November 3, 2019, marks one year before the national elections. Many churches are demonstrating their concern about the polarization in our country by being part of Golden Rule 2020. The ELCA signed a joint statement of support available at https://www.revivecivility.org/golden-rule-2020-call-dignit.
In part the statement says, “We believe that we can find guidance through this national dilemma in the teachings of Jesus. In particular, we believe that Jesus’ command to ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ should be taken seriously by Christians who engage in political activity.”
All of us are encouraged to pray for the healing of divisions in our country and promote the application of the Golden Rule to political discussions, and are invited to sign a #ReviveCivility pledge. Learn more at www.revivecivility.org.
The Golden Rule is a beautiful place to begin our quest to address polarization and the need to return to civility, and prayer is an important and essential piece in committing to these goals. However, we also need to talk with and not just about those who do not share our views and beliefs. We need to create brave spaces where we can engage in face to face conversations and build relationships. It’s often not convenient, but we can’t let that element be more important than doing the hard work that needs to be done to learn to understand each other and care about each other.
Thank you, Marilyn. The links take you to resources for creating brave spaces and practices to have those conversations, too!