” The double irony, however, is that the United States Constitution, which is supposed to be the very foundation upon which the USA is built, begins with “We, the people”, and the term “rugged individualism” which so many seem to use to justify the rampant selfishness that plagues our nation, was first coined by Herbert Hoover, during his 1928 presidential campaign. Our lack of care for one another is only surpassed by our shockingly short memories; Herbert Hoover’s mantra of self-reliance and avoidance of government intervention is what led to the Great Depression. Yet, Americans still persist in voting for small government, to their own detriment.

How do we break this harmful cycle, especially when the Republican party is quick to label any program initiated for the common good as either “socialism” or “entitlements?” The average American on the street can’t define socialism and has no coherent answer for why socialistic countries, such as Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden have some of the happiest, healthiest, and well-educated people on the planet.

What is called for, I think, is a major rebranding effort. Surely, with the myriad YouTube, Tik-Tok, and Instagram influencers, some of them could come up with a way to convince Americans that “rugged individualism” is not serving our country well, and that collective efforts aren’t scary or designed to limit freedom, but rather are the way that we can perhaps, finally break out of the downward spiral in which we continue to find ourselves.

I recall the feeling of care and empathy which people demonstrated with one another in the days and weeks following 9/11. Is a major tragedy the only way to convince the American people to unite? I sincerely hope not, but perhaps, the threats which many of us fear from a second Trump administration combined with a better understanding of collectivism is not the same as communism and working for the greater good of everyone, whether through federal, state, or local government, or better yet, some combination of all three, will be the catalyst we need to begin to embrace the power of we, and achieve the ideal that the Bible speaks of.