Newspaper Article - Reclaiming Our Unity

Below is a recording and text of an article that Pastor Rudiger wrote for The Clarion News.

Last week, there were two events that illustrate how much we’ve changed over the last twenty years. On Tuesday, we saw the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and I’m not sure you could intentionally create a better example of the divisiveness that’s become part of our society. I mean, names were called; outrageous claims were made and any semblance of civility disappeared before the first question was answered. And as I watched it, frankly, I felt sad, because I can remember the time when you could make a point without an accusation and when two people could disagree and even argue without the necessity of also feeling anger and hatred. For me, the debate was a reminder of just how divided we’ve become.

But then, on the very next day, I think I saw another possibility. You see, on 9/11, it seemed as though, for just a little while, some hatchets were buried and attention redirected. In other words, when Joe and Kamala, Donald and J.D. actually sat together, on the same stage with the same focus, personally I was reminded of something that I thought we’d lost. You see, it took me back to the unity we felt twenty-three years ago as we came to grips with something that seemed more important than partisan divisions and tribal politics. I also remembered us saying how the attack had changed everything, and how, from this point on, we weren’t going to let anything interfere with our unity. At least, that’s what we said back in the day.

But you know, in spite of all the decisiveness we face, I believe we can reclaim the unity that we felt on September 11, 2001 and saw this past Wednesday in New York City. In other words, I think we have the power to change our societal trajectory. And for me, what may be most exciting is that people of faith can lead the way by simply doing two things.

You see, first, we can decide to reject those who would divide us, and I’m talking about folks who frame things in terms of “us” and “them” and who try to convince us that “they” are, by their very nature, evil. I think we’ve got to decide to reject these voices, which may involve doing more than just not spreading and encouraging the anger and hatred. You see, it might be necessary to confront and to challenge this venomous rhetoric. As a matter of fact, we might have to take the same kind of stand the Apostle Paul described to the Christians in Rome when he wrote this:

My friends, I beg you to watch out for anyone who causes trouble and divides the church by refusing to do what all of you were taught. Stay away from them! They want to serve themselves and not Christ the Lord. Their flattery and fancy talk fool people who don't know any better. [Romans 16:17-18, CEV]

You see, as people of faith, I think we need to be willing to reject those who would divide us.

But that’s not all, because, second, I believe that we must also recognize our shared humanity. In other words, we need to look past our differences so that we can see and accept what we all have in common, something that we did remarkably well twenty-three years ago. Now, understand, I’m not saying that we should pretend that the differences don’t exist. That would be like covering rotting wood with cheap veneer. Let’s face it, we come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives which lead us to adopt different values and reach different conclusions and express different opinions. Still, as Christians, we have been made members of a community within which something far more important than our divisions draw us together. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, 

All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. [Galatians 3:26-28, CEV]

With this as a model, I believe we can help our fellow Americans recognize our shared humanity.

For me, this last week was really interesting. You see, on one hand, the debate was a reminder of what we’ve become, angry, nasty and willing to accept statements and accusations that I think we all know, in our heart of hearts, are just being made to keep us divided. On the other hand, though, that ceremony on Wednesday demonstrated what we can become the minute we reject those who would divide us and recognize our shared humanity. In other words, I believe we can come together again when we make the conscious decision to reclaim unity.