Timely, unsettling, reading

Leading up to the election, I had tried to avoid any more heavy reading about things that might be related to it. Then a new book came in at the library that I’d put on hold, so I picked it up and read it.

The book was Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment, by Allen C. Guelzo. It’s a fine book, but unsettling reading in these unsettling times.

          The jacket reading provides a good description:

          Abraham Lincoln grappled with the greatest crisis of democracy that has ever confronted the United States.

While many books have been written about his temperament, judgment, and steady hand in guiding the country through the Civil War, we know less about Lincoln’s penetrating ideas and beliefs about democracy, which were every bit as important as his character in sustaining him through the crisis.

          Allen C. Guelzo, one of America’s foremost experts on Lincoln, captures the president’s firmly held belief that democracy was the greatest political achievement in human history.

He shows how Lincoln’s deep commitment to the balance between majority and minority rule enabled him to stand firm against secession while also committing the Union to reconciliation rather than recrimination in the aftermath of war.

In bringing his subject to life as a rigorous and visionary thinker, Guelzo assesses Lincoln’s actions on civil liberties and his views on race, and explains why his vision for the role of government would have made him a pivotal president even if there had been no Civil War.

Our Ancient Faith gives us a deeper understanding of this endlessly fascinating man and shows how his ideas are still sharp and relevant more than 150 years later.

“Sharp and relevant,” you say?

The author himself notes: “It may seem uncanny that so many of our current frustrations with democracy were actually encountered by Abraham Lincoln a century and a half ago. … He, too, endured a political environment polarized between extremes that had little hope of reconciliation.

“Uncanny, yes, but also comforting that those frustrations are not novelties, however much they feel like them, and that American democracy has endured, risen and surmounted them once, and will do so again.”

It is comforting that a well-grounded historian can feel comforted on the eve of an election that is so contested that bitter polarization will continue for ages, no matter who wins. But it is small comfort because the time seems so fraught with danger.

And am I reminded that though the Civil War was long ago, the issues that caused it are still with us, as divisive as ever.

Exciting history

One of the finest books I read this summer is by Erik Larson, whose previous work I have managed to miss, though daughter Erica has praised him highly.

          This book is The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War.

          It focuses on the tense situation leading up to the first shots of the war being fired at Fort Sumter. This lonely outpost on a tiny artificial island was built to guard the entrance to the harbor at Charleston, S.C. It was still unfinished in the spring of 1861, when secessionists demanded that federal troops abandon it and turn it over to Confederate authorities.

          On April 12, South Carolina militiamen opened fire from several shore batteries. Heavy bombardment continued for 34 hours, and the brick fort was heavily damaged. Miraculously, only two men were killed, one on each side. The Union garrison surrendered with honor and was ferried to New York by one of the ships that had been unable to reinforce it.

          Both sides claimed symbolic victory. The war that followed lasted four years and claimed more than 650,000 lives.

Demon of Unrest tells the story far more vividly than I have related in the last three paragraphs. Erik Larson writes narrative history – history that is structured and narrated like a good story. And he sure knows how to tell a good story!

          As far as I can tell, he doesn’t fudge facts in doing it. I have long been interested in the story of Fort Sumter and its defenders, and I’ve read maybe a dozen contemporary and modern accounts. First Blood by W.A. Swanberg offers a more detailed focus on the fort itself, while Larson’s expanded view includes more about what was going on in Washington and elsewhere leading up to the battle.

Colorful characters include the fort’s stalwart commandant, Major Robert Anderson; Captain Abner Doubleday, who fired the first shot in the fort’s defense (and was later said to have invented the game of baseball, though he likely didn’t); and Edmund Ruffin, a fiery secessionist who fired the first shot against the fort.

          Larson’s account reads like the best of James Patterson and other pop novelists. He manages to slip in a lot of historical background even as he keeps you turning pages to see what happens next (even if you already know exactly what happens next).

          Readers who subscribe to the South’s “lost cause” fantasy will not be happy with Larson. He is not shy about denouncing the Southern ideal of divinely-granted aristocracy as bunk. But his portrayal of the Confederate figures in the story is fair and even-handed (except for, perhaps, his portrayal of Ruffin, who was a polarizing figure even among those sympathetic to his cause).

          If you want to delve more deeply into the fascinating story of the attempted assassination of Abraham Lincoln on his way to being inaugurated as president, may I suggest The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer. He’s a novelist and non-fiction writer who would probably have a lot to talk about with Erik Larson.

          I don’t mean to cast stones here, but I have recently tried (and failed) to read A Hell of a Storm: The Battle for Kansas, the End of Compromise and the Coming of the Civil War. It’s by David S. Brown, who is a history professor. Though his book has a great title, it reads – alas – like it was written by a history professor. Too bad. In our age of short attention spans and poor educational backgrounds, we need more history written by the likes of Erik Larson.

A dual crisis

A diverse group of Christian leaders has drafted a statement called Christian Faith and Democracy to address what they see as a crisis of democracy in this election and a test of faith in this country.

 If you would like to learn more about it, go to faithanddemocracy.net.

 After reading the statement, you may add your name to it. I did. It’s the second such statement I have signed this year.

 THE STATEMENT

 Christian Faith and Democracy

 The United States confronts a crisis of democracy, and the American church confronts a test of faith. Democracy stands embattled, facing new threats within our nation and new challenges around the globe. The witness of “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) stands distorted and corrupted—especially to a new generation.

The Declaration of Independence testifies that democracy is not only a political system but also a moral affirmation. In this time of pernicious polarization, we are forced to grapple anew with fundamental questions about governance, civic life, shared values, and the role of faith in shaping our collective future. The rise of anti-democratic sentiment and nationalist ideologies imperils our common life and threatens the cultivation of communal and global peace. As followers of Christ, we strive to meet this moment with clarity and courage, charity and conviction, drawing on the depths of our moral imaginations and theological traditions to articulate afresh a theology of democracy fit for our times.

We are American Christians who deeply love our country. We affirm the right of Christians to bring our faith to bear on the public square for the common good and the flourishing of all humanity. We also welcome and affirm the rights of people of all faiths and of no religious faith to speak to this crisis; this document offers a distinctly Christian perspective, but the principles affirmed here are shared broadly across many religious and ethical traditions and by people of good will.

We face this moment with great resolve and deep humility. Christianity has had an ambivalent and at times hostile relationship with democracy, as evidenced in colonial domination and the dispossession of indigenous peoples, the brutal enslavement of Africans, and the denial of women’s rights. We continue to reckon with the legacies of slavery and segregation, and with the enduring racism that limits achievement of a true multiracial democracy.

In recent years, in the United States and around the world, the Christian faith has been distorted and leveraged in defense of authoritarian leaders who seek to erode freedoms essential to a thriving democracy. Some Christians enthusiastically praise dictatorial leaders and regimes. Some have willingly accepted or even participated in political violence. On January 6, 2021, the will of the American people and the peaceful transfer of power came under direct attack during a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In a profound distortion of the faith, some who rioted on the Capitol steps and stormed into the congressional chamber did so in the name of Jesus Christ.

We write in a moment of fierce urgency, as the people of God animated by faith, hope, and love. It is in this spirit that we reaffirm Christian support for democracy and invite all Christians and people of moral conscience to do the same.

In the face of these challenges, we ask our fellow Christians to join us in affirming and defending these truths.

On the Imago Dei and Human Dignity.
Core to Christianity is the belief that all people are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27) and that our loving God is incarnate in the humanity of Jesus Christ. God’s love, therefore, embraces all of humanity and calls us to respect every person. Democratic governance is an outgrowth of our divinely endowed dignity and corresponding obligation to protect the rights, freedom, and equality of all.

On Human Sin.
The scriptures attest that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Although humans bear the divine image, the capacity for sin runs through every human heart, and every nation. Christians are not immune from this reality. The mechanisms of democracy, the balances of power, and the protections of a Constitutional framework rein in human tendencies to dominate, demean, and exploit.

On Truth and Integrity.
We are called to speak truth, put away falsehood, and walk in integrity (Prov. 11:3; Eph. 4:25). Jesus said, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32); therefore, the opposite of truth is captivity. A healthy democracy rests upon a foundation of truth. For that reason, we must work to foster trust among citizens, to elect leaders with demonstrated integrity, and, with gratitude for the tens of thousands of election workers who labor to ensure that all voices are heard, to keep our elections safe, secure, and fair.

On Loving the Stranger and the Enemy.
Jesus teaches us that loving God and loving neighbor are inseparable, and that loving our neighbors includes loving the stranger (Lk. 10:25-37) and our enemies (Mt. 5:44). We are obligated to reach out to those with whom we disagree, to empathize with those of different backgrounds and experiences, and to be hospitable to those who do not share our beliefs.

 On Solidarity and the Common Good.
Love of neighbor calls for the inclusion of all our fellow neighbors in the political process. Democratic participation enables individuals to live in service to, and in solidarity with one another-especially the marginalized among us. As Christians, we are called not merely to pursue self-interest, but to prioritize the collective good.

On participation, wealth, and poverty.
In Matthew, Jesus calls Christians to demonstrate special care for the vulnerable, saying: “As you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.” Too often, American Christians have been guilty of idolatry, of worshiping money and power rather than the one true God. All citizens, regardless of wealth or income, should be able to participate fully in shaping our life together. Money should not buy greater influence, and Christians should work to overcome all unjust exclusion from civic participation as commanded in the Bible by the God of justice.

On Religious Pluralism.
The gospel of Jesus Christ advances through divine grace and human persuasion, not by government power and coercion (2 Cor. 5:11; Eph. 2:8). A democracy respects and protects the freedom of the human conscience to discern and decide on matters of religious faith. Christian communities and democratic societies alike must recognize religious pluralism and uphold religious freedom, respecting both minority and majority religious beliefs.

On Peacemaking and Bridge-Building.
Jesus called peacemakers “blessed” and declared them “children of God” (Matt. 5:9). Rather than stir conflict and seed mistrust, Christians are to “live peaceably with all” (Rom. 12:18). In this spirit, Christians should collaborate with individuals and institutions—religious or secular—to work for the common good and for the realization of a more just world at peace.

We now face specific threats to undermine and weaken our democratic system that are in direct opposition to these foundational Christian principles. Because we are committed to the core values above, we stand together against these threats.

Because every human being is of equal value and worth before God, we reject any attempt to limit, suppress, intimidate, or subvert equal participation in our democracy on account of a person’s skin color, economic status, or political opinions. We believe in transparently fair elections. We reject all efforts to inhibit voter participation, including curtailing opportunities for voter registration, obscuring information about how and when to cast ballots, removing eligible voters from voter registration lists, and reducing polling station hours in targeted areas. We firmly reject any intimidation or threats against election administrators and poll workers, or voters themselves, regardless of political persuasion.

Because democratic life requires pluralism, we repudiate political systems, parties, movements, laws, regulations, and policies that raise any group of people, including Christians, above others by granting them special rights and privileges. Specifically, we repudiate the tenets of Christian Nationalism and the idea that Christians or Christianity should hold a place of privilege and power in our nation’s governance.

Because peace and stability are characteristics of a healthy democracy, we condemn the rising tide of violent language and behaviors, including violent
threats and actions against public servants, election workers, and fellow citizens.

Because truth-telling is integral to the pursuit of solidarity and the common good, we denounce the sowing of falsehood about election outcomes, the use of lies and half-truths by officials and candidates to distort truth, and the weaponization of fear and despair as a strategy to acquire or maintain power. As signers, we differ on many moral and social issues—on how to achieve a more equitable society, on war and foreign policy, on abortion and reproductive health, and on issues related to gender and sexuality–but we are committed to preserving a democratic space within which we can collectively discern the way forward with respect to these vital issues.

We realize that for some, signing this statement will put themselves and their livelihoods at risk, but we are convinced that the urgency of our moment requires such courage. We cannot remain neutral about the choices before us.
This is a kairos time, to use biblical language– a moment that can change time, altering events for decades, even generations to come. This electoral season, each one of us must stand for democracy’s future. We must resist cynicism, apathy, and fear; withdrawing from the electoral process only risks consolidating power in the hands of those who would abuse it. We cannot transform democracy unless we save it. As Christians, we are people of hope. The resurrection of Jesus Christ powerfully attests that life overcomes death, and that what is to come is far better than what is; “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Pressing forward with confidence in God’s sustaining care, we call on all Christians and people of good will to work together to reawaken democratic spirit and improve American democracy.

In keeping with these principles, we, the undersigned, commit to advancing a multi-racial, multi-faith, multi-generational democracy, where every voice is valued and every person afforded the opportunity to participate fully and freely in the life of the community.

Nonfiction horror

I do not read horror fiction. However, I have just read a horrifying nonfiction book. It’s Nuclear War: A Scenario, by Annie Jacobsen. It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever read

 Her premise is that North Korea launches an unprovoked attack on two U.S. sites: first, the Pentagon, and minutes later, the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in central California.

 Defensive missiles fired at the ICBM launched from North Korea miss their target. The missile fired from a North Korean submarine is too close to intercept. Missiles fired at North Korea in response must pass over Russia to get there. The Russians think they are being attacked and respond in kind. The American president, sidelined by overzealous protectors, is unable to intervene.

Within little more than an hour, almost all life on Earth is obliterated, and our world is plunged into a new ice age that will last thousands of years.

In a tense narrative of fewer than 300 pages, Jacobsen relates how the MAD doctrine of mutually assured destruction fails to prevent catastrophe, and elaborate systems created to assure safety are easily defeated.

Gripping from the start, it’s not an easy read. Some unnecessarily mind-numbing detail aside, Jacobsen wastes few words. The result is unthinkable – and yet, it is all too thinkable. The question is how we prevent it.

Jacobsen suggests that nuclear weapons are now the chief enemy of all humankind. But with psychopaths like Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong Un of North Korea in power, it seems unlikely that humans will unite against a common enemy when we can find so many other smaller enemies to battle. 

Confession and call

In our time of political division and fearmongering, a coalition of evangelical leaders have issued a call for prayer, worship and revival Sept. 8-15, 2024. 

The following “confession” is actually a call to action.

You’ll find the text and resources at this website: https://www.evangelicalconfession2024.com/

 I was alerted to it by a blog post by Kristin Du Mez, a historian who is best known for her book Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.

 You can sign on in support of the effort if you wish. Du Mez notes that she is shy about such things, and I’m unclear whether she signed it or not.

 I also am shy about singing such things, but it did it anyway.

 Given that the term “evangelical” these days mostly means “conservative Republican, more or less semi-kinda some sorta Christian,” I am hesitant to put myself in that category.

 But I note that John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, considered himself and his followers evangelicals. And the name “evangelical” will never be restored to its best meaning until its current corruption is rooted out and deposited in the dustbin of history.

With that caveat, I am happy to help reclaim the name in the name of Jesus.

See what you think of the confession and call to action.

 Our Confession of Evangelical Conviction

 In this moment of social conflict and political division, we confess the following Christian convictions:

 ONE: We give our allegiance to Jesus Christ alone.

 We affirm that Jesus Christ is God's Son and the only head of the Church (Colossians 1:18). No political ideology or earthly authority can claim the authority that belongs to Christ (Philippians 2:9-11). We reaffirm our dedication to his Gospel which stands apart from any partisan agenda. God is clear that he will not share his glory with any other (Isaiah 42:8). Our worship belongs to him alone (Exodus 20:3-4), because our true hope is not in any party, leader, movement, or nation, but in the promise of Christ's return when he will renew the world and reign over all things (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).

We reject the false teaching that anyone other than Jesus Christ has been anointed by God as our Savior, or that a Christian's loyalty should belong to any political party. We reject any message that promotes devotion to a human leader or that wraps divine worship around partisanship.

TWO: We will lead with love not fear.

We affirm that God's saving power revealed in Jesus is motived by his love for the world and not anger (John 3:16). Because God has lavished his love upon us, we can love others (1 John 4:19). We acknowledge that this world is full of injustice and pain, but we are not afraid because Jesus Christ has promised to never abandon us (John 16:33). Unlike the false security promised by political idolatry and its messengers, the perfect love of God drives away all fear (1 John 4:18). Therefore, we do not employ fear, anger, or terror as we engage in our mission, but instead we follow the more excellent way of Jesus which is love (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13).

We reject the stoking of fears and the use of threats as an illegitimate form of godly motivation, and we repudiate the use of violence to achieve political goals as incongruent with the way of Christ.

THREE: We submit to the truth of Scripture. 

We affirm that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, authoritative for faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We commit to interpreting and applying Scripture faithfully, guided by the Holy Spirit, for the building up of Christ's people and the blessing of his world (John 16:13). We believe any true word of prophecy must align with the teachings of Scripture and the character of Jesus (1 John 4:1-3). Likewise, to lie about others, including political opponents, is a sin (Exodus 20:16). Therefore, we commit to speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), knowing deception dishonors God and harms the reputation of his Church.

We reject the misuse of holy Scripture to sanction a single political agenda, provoke hatred, or sow social divisions, and we believe that using God's name to promote misinformation or lies for personal or political gain is bearing his name in vain (Exodus 20:7).

FOUR: We believe the Gospel heals every worldly division.

We affirm the unity of all believers in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:28), and that through his sacrificial death on the cross, he has removed the barriers that divide us (Ephesians 2:14-18), making people from every nation, tribe, people, and language into one new family (Revelation 7:9). We are called to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), and the counter-cultural unity of the Church is to be a sign to the world of God's love and power (John 13:35; 17:20-21).

We reject any attempt to divide the Church, which is the Body of Christ, along partisan, ethnic, or national boundaries, and any message that says it is God's desire for the human family to be perpetually segregated by race, culture, or ethnicity is a rejection of the Gospel.

FIVE: We are committed to the prophetic mission of the Church. 

We affirm that Christ's kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), therefore the Church necessarily stands apart from earthly political powers so that it may speak prophetically to all people, the society, and governing authorities. The Church has been given a divine mission of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). First, we call everyone to be reconciled to God through the proclamation of the Gospel as we teach people everywhere to copy the way of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20). Second, we seek to reconcile people to one another by addressing issues of justice, righteousness, and peace (Amos 5:24). We accomplish this by loving our neighbors (Mark 12:31), and by engaging our public life with humility, integrity, and a commitment to the common good as defined by our faith in Christ (Romans 12:18).

We reject both the call for the Church to withdraw from societal issues out of fear of political contamination, as well as any attempt to distort the Church into a mere vehicle of political or social power.

SIX: We value every person as created in God's image.

We affirm that all people bear God's image and possess inherent and infinite worth (Genesis 1:27). Jesus bestowed dignity upon those his culture devalued, and he taught us that our love, like God's, must extend even to our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). Our faith in Christ, therefore, compels us to act with love and mercy toward all from the very beginning of life to the very end, and honor everyone as an image-bearer of God regardless of age, ability, identity, political beliefs, or affiliations (John 13:34-35). We commit ourselves to advocate for the value of everyone our society harms or ignores.

We reject any messages that employ dehumanizing rhetoric, that attempt to restrict who is worthy of God's love, or that impose limitations on the command to "love your neighbor" that Christ himself removed.

SEVEN: We recognize godly leaders by their character.

We affirm that the character of both our political and spiritual leaders matter. Within the Church, we seek to follow spiritual leaders those who display evidence of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus warned us to be on guard against false teachers who come as wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). These voices will tempt us with flattery, bad doctrine, and messages we want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). They serve the false idols of power, wealth, and strength rather than the true God. Outside the Church, we will evaluate leaders based on their actions and the fruit of their character and not merely their promises or political success (Matthew 7:15-20). When any leader claims to have God's approval, whether in the Church or in politics, we will not confuse effectiveness for faithfulness, but carefully discern who is truly from God (1 John 4:1).

We reject the lie that a leader's power, popularity, or political effectiveness is confirmation of God's favor, or that Christians are permitted to ignore the teachings of Christ to protect themselves with worldly power.

Conclusion

We stand united in our confession of faith in Jesus Christ, resolved to uphold the truth of the Gospel in the face of political pressure and cultural shifts. We commit to being a light in the world (Matthew 5:14-16), and faithful witnesses to the transforming power of Christ's love. We pray that God’s Spirit will revive our Church and strengthen Christ's people to be agents of his presence and blessing in this turbulent age.

To him who is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)