It's not the Economy, stupid!

Ben Bernanke. Benedict
Arnold. Yeah, I get those two confused
all the time.

When I was younger (I know you hate it when I start a
sentence with those words), treason was a serious accusation, rarely made,
reserved for very particular acts that aided and abetted enemies of our
nation. Selling state secrets. Sharing sensitive information about troops,
battle plans, defense systems.

It was not a word casually tossed about as a political
label, a quick cheap shot at any convenient target.

Evidently that’s changed.

Now, people who don’t subscribe to our philosophy are
traitors, policies that we differ over are treasonous, people who don’t follow
our brand of politics are terrorists, politicians, even Presidents, who don’t
do what we think they should do are unpatriotic, don’t really love
America.

It’s not my way vs. your way. It’s my way, end of sentence. You do not have different ideas, challenging
ideas, debatable ideas. You are just bad
and I hate you.

Is there no wonder that we can’t get anything done?

How amazing our egotism, how great our pride! Have we become incapable now of allowing any
diversity so that we must destroy anyone and anything which is not just like
us? Have we become so insecure that we
must cast off civility and forgo peace to protect ourselves? Is there no room in the world anymore for
anyone who is not me?

This same violence now infects the church. Anyone who believes or practices the faith
differently must be the anti-Christ, the devil, must be cast into hell. Will it be much longer before we start
burning heretics again? There is no freedom
in our theology any longer, we have imprisoned ourselves so narrowly in our
thinking that we have no option but to destroy the community in order to
protect ourselves.

Yet Jesus broke break with Pharisee and Tax Collector
alike, he spoke with divorced women, he exemplified Samaritans in his parables,
he died for all. For all! Not with words of judgment, with condemnation
even for his killers, but with grace and hope for the whole community, and with
the sacred charge to his followers that they were to bring good news to every
end of the earth.

He could do that, you see, because he knew then what we
refuse to believe, a benevolent God, a compassionate God, a God of such
extravagant love that he could not refuse anyone, could turn against no one, a
God who’s defining trait was his amazing and overwhelming forbearance and grace.

A God who could love even creatures full of hate and deceit
like us.

And all he would ever call us is his.