Stand Strong AND Stay Faithful

I keep seeing people talk about the same thing from opposite sides, and I noticed it best in the movie theater. First, while watching Wicked. I was dazzled by the incredible talent and beauty of the film, while noticing the genius of being able to harness the feelings of the cultural moment right where we were at—in a way that could make even the opposites feel good about themselves.

Then, since January 20th, I’ve seen a lot of “Lord of the Rings” quotes, especially this one:

Part of me wonders if anyone, when they are living through “such times,” knows it really is “such times.” When we look back on history, we can clearly see big “such times” that have shown up. But then again, I feel like all political party’s cry wolf every election, using apocalyptic rhetoric (“The end is near! America will be destroyed if so and so wins and I lose!”). I am tired of people telling me that “This is it!” when a month later, I look back and see that was NOT it. But I do want to live my life like “This is it!” because this is the one life I have. So is it time to stand up and speak loud, or is it time to listen, learn, and be faithful?

By far, winner for creeping into day-to-day talk has been Bonhoeffer, and the whole conversation about Fascism/Nazis. I was both nervous and excited about the idea of watching the new movie (called “Bonhoeffer”). I’d heard my whole life about him, read quotes (but didn’t make it through all of his most famous book), and being curious about the basic question: what makes a pastor turn into an assassin? Fascinating. It’s another form of my question: when is it the time to stand up and speak out (and risk it all) rather than listen, learn, and be faithful?

I was nervous about the movie because I knew some of those involved with it had a clear agenda. Watching the movie, I almost laughed, because like Wicked, I found that both sides could watch the movie and come out of it more convinced of their own mindset. I glanced around to see if anyone was upset, because to me, it clearly spoke out against many of things Eric Metaxas was gunning for. But no one was upset. Because to them, it confirmed the side they were rooting for. Then I sobered up, realizing I was wrapped up in this as well, with my own biases and history. Seeing how much I was thinking of “Us and Them,” and how two people can watch the same exact thing unfold in front of them (on the screen or on in real life), and come away with two opposite conclusions.

My heart broke after a discussion I had with someone I dearly love. We took a political event that had happened—that we both strongly disagree on—and tried to talk about it. I proposed a list of things I thought we could agree on: basic facts without opinions involved. They replied with disagreement. We both attempted different angles, while getting more and more frustrated that the other person was replying with what seemed the SAME response, not able to break through to the other person on even the minute details. I finally scraped the whole list and said “Can you please just give me one thing you think we can agree on about what happened? I think we understand the other person’s perspective pretty well by now…it would mean a lot if we could just find one bit of common ground.” They replied that they could not. An event, recorded and documented well: and we, two rational humans who deeply respect each other, could not find one piece of common ground to agree on about the whole incident. That brings tears to my eyes even now.

Bonhoeffer continues to fascinate me. I really loved this graphic novel done about him:

I also really appreciated this article and this discussion about the article (starting at 22 minute in). From the article:

“American Christians seem divided over who the good guys and bad guys really are and what the historical analogy should teach us. To some, the secular progressive left is the obvious modern equivalent of the Nazis: allowing a Holocaust on the unborn, fostering an authoritarian culture on campuses and in newsrooms, demanding the state’s validation and endorsement for every excess of the sexual revolution. To others, President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement are the baddies: preaching belligerent nationalism, demanding absolute loyalty to a singular leader, subverting the rule of law, and rewarding political violence.”

“Maybe the calling of the church today is to recognize injustices and evils all around us, to maintain our independence, and above all to be an advocate: not for one party or the other, but for lawfulness and peace among political tribes…The church would teach its members to tell the truth—always, fully, and simply, without spin or guile. The most radical thing you can do in today’s information environment is to speak with earnest simplicity about truth, goodness, and beauty. A party that demands that we recite lies as the price of membership is a party that cannot be trusted with power.”

“A Confessing Church would respond to them with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s famous aphorism: “You can resolve to live your life with integrity. Let your credo be this: Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. But not through me.” Political extremism may triumph, but not through us.”

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Maybe the question isn’t “Do we go with the fascists or the communists?” but “How do we stand strong in the middle: speaking out when we need to AND listening, learning, and being faithful the whole time?” Maybe there are more ANDs than we think, and we don’t need to choose one or the other, hoping for a lesser evil. Maybe we won’t know if now is one of the “Such times” Frodo had, or not. But will we be found faithful in all of the moments? Will we not give in to apocalyptic rhetoric, but also not be silent when God gives us a fire inside?

I am so grateful to the AND Campaign. Their website, Facebook and Instagram is full of reminding us that ANDs still exist- and they exist more than we often think they do. I looked for the helpers, and this is one of them. Let us weep for the loss of common ground AND continue to build it.