I had started a lighter, more newsy post for this week . . . and then Wednesday happened.

There is much to process and discuss. You might trace the history of white supremacy and voter suppression in this country. You might trace the history of white Christian nationalism in the evangelical church. You might look into the roots of right-wing extremism and internet conspiracy theories like QAnon. You might trace how all these things may have led to a marriage of a large percentage of the white American Christian church to the cause of Donald Trump.

These are all things I myself am still processing as a a child of American evangelicalism who grew up thinking you could only be a Republican if you were a Christian, and didn’t understand the depths of racism’s stubborn presence, aftermath and impact until the last few years.

Addressing this history and these issues is important work we need to carry out in our own hearts, families, churches, and communities. I don’t want to over-spiritualize things, like we Christians sometimes do, in a way that keeps us from addressing real and present-day injustice right in front of us. I’ll share some resources at the end of this post that I find helpful to that end.

But today, I wanted to share with you this prayer I found in the Book of Common Prayer last night as I searched for prayers to calm my troubled heart:

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I love a few things about this prayer:

1. It reminds us that we are bound together--rural/urban, black/white/Latino/Asian, liberal/conservative/independent, rich/poor, saints/ain’t/nones. We cannot see each other as the enemy and we cannot desire each other’s destruction because that would be our own destruction. (I’m so thankful for @sharonsaysso on Instagram for repeating this over and over while being a non-partisan civics guide for current events. She’s an excellent follow.)
   
2. Our ultimate hope for deliverance is in God’s help, not in a political party. Politics is one means by which we love our neighbor. We ought to be engaged and informed, but it is not where we place our hope.
   
3. We ought to be oriented towards TRUTH & JUSTICE because we serve a God of truth and justice. This is part of His glorious character. If we promote things online and elsewhere that are easily debunked, how can our witness to our Lord be trusted? If our commitment to justice goes only as far as fits the bounds of our political party’s ideology, what integrity do we have?
   
4. Because we love truth, we confront one another without hatred and bitterness. Conflict is not the opposite of UNITY! We don’t settle for a false peace that avoids the hard topics. The truth is that some of us are wrong and some of us are right, and maybe most of us are a mix of the two most of the time. We can be unified in our love and devotion to Jesus and the mission He has given us, and still disagree about which particular policies best benefit our nation or community (Compasssion and Conviction does a really great job of articulating this).
   
5. We practice “mutual forbearance” and “respect.” True tolerance means you put up with people you strongly disagree with (this was one of David French’s main arguments in Divided we Fall). You don’t engage in a culture war because you feel threatened by people who think differently than you.
   
6. We do all this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Lord is not politics. Our Kingdom values are not handed to us pre-loaded by a political party. The Holy Spirit is not divided or confused.

I want to leave you with something hopeful. Consider this story of NJ Representative Andy Kim, who in the wee hours of the morning after the insurrection at the Capitol building, saw officers cleaning the hallways and felt compelled to join them. He said, “When you see something you love that’s broken you want to fix it.”

Friends, I think most of us here love our country and love the Church. Let’s pray for them both and work to fix their brokenness.

You can download the prayer coloring page HERE or by clicking on the image below:

I’d love for you to share this post if you think it will encourage someone in your life!

COPYRIGHT/USAGE: All writing, artwork and photos are copyright Marydean Draws. Please do not repost or resell on another website. I’m happy for you to use my coloring pages and other printables for home, school, and ministry. If you share content, please link back to the original post. Thank you!

HELPFUL RESOURCES

All my favorite resources particular to the conversation about race in America can be found HERE.

BOOK | Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement* by Justin Giboney, Michael Wear, Chris Butler (This would be a great one to read with your church!)

The AND Campaign Their mission is “to educate and organize Christians for civic and cultural engagement that results in better representation, more just and compassionate policies and a healthier political culture.”

BOOK | The Color of Compromise: the Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby*

BOOK | Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation by Latasha Morrison* + Be the Bridge organization and Facebook group

WEBSITE | Mockingbird History Lessons for Adults with Marcie Walker (Patreon site)

VIDEO |  Race in America Part 1 by Phil Vischer
VIDEO |  Race in America Part 2 by Phil Vischer

VIDEO: QAnon & Rediscipling the White Church with David Swanson on Holy Post Podcast

BOOK | Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation by David French*

*affiliate link. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.