Opinion

From the very beginning, we’ve had trouble incorporating the “other” into our quests for freedom. We did not suddenly figure this out in my lifetime. It’s simply not true that minorities, the poor and women have experienced this country in the same way that I have.

I don’t recognize the America in which I live now. Maybe we can become again who we were. It’s just a matter of deciding who we are going to be.

What might it look like if we were to become genuinely open to the idea of changing our mind?

Now is the time to pray the kinds of difficult prayers that might re-establish a common moral narrative around caring for the poor, making healthcare accessible, pursuing peace rather than war and building a just and inclusive economy.

For us to be of any use to God’s mission of liberation, we must stand firm, in solidarity with those who are being oppressed.

As people of faith, our prayer vigils also call us to bold and sustained advocacy on behalf of just policies and compassionate responses.

Faith leaders, including those who lead seminaries, must not be silent in the face of an increasingly fractious and violent society that challenges our most deeply held Christian convictions.

The U.S. presidency is, first and foremost, a position of spiritual leadership. Tragically, this president has wielded his spiritual influence to incite and divide.

This is not the CBF I thought I knew. This is a new CBF. One that is brave and bold.

Moments like these fill my chest with a kind of air I don’t normally breathe, air that isn’t stale, anxious, cynical and polarized.

While I bemoan the Illumination Project’s implementation plan, the General Assembly in Dallas reminded me that I – and the church I serve – still need CBF.