The far right was correct about the devastation to be wrought on America. . .because they have been working diligently for decades to tear down any progress that has been made to help ordinary people and care for the vulnerable. They want to make ruination happen.
I am a Christ follower. I dislike the term “Christian;” it has SO much hatefulness attached to it. As Gandhi said Christians are nothing like your Christ. The Christian right is cultural; in that they are not Buddhist, Hindu, or some other religion. White Christian nationalism is a political movement using religion as cover, wolves in sheep’s clothing, for sure.
The Scriptures refer to the biblical nation of Israel as God’s chosen people, but that nation of people was attacked and conquered. God allowed that devastation because Israel became prideful. They worshipped idols. They did not care for the widows and the orphans—the vulnerable in their society. America is going down that same destructive path for the very same reasons, led by right wing theocrats spouting American “exceptionalism,” worshipping money and power, attacking the poor, the sick, the elderly, immigrants, minorities, LGTBQ+ people, women, the vulnerable. The problem is they are bringing ruination on all of us, not just themselves.
Your piece was okay until the third paragraph: The Jewish religion was founded on one provision, that we do not “worship idols”. We value everyone, including Christians and are particularly caring about every generation of our people - and yours, too. The spectrum of human beings is so vast and our lives are so short that tearing others down takes away from the enjoyment of the few years you have on this earth.
I was talking about the people of Israel in a specific time period before being conquered and exiled to foreign lands. Judaism, as a faith, does not worship idols. People in Israel strayed from their faith. “Christians” today have strayed away from the Great Commandment to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Plus, to love others as they love themselves.
This is so right on that it's frightening. These are the thoughts I've been thinking. My husband and I just withdrew our membership from our evangelical church, which we haven't attended for awhile now. The culture war mentality, the gun culture, the hearty endorsement of DJT, the increasing anger and vilification aimed at others....This does not reconcile with Jesus and the good news he brought us about the kingdom of God. Sadly, we do not want to attend any church, but we have connected online with many like minded people, including you. Thank you for helping so many of us through these difficult days in America. We are praying and watching and trying to live in hope and love.
LizzieD, I have also thought this for a very long time. So often when I would heard about “the number of people leaving the organized church…”. I would get the sneaking suspicion that the true Christ Followers were the ones leaving. So we have a nation of “lapsed-this-or-thats” but deep, deep longing for true love and justice. In fact we are starving for it.
There are some churches that are Christ followers. Ours is very progressive in theology (understanding of God & God's call for us), while retaining a fairly "traditional" worship service. There are all kinds of places of worship & service that do not agree with (who I call) Christianists. We have to drive 45 minutes to get to ours, but it's worth it!
Katie, I began attending a small, local Episcopal church about 5 years ago. They had a banner across the entrance that said “Welcome Home”. I felt that sentiment the longer I stayed, and made it all the way to confirmation a couple of years ago. I had been a Presbyterian (PCUSA, not PCA. iykyk) from baptism until my mid-60s. My grandmother was Episcopalian, until she married a freshly minted Presbyterian minister. So, I consider that, rather than abandoning the faith of my fathers, I rejoined the faith of my mothers. For a few years, until her retirement, I had the pleasure of saying, “My priest is a woman.” My new faith is delightfully progressive. The SBC dots the landscape here like pine pollen in the spring. I got lucky.
Wonderful! I'm glad you found a home! So many are leaving without realizing there are truly Christ-following congregations in several denominations. We are with PC(USA) now. (I know!). I am a 4th generation United Methodist in my Mom's family. (My uncle was named Charles Wesley!) It hurt my heart to leave my family's church, but I just couldn't anymore with a misogynistic Bishop in our Conference. I much prefer Presbyterian polity. But have MANY friends who are Episcopalian. We are in the Bible Belt South, so I understand the SBC influence. That said, we are in Atlanta, so we have options! Thanks for sharing! Grace Indeed Abounds - Katie
I’m in Augusta; grew up in Milledgeville, and lived in Atlanta in the 70s. That was a great time.
One day, PCA may realize they don’t have enough men to spread the message, and will drop the mantle of the “old Southern church.” Then maybe they’ll recognize the wisdom of what PCUSA realized back in the 70s, when they started ordaining women. Not holding my breath, but there’s always hope.
Along with the misogyny, the PCA is also racist. Like in the UMC, I talk about the Unconditional Love of God Conference and the Bigotry Conference. The PCA is the Bigotry Presbyterian denomination. I'm glad we have folks like John Pavlovitz to help us stay sane. Blessings.
One more thing, and then I’ll hush. The thing that puzzles me — nope, wrong word, too polite, angers me is it — is that all these men who refuse to ordain women seem to believe that the call to serve, to preach, to shepherd a flock, isn’t valid unless it comes from them. To which I want to scream, “The call comes from God!!!” I don’t think this is misperception on my part.
I spoke at a school board meeting a year ago in front of a group of “Christian” advocates for banning books. I told them that their beliefs in Armageddon was a self for-filling prophesy powered by their inner circle of playing the vengeful God of judgement. If you are going to ban a book of violence, vengeance, and sexual acts then ban the Bible in Schools and ONLY teach exactly what Jesus was witnessed to have said in his lifetime.
You’ve nailed it, John; thank you. Funny (or not) that the same lessons have to be learned—often if not usually painfully—in every generation throughout human history. The only deviation this time is that we had a reasonably long time span of relative peace and prosperity from the post-WWII period up until a few years ago (and, no many parts of the world weren’t so peaceful or prosperous, so this is a US-centric assessment). I live in southern France, where 800 years ago the Roman Catholic Church, in concert with various shifting political alliances with regional nobility, systematically wiped out the Cathars, a branch of the early Christian church that rejected the corruption and graft of the Catholic Church (e.g., sinecures, Papal wealth, etc.). Would you believe they even had women priests at that time? No wonder the RCC saw them as a threat to their wealth and power structures.
Over a period of about 200 years (about 1150-1350 CE) they killed somewhere between 200,000 and 1,000,000 people across southern France, Spain, Italy, and parts of present-day Germany. By 1400 the movement was dead; completely wiped out. Many monuments—castles, works of art, historical writings—document and bear witness to what took place. It’s even recorded that Cathars were burned at the stake in our small village.
My father, who studied with the anti-Nazi theologian Karl Barth, was perhaps one of the last persons alive at the time of his death two years ago who knew Barth personally. I asked him several years ago how the Catholic Church rationalizes what they did so many centuries ago to a peaceful, (truly) Evangelical Christian movement. His response was that while the RCC acknowledges that the dehumanization, excommunication, seizure of property, imprisonment, and wholesale slaughter took place, they justify it by saying, “It was necessary for the consolidation of the Catholic Church.” Those were his exact words.
No doubt the present-day MAGA movement will, many years from now, proclaim a similar justification: “It was necessary for the consolidation of the American Christian Nationalist Movement.”
Chilling, indeed. Like Barth and his compatriot, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, when faced with Hitler’s takeover of the Protestant Church in Nazi Germany, we’re now called upon to rise up against these greedy, power-hungry demagogues, charlatans, and false prophets. In the end, Barth and Bonhoeffer prevailed—with the essential aid of American and other democracies around the world. We will, too. There’s more of us than there are of them, both in the US and in the global community.
And let me be clear that the descriptor, “American Christian Nationalist Movement,” may be accurate but won’t sound anything like whatever bogus, Orwellian Doublespeak name they use either today (MAGA) or adopt later.
You are correct. I also saw it coming. Years ago though. MAGA=2Peter2
I had the advantage of having a Near Death Experience. I know what these false prophets were preaching isn’t what Heaven is about. Nothing passes through the veil but love.
All that money means nothing. If they have not used it to help others then it means nothing.
Thank you Kay G! I’m glad you said this. John has a big following and not all are Christ followers. But what you said about love can give everyone hope. And it’s not a coincidence that Jesus said the same thing in different words: it’s easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. I believe He meant anyone (among those who follow Him, I’m not speaking for those who follow a different faith or paths) who worships the false idols of money and power and uses one or both to manipulate their followers and about fear and hate instead of using them to do good and help others. And that includes local and state leaders using their powers in that way as well.
I live among the evangelicals in SW MO, the buckle of the Bible Belt. I was raised Roman Catholic. I walked away from all churches because it was flatly obvious what was going on and what they intended to do to this country. I have up talking to them long ago because of their distorted views of their religion and history. I'm a senior now and what I feared what might happen did. I'm not sure I'll see the end of this mess in my lifetime. I fear for my kids and grandkids.
I also live in southwestern Missouri and I'm a senior baby boomer. I was born Jewish and honor my cultural heritage but rarely reveal my religion. I don't practice it yet observe Yom Kippur. I dislike organized religion and have a strong affinity for Buddhism. No kids, no grandkids and relatively safe in my house deep in the country. Another Trump term is too frightening to consider so my plans are to move to Portugal as soon as I can get my shit together. I fear for all the women, minorities, legal or illegal aliens and all others who have pissed off Orange Hitler. Even though his cult members will experience a rather instant karma and I would love to stick around for their whining about how unfair it all is, escape is the better choice.
Of course you got it right John and as the tragedy unfolds we will comprehend how completely the decay has consumed our country. We should have been paying attention, taken it more seriously and created a mechanism by which this blight could be destroyed. John, to read your pain, you who are a consistent advocate of light and love yet have now found yourself overwhelmed by the devastation which is rampant throughout our democracy, it is chilling.
Thank you John Pavlovitz! Ever since the night Trump came down that golden escalator, I have been struggling with this very realization. I knew the Bible says this day would come—I just didn’t understand that it wasn’t only to prepare Christians to be ready for this unholy hell we are going through (and that looks worse every day), but to warn us that it would be Christians who would have such a big part in bringing it about. I didn’t see that coming. I’m not saying that. Christians are perfect—far from it, we’re just human beings like everyone else. But if we are Christ followers—like others commenting here, I feel like the term Christian has been corrupted and don’t use it much anymore—if we follow Christ then we are the ones who have the clear mandate, but not the one that hate-filled, revenge pushing far-right Republicans are so gleefully seizing on. Our mandate is simply stated by Jesus ( paraphrased by me for brevity): Love the Lord and love your neighbor. I never gave enough thought to how Jesus said it: the first command is to love God, and then he says the second is just like it—to love your neighbor as you love yourself. In other words Jesus is saying that loving God and loving your neighbor are the same. Or to rephrase it—if you do not love your neighbor you do not really love God. It’s all over the New Testament: “Whatever you do for the least of these(people) you do it for me.” “Feed my sheep (people again) Heal the sick, feed the hungry, help the poor, love and care for children. Seeing more and more who call themselves Christians fall—no, willingly jump—into the pit of hate and greed and idol worship is just twisting me up inside. Because like you, John, I was blind, but now I see. But if it is Christians who are so much to blame for causing this, then aren’t all those of us who now don’t even like to call ourselves that, need to be the ones to take courage, speak up, say out loud that true Christ followers are still out here doing our best to live as he commanded us, and to what he told us to? To make sure they see that we still believe in loving and caring and helping others no matter what color their skin, what faith they follow, where they or their ancestors came from, or who they love, instead of fearing of hating and fearing them? To make sure that we believe in working together to fight in whatever ways are left to us all, against the evil in this world? I can’t begin to express how much it meant to me when you, John, and other Christ-followers organized the online meeting of. Christians for Kamala, and the evangelicals who are still Christ-followers formed Evangelicals for Kamala, because I thought there were so few of us left who even cared, who felt the same way I did—devastated at the way our church and our country are headed. Sick at how so many Christians have turned away from Christ, leaving churches that we once loved and now could not bear to even set foot in because of the poison infecting them, the sickening words we could not bear to hear spoken there. Others who are like me, afraid to even call ourselves Christians any more or say out loud that we still believe. But suddenly there were all those people signing up and it was the most wonderful feeling not to feel alone. And then seeing on social media all the events being organized by people of so many other faiths, as well as those who also found they had other things in common with each other, Snd it was exciting that we were all becoming part of the same giant movement to bring joy and love and hope and caring back to our country. And that’s why it hurts so much now, and scares us so much, because it wasn’t enough. But still, I believe that we can’t give up, We can’t give in to fear, we can’t let it paralyze us. Hate isn’t going to win. The Bible says so. And those who follow John here, that may not be, or no longer consider themselves Christians, can also find a way to believe that love wins—we all need to find a way to keep believing that. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, for other younger family members and friends, for all the beautiful young adults, teens, kids of every race, color, gender identity or cultural identity we know, and the ones we don’t know but see out there in this world every day, we have to believe and help them to believe it. To show them by example that we are not giving up. We will not let evil triumph over good in the long run, even if seems like it’s winning right now. That’s what I’m telling myself so I can get up and go on every day. Love is going to win, as long as we don’t give up. As long as we have courage to speak up and speak out for what we believe in. Because it’s worth it, even if I don’t get see it happen in my lifetime. It’s worth it for my daughters and grandchildren, and everyone else who will get to see it.
The far right was correct about the devastation to be wrought on America. . .because they have been working diligently for decades to tear down any progress that has been made to help ordinary people and care for the vulnerable. They want to make ruination happen.
I am a Christ follower. I dislike the term “Christian;” it has SO much hatefulness attached to it. As Gandhi said Christians are nothing like your Christ. The Christian right is cultural; in that they are not Buddhist, Hindu, or some other religion. White Christian nationalism is a political movement using religion as cover, wolves in sheep’s clothing, for sure.
The Scriptures refer to the biblical nation of Israel as God’s chosen people, but that nation of people was attacked and conquered. God allowed that devastation because Israel became prideful. They worshipped idols. They did not care for the widows and the orphans—the vulnerable in their society. America is going down that same destructive path for the very same reasons, led by right wing theocrats spouting American “exceptionalism,” worshipping money and power, attacking the poor, the sick, the elderly, immigrants, minorities, LGTBQ+ people, women, the vulnerable. The problem is they are bringing ruination on all of us, not just themselves.
I like the term "Christ Follower." It helps differentiate you from the "Christians" and Evangelicals."
Your piece was okay until the third paragraph: The Jewish religion was founded on one provision, that we do not “worship idols”. We value everyone, including Christians and are particularly caring about every generation of our people - and yours, too. The spectrum of human beings is so vast and our lives are so short that tearing others down takes away from the enjoyment of the few years you have on this earth.
I was talking about the people of Israel in a specific time period before being conquered and exiled to foreign lands. Judaism, as a faith, does not worship idols. People in Israel strayed from their faith. “Christians” today have strayed away from the Great Commandment to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Plus, to love others as they love themselves.
This is so right on that it's frightening. These are the thoughts I've been thinking. My husband and I just withdrew our membership from our evangelical church, which we haven't attended for awhile now. The culture war mentality, the gun culture, the hearty endorsement of DJT, the increasing anger and vilification aimed at others....This does not reconcile with Jesus and the good news he brought us about the kingdom of God. Sadly, we do not want to attend any church, but we have connected online with many like minded people, including you. Thank you for helping so many of us through these difficult days in America. We are praying and watching and trying to live in hope and love.
LizzieD, I have also thought this for a very long time. So often when I would heard about “the number of people leaving the organized church…”. I would get the sneaking suspicion that the true Christ Followers were the ones leaving. So we have a nation of “lapsed-this-or-thats” but deep, deep longing for true love and justice. In fact we are starving for it.
Yes, I think you're right. Maybe it's not apathy towards God that's causing people to leave, but seeking after Him!
That’s why I left.
There are some churches that are Christ followers. Ours is very progressive in theology (understanding of God & God's call for us), while retaining a fairly "traditional" worship service. There are all kinds of places of worship & service that do not agree with (who I call) Christianists. We have to drive 45 minutes to get to ours, but it's worth it!
Katie, I began attending a small, local Episcopal church about 5 years ago. They had a banner across the entrance that said “Welcome Home”. I felt that sentiment the longer I stayed, and made it all the way to confirmation a couple of years ago. I had been a Presbyterian (PCUSA, not PCA. iykyk) from baptism until my mid-60s. My grandmother was Episcopalian, until she married a freshly minted Presbyterian minister. So, I consider that, rather than abandoning the faith of my fathers, I rejoined the faith of my mothers. For a few years, until her retirement, I had the pleasure of saying, “My priest is a woman.” My new faith is delightfully progressive. The SBC dots the landscape here like pine pollen in the spring. I got lucky.
Wonderful! I'm glad you found a home! So many are leaving without realizing there are truly Christ-following congregations in several denominations. We are with PC(USA) now. (I know!). I am a 4th generation United Methodist in my Mom's family. (My uncle was named Charles Wesley!) It hurt my heart to leave my family's church, but I just couldn't anymore with a misogynistic Bishop in our Conference. I much prefer Presbyterian polity. But have MANY friends who are Episcopalian. We are in the Bible Belt South, so I understand the SBC influence. That said, we are in Atlanta, so we have options! Thanks for sharing! Grace Indeed Abounds - Katie
I’m in Augusta; grew up in Milledgeville, and lived in Atlanta in the 70s. That was a great time.
One day, PCA may realize they don’t have enough men to spread the message, and will drop the mantle of the “old Southern church.” Then maybe they’ll recognize the wisdom of what PCUSA realized back in the 70s, when they started ordaining women. Not holding my breath, but there’s always hope.
Along with the misogyny, the PCA is also racist. Like in the UMC, I talk about the Unconditional Love of God Conference and the Bigotry Conference. The PCA is the Bigotry Presbyterian denomination. I'm glad we have folks like John Pavlovitz to help us stay sane. Blessings.
In other words, might as well be Southern Baptist.
One more thing, and then I’ll hush. The thing that puzzles me — nope, wrong word, too polite, angers me is it — is that all these men who refuse to ordain women seem to believe that the call to serve, to preach, to shepherd a flock, isn’t valid unless it comes from them. To which I want to scream, “The call comes from God!!!” I don’t think this is misperception on my part.
Beautifully written and 100% correct. Thank you.
I spoke at a school board meeting a year ago in front of a group of “Christian” advocates for banning books. I told them that their beliefs in Armageddon was a self for-filling prophesy powered by their inner circle of playing the vengeful God of judgement. If you are going to ban a book of violence, vengeance, and sexual acts then ban the Bible in Schools and ONLY teach exactly what Jesus was witnessed to have said in his lifetime.
Ellen Schafhauser, your courage in speaking up gives me such a lift this morning. Thank you for doing that. Thank You. Thank You.
You’ve nailed it, John; thank you. Funny (or not) that the same lessons have to be learned—often if not usually painfully—in every generation throughout human history. The only deviation this time is that we had a reasonably long time span of relative peace and prosperity from the post-WWII period up until a few years ago (and, no many parts of the world weren’t so peaceful or prosperous, so this is a US-centric assessment). I live in southern France, where 800 years ago the Roman Catholic Church, in concert with various shifting political alliances with regional nobility, systematically wiped out the Cathars, a branch of the early Christian church that rejected the corruption and graft of the Catholic Church (e.g., sinecures, Papal wealth, etc.). Would you believe they even had women priests at that time? No wonder the RCC saw them as a threat to their wealth and power structures.
Over a period of about 200 years (about 1150-1350 CE) they killed somewhere between 200,000 and 1,000,000 people across southern France, Spain, Italy, and parts of present-day Germany. By 1400 the movement was dead; completely wiped out. Many monuments—castles, works of art, historical writings—document and bear witness to what took place. It’s even recorded that Cathars were burned at the stake in our small village.
My father, who studied with the anti-Nazi theologian Karl Barth, was perhaps one of the last persons alive at the time of his death two years ago who knew Barth personally. I asked him several years ago how the Catholic Church rationalizes what they did so many centuries ago to a peaceful, (truly) Evangelical Christian movement. His response was that while the RCC acknowledges that the dehumanization, excommunication, seizure of property, imprisonment, and wholesale slaughter took place, they justify it by saying, “It was necessary for the consolidation of the Catholic Church.” Those were his exact words.
No doubt the present-day MAGA movement will, many years from now, proclaim a similar justification: “It was necessary for the consolidation of the American Christian Nationalist Movement.”
Chilling, indeed. Like Barth and his compatriot, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, when faced with Hitler’s takeover of the Protestant Church in Nazi Germany, we’re now called upon to rise up against these greedy, power-hungry demagogues, charlatans, and false prophets. In the end, Barth and Bonhoeffer prevailed—with the essential aid of American and other democracies around the world. We will, too. There’s more of us than there are of them, both in the US and in the global community.
And let me be clear that the descriptor, “American Christian Nationalist Movement,” may be accurate but won’t sound anything like whatever bogus, Orwellian Doublespeak name they use either today (MAGA) or adopt later.
What a powerful read! Well done!
You are correct. I also saw it coming. Years ago though. MAGA=2Peter2
I had the advantage of having a Near Death Experience. I know what these false prophets were preaching isn’t what Heaven is about. Nothing passes through the veil but love.
All that money means nothing. If they have not used it to help others then it means nothing.
Only Love passes with you through the Veil.
Thank you Kay G! I’m glad you said this. John has a big following and not all are Christ followers. But what you said about love can give everyone hope. And it’s not a coincidence that Jesus said the same thing in different words: it’s easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. I believe He meant anyone (among those who follow Him, I’m not speaking for those who follow a different faith or paths) who worships the false idols of money and power and uses one or both to manipulate their followers and about fear and hate instead of using them to do good and help others. And that includes local and state leaders using their powers in that way as well.
I live among the evangelicals in SW MO, the buckle of the Bible Belt. I was raised Roman Catholic. I walked away from all churches because it was flatly obvious what was going on and what they intended to do to this country. I have up talking to them long ago because of their distorted views of their religion and history. I'm a senior now and what I feared what might happen did. I'm not sure I'll see the end of this mess in my lifetime. I fear for my kids and grandkids.
I also live in southwestern Missouri and I'm a senior baby boomer. I was born Jewish and honor my cultural heritage but rarely reveal my religion. I don't practice it yet observe Yom Kippur. I dislike organized religion and have a strong affinity for Buddhism. No kids, no grandkids and relatively safe in my house deep in the country. Another Trump term is too frightening to consider so my plans are to move to Portugal as soon as I can get my shit together. I fear for all the women, minorities, legal or illegal aliens and all others who have pissed off Orange Hitler. Even though his cult members will experience a rather instant karma and I would love to stick around for their whining about how unfair it all is, escape is the better choice.
Of course you got it right John and as the tragedy unfolds we will comprehend how completely the decay has consumed our country. We should have been paying attention, taken it more seriously and created a mechanism by which this blight could be destroyed. John, to read your pain, you who are a consistent advocate of light and love yet have now found yourself overwhelmed by the devastation which is rampant throughout our democracy, it is chilling.
Isn't there a "mechanism by which this blight could be destroyed"? Wasn't that the point of Jesus living in the Roman Empire with the power of love?
What was that Pogo cartoon caption? "We have met the enemy and he is us". It continues to be appropriate, sadly.
Yes, even wolves fight for the right to live in peace. Leave nature out of the “made up fantasy “ some call religion.
The far right, phony Christian, MAGA mucus , put a big big sign out in front of America a long time ago. It says”FOR SALE”!
They were the problem they prophesied about. Real Christians follow Christ by walking the walk not talking the talk. Thanks John. Great article.
Unfortunately… so true.
Will they ever understand how wrong they were, though?
Tears ….. because it is true!
Thank you John Pavlovitz! Ever since the night Trump came down that golden escalator, I have been struggling with this very realization. I knew the Bible says this day would come—I just didn’t understand that it wasn’t only to prepare Christians to be ready for this unholy hell we are going through (and that looks worse every day), but to warn us that it would be Christians who would have such a big part in bringing it about. I didn’t see that coming. I’m not saying that. Christians are perfect—far from it, we’re just human beings like everyone else. But if we are Christ followers—like others commenting here, I feel like the term Christian has been corrupted and don’t use it much anymore—if we follow Christ then we are the ones who have the clear mandate, but not the one that hate-filled, revenge pushing far-right Republicans are so gleefully seizing on. Our mandate is simply stated by Jesus ( paraphrased by me for brevity): Love the Lord and love your neighbor. I never gave enough thought to how Jesus said it: the first command is to love God, and then he says the second is just like it—to love your neighbor as you love yourself. In other words Jesus is saying that loving God and loving your neighbor are the same. Or to rephrase it—if you do not love your neighbor you do not really love God. It’s all over the New Testament: “Whatever you do for the least of these(people) you do it for me.” “Feed my sheep (people again) Heal the sick, feed the hungry, help the poor, love and care for children. Seeing more and more who call themselves Christians fall—no, willingly jump—into the pit of hate and greed and idol worship is just twisting me up inside. Because like you, John, I was blind, but now I see. But if it is Christians who are so much to blame for causing this, then aren’t all those of us who now don’t even like to call ourselves that, need to be the ones to take courage, speak up, say out loud that true Christ followers are still out here doing our best to live as he commanded us, and to what he told us to? To make sure they see that we still believe in loving and caring and helping others no matter what color their skin, what faith they follow, where they or their ancestors came from, or who they love, instead of fearing of hating and fearing them? To make sure that we believe in working together to fight in whatever ways are left to us all, against the evil in this world? I can’t begin to express how much it meant to me when you, John, and other Christ-followers organized the online meeting of. Christians for Kamala, and the evangelicals who are still Christ-followers formed Evangelicals for Kamala, because I thought there were so few of us left who even cared, who felt the same way I did—devastated at the way our church and our country are headed. Sick at how so many Christians have turned away from Christ, leaving churches that we once loved and now could not bear to even set foot in because of the poison infecting them, the sickening words we could not bear to hear spoken there. Others who are like me, afraid to even call ourselves Christians any more or say out loud that we still believe. But suddenly there were all those people signing up and it was the most wonderful feeling not to feel alone. And then seeing on social media all the events being organized by people of so many other faiths, as well as those who also found they had other things in common with each other, Snd it was exciting that we were all becoming part of the same giant movement to bring joy and love and hope and caring back to our country. And that’s why it hurts so much now, and scares us so much, because it wasn’t enough. But still, I believe that we can’t give up, We can’t give in to fear, we can’t let it paralyze us. Hate isn’t going to win. The Bible says so. And those who follow John here, that may not be, or no longer consider themselves Christians, can also find a way to believe that love wins—we all need to find a way to keep believing that. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, for other younger family members and friends, for all the beautiful young adults, teens, kids of every race, color, gender identity or cultural identity we know, and the ones we don’t know but see out there in this world every day, we have to believe and help them to believe it. To show them by example that we are not giving up. We will not let evil triumph over good in the long run, even if seems like it’s winning right now. That’s what I’m telling myself so I can get up and go on every day. Love is going to win, as long as we don’t give up. As long as we have courage to speak up and speak out for what we believe in. Because it’s worth it, even if I don’t get see it happen in my lifetime. It’s worth it for my daughters and grandchildren, and everyone else who will get to see it.