America on the Brink

moral strength that holds social chaos and violence at bay. This kind of love is the kind of fuel we need for a national anti-hate movement. We do not talk much as a nation about forgiveness. We also like to make a point of disagreement or a thing we do not like about others the “be all end all” of who they are as a person. Social media is littered with examples of ways we choose to defeat and humiliate each other over social, economic, political, and many other issues. These examples are all why wreckage abounds in 2020 and 2021. America needs a movement that repudiates this undercurrent of hate. Please do not confuse this as a “we should all just come together” plea. Such calls often dismiss issues of injustice and profound human suffering. I am not calling for a dismissal of important differences and issues. I am, however, calling for us to be honest about the undercurrent of indifference and disgust fueling how we choose to address our differences. We must stop hating each other. We do not have to agree. Dissent and ideological variance are healthy for a democracy, but the thread of hate must be confronted and overcome. Dr. King drew on the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament tradition because one of the biggest and most difficult ideas is the rule of neighbor love taught in places like Luke 10, 1 Corinthians 13, and 1 John 3. King understood that you cannot claim to follow Jesus while minimizing the moral weight of what he said about love. When I read the New Testament, I am challenged with a radical gospel that calls for us to love God and neighbor with the understanding that your neighbor is anyone and everyone. God’s vision is expansive and universal in scope and yet, in America, a nation that claims to be Christian, daily we traffic in hateful speech and actions, things that contradict the rule of neighbor love, and an incredibly challenging exhortation such as Titus 3:2 that says, “to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always gentle toward everyone.” Sadly, our churches provide moral cover for people by condoning, either by its silence or support, discord and contempt that has now grown out of control. Our ignorance of Jesus’ and King’s revolutionary ideas is why we do not see the undercurrent of hate eating away at our national soul. It is also why we continue to see people tearing at each other and our nation in the name of “good.” I think it is time we revisit these writings and ideas so we can reimagine our civic life before it is too late. Along with a movement that repudiates hatred, we must have leaders like President Biden and others who call on us to address our national character. King said, “Our hope for creative living in this world house that we have inherited lies in our ability to reestablish the moral ends of our lives in personal character and social justice. Without this spiritual and moral reawakening, we shall destroy ourselves in the misuse of our own instruments” ( Where Do We Go from Here , 181, 83). It was true in 1967-68 and true today. America must reestablish its moral character. It begins with the sober reminder that we are in this together. As divided as we are, we are citizens of one nation. This simple idea has been completely lost by so many in this moment, including our political and

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