A new season

I have not posted on this blog in a long time. I have written several articles in my head but never gotten around to putting them on “paper,” for various reasons.

 Perhaps, primary, I have been working on a new book.

 I am sick of writing books and then struggling to sell them. I thought it might be easier to write a proposal and a few sample chapters and then solicit responses to that. Save a little work, anyway.

 However, I never could come up with an outline for this book that satisfied me until I finished the whole thing. So now it’s done, and I’ve again written a book that will have to find a publisher. Oh well. It’s done, and I’m mostly satisfied with it, so we’ll see how it goes.

Couldn’t I continue to blog while working on a book? Something I read recently featured a writer who said that while he was actively working a book he couldn’t do anything else. Any otherwise unoccupied moment he had, he was back at the keyboard, working on the book.

In a word, you become obsessed with the thing until it works its way out of your system.

So that’s one excuse for staying silent so long.

Another is the current political landscape. My wife and editor warned me against taking a public stand politically, and I ditched several columns dealing with politics. My only comment now: We are about to enter a period of unprecedented political and social chaos. Pray that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” and be prepared to stand up for it.

Short takes:

One: The movie “Conclave” is tense and exciting. It closely follows Robert Harris’ book, which is also tense and exciting. Some folks consider both as an attack on the Catholic Church. I can see why some hyper-defensive types would think so, but I can’t see it that way. If you thought the system for selecting a new pope (or any other leader of any religious group) was free of politics and intrigue, you are simply not being realistic. The Holy Spirit works in many devious ways.

Two: Linda and I really like the American version of the TV series “Ghosts.” The British version that started it all seems weaker in many ways, starting with the sketchy characters. Maybe it’s the difference between British and American humor, but the British version seems simply too mean-spirited to stomach.

Three: New TV series: “Matlock” is about a lawyer seeking vengeance by assuming a fake identity in a law firm. Even Kathy Bates cannot redeem such an unethical premise. “NCIS Origins” features an actor who is bigger and beefier than Mark Harmon and has a lantern jaw that Harmon lacks; another loser. Zachary Quinto is compelling in “Beautiful Minds,” but the soap opera backdrop and the flashbacks need to go. Meantime, the not-quite-new “Tracker” has gained real traction with me; it’s formulaic but nicely done.

Four: One good thing about a public library is that you can bail on a bad book without feeling guilty that you paid for it. Lately I’ve tried to read too many “literary” novels that are just pretentious nonsense. The last two books I checked out were popular fiction by popular authors. I got 30 pages into one and barely a dozen into the other before quitting. I’ve put my name on the list for several science-fiction titles of past decades. We’ll see how that goes. Yes, science fiction is often more down to earth than other literary endeavors.

Five: The Spring Hill branch of the Johnson County Library is great. Hard to imagine life without it.

Six: Resurrection Spring Hill, the seventh location of Church of the Resurrection based in Leawood, is going strong. Hard to imagine life without it, either. Christmas Eve services are at 3 and 5 p.m. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Seven: I should have hailed my pick for best book of 2024 when I read it months ago. Maybe I’ll get a review out by the end of the year.

Eight: Or maybe I’ll rail against a terrible blasphemy I just saw in an email ad from a major Christian publisher. Lord save us from such ignorance!

In any case, don’t forget why we’re celebrating. The Winter Solstice is Dec. 20. In Jesus’ day, it officially fell on Dec. 25. We don’t celebrate the solstice. We celebrate the birth of Jesus, on whatever day it actually occurred. Have a Merry Christmas!

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.