American Goodness

Our democratic republic is fragile. There is one basic reason for this, though there are a thousand variations on the theme. It is fragile because it ultimately depends upon us. It is as good as “We the people” are.

Which creates a big problem. “We the people” are a mixed bag, easily distracted, prone to partisanship, and selfish. We are more likely to defend OUR rights above the rights of others unless, of course, those rights belong to OUR crowd. Likewise, we are more likely to blame other groups when things go wrong, which they are right now.

As I said, fragile.

If we fail as ordinary citizens to pursue the common good in a way that embodies the common good, then the democratic republic we know as America will surely decline and ultimately fail. In short, we must BE the good in our pursuit of the good.

Goodness. It matters, and it matters a lot.

A brief detour. St. Augustine argued that evil doesn’t actually exist as an entity unto itself. It doesn’t and can’t stand alone as a real substance. It is more like a parasite. It can’t do the good; it can only pervert the good that is already there.

It took perhaps four years to build the Twin Towers, which involved the skill and work of tens of thousands of people. It took a little over an hour to take the buildings down.

What was left afterwards? Only a pile of rubble that buried 3000 victims.

Likewise, it takes a long time—many years—to train musicians and athletes, surgeons and scholars, carpenters and artists. Their contributions to the common good of society can be nullified in an instant by a malicious act or a tragic event.

It is no easy task to do the good. It is a relatively easy task to pervert or ruin it.

Now back to the point of this blog.

As I stated, our democratic republic is fragile. It always has been.

It seems now to be hanging by a thread

We feel it, too. A pall of anxiety, fear, and suspicion hangs over the nation. We look for scapegoats, distrust neighbors and even friends, and accuse without evidence. We have become uncharitable and nasty.

There is a great deal of blame to go around. But I am especially bothered by the behavior of Christians. How in God’s name can we allow churches to become Red or Blue? The early Christian movement faced the same problem, involving Jew and Gentile. The leaders of the early church made short work of it, though the controversy lingered.

Jesus Christ, they said, broke down all dividing walls of hostility. Nothing defines Christians except Jesus Christ. Not political party, not ideology, not skin color, not ethnicity, not education, not wealth, not even religion.

Jesus Christ alone. You’ll know it’s the real Jesus, too, when those who claim to follow him focus exclusively on their identity in him and nothing more. Jesus Christ is enough. No modifiers need.

Of all people, Christians should be a model of restraint, charity, and reasonableness.

Because we know better. Of course many other people do as well.

The Framers worked within a tension. They looked over their shoulder at a violent history that warned them of the perverse role religion can play. The religious wars, still fresh in their memory, exposed the worst of religion—really, of Christianity. Nation fought against nation in the name of the Christian God.

The Framers wanted nothing to do with it. Which is why they wrote God out of the Constitution, from the very first paragraph on. “We, the people . . .” it states. Not “In the name of God.” They knew that, once a group recruited God to their side, they could justify pretty much anything.

But the Framers also knew that they needed good people to make the government work. Good people who pursue the common good. Good people who know what good is. Good people who follow a good God.

The Constitution is a work of genius. Even then, it is not sufficient unto itself. It depends upon us, “We the people.”

It is the burden we carry, especially if we are followers of Jesus. It is also an opportunity to bear witness to Jesus in word and deed. It is time to rise to the occasion. No charged rhetoric. No ugly patriotism. No self-righteous fanaticism.

Just goodness.