Category Archives: Current events

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Calling out white Christian nationalism

I, like most of you, have been deeply shaken this week. I have spent the past couple days processing what my role is right now – first as a Christian, second as an American.

For today, I believe it’s necessary to speak out against the growing influence of white Christian nationalism. We saw the devastating consequences of that influence on Wednesday. I can’t get out of my mind the images of a mob carrying crosses and Christian banners alongside Confederate and Trump flags, as others in the crowd erected a gallows and stormed the Capitol.  

Many Christians are being led down an increasingly radical path by blind political loyalties. White Christian nationalism is influencing so many who have no idea what they’re dabbling in. It is dangerous, and it is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I can’t say it any clearer than that.

Christian friends, I beg you: Recognize what is happening. Do not allow yourself to be led any further down this path. This isn’t about liberals versus conservatives. So much of what we’re now hearing on the right is in direct contrast to traditionally conservative political values. We are called to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. What I have seen growing amongst friends and neighbors – people I truly care about – is neither.  

Misinformation has been weaponized. For many, the basic understanding of reality itself is threatened. This is how radicalization works. It convinces you not to trust objective sources and leads you to rely on partisan information to the exclusion of all else. Social media algorithms steer you toward increasingly more extreme ideas, and in turn influence others in your circles. More and more people are unmoored from a factual foundation. Confidence in institutions and expertise is at an all-time low, so we distrust official information. We “do our own research,” which often means we believe whatever validates our preferences. Unprincipled leaders are free to take full advantage, and spineless ones go along. In response, social media platforms and other organizations scramble to address rampant misinformation in ways that raise serious questions about free speech.

I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that (not for the first time) our republic is teetering on a precipice. We are each responsible for our role in what happens now.

But even more importantly, Christians are responsible for what happens to our witness. We are not each other’s enemies. We are fellow followers of God. A faithful walk with Him will result in unity through a higher calling. Who are we really following: Christ, or others using His name?

I’ll keep wrestling on my knees with what my role is in these very strange days. Perhaps this is the time we’ve been waiting for. May we each be found faithful.

P.S. If your first instinct is to comment “but Black Lives Matter” or “but election fraud,” please don’t. I value respectful dialog, but constructive conversation does not appear to be possible around that kind of false equivalency or misinformation. If you’re not willing to reevaluate your positions and loyalties in light of this week’s events, we’re probably not going to get anywhere here.

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About Yesterday

There is a lot that could be said right now. There is a lot being said. I am hesitant to jump into the fray, because our first reactions are rarely our best. I process through writing, so it’s with humility that I share what’s on my mind right now.

My heart aches for my country. I think most of us feel that way. Political divisions have deepened into a chasm. Political extremism, now propagated from the highest office in the land, has pushed us to the brink.

How do we move forward? Sure, we have a change in national leadership coming in two weeks, but we all know that doesn’t magically fix what’s clearly broken. Is there even common ground to be found any more?

I believe there is. I see a common thread that weaves its way through so much anger and fear.

We are all feeling, deep in our guts, that our government institutions are no longer serving the interests of the people.

That’s it. That’s the common thread.

We know it’s true. We sense with mounting and sometimes explosive frustration the ways in which our systems are failing us. We see those failures costing lives and livelihoods. Some of us have experienced this through generations of oppression. Others of us have felt it more in recent years. But instead of recognizing this common experience and working together to build better, fairer institutions that will more directly serve all our interests, we have allowed ourselves to be misinformed and manipulated. We have turned our anger on our fellow citizens. We have put our faith – and I use that word intentionally, as much of what has developed is cultish idolatry – in political figures. We have forgotten that it is we the people who bear the responsibility and the power to steer this enormous, complicated, unwieldy ship.

Taking back that responsibility doesn’t look like a deadly hissy fit that attempts to derail democracy when your guy loses. It looks like rolling up our sleeves and doing the hard work of learning and understanding. (Why does it feel like citizen voices are not heard by those in power? What’s actually driving policy right now? What would it take to make real change?) We must make a deliberate decision to reject divisive messaging that turns us against each other. We must choose to hear stories that make us uncomfortable, to listen to experiences that don’t mirror our own.

I’m going to repeat something I’ve said often: sources of information matter. SOURCES OF INFORMATION MATTER.

We saw yesterday the terrifying consequences of misinformation. Pulling our republic back from the brink will take a conscious decision to trust sources of information with a professional obligation to objectivity and nonpartisan understanding.  The alternative is to allow the self-interest of those in power to manipulate not just our opinions but our understanding of reality itself.

Democracy has always rested on access to factual information. The American Revolution developed when a people had the ability to collectively follow events as they unfolded and openly discuss and debate ideas. It was this free flow of information that enabled self-governance. Our founders understood this when they enshrined both free speech and a free press in the first amendment to our Constitution.

I have heard friends suggest that dictators start by disarming citizens. Disarming may happen, but another step always comes first. Every tyrant who has ever successfully suppressed a people has used the control of information as a first and primary weapon. That often looks like shutting down or discrediting objective sources of information, convincing the public they can only trust sources that validate a certain perspective. It also looks like flooding information channels to sow confusion. (“In all this noise, who knows what’s true? I’ll just trust people I like to tell me what to believe.”) Unprincipled leaders weaponize information to whip up rage and resentment and direct it at political rivals and other groups of citizens.

Misinformation otherizes. It dehumanizes. It divides. It weakens. It manipulates. It benefits only those with the power to control it.

We must choose better. Knowing the truth and understanding the underlying challenges that threaten our nation takes real work. It takes discomfort. It takes a willingness to set aside our anger, however justified, and to admit our mistakes and learn. It takes empathy and patience. It takes a determination to participate in the democratic process. It takes a will to act with thoughtful purpose, not just for ourselves but for all those around us. It’s slow and unglamorous work.

I don’t know whether our collective society has the capacity for that work. I think that remains to be seen in the coming weeks and months. Will we see yesterday for the dire warning it is and correct course, or will we continue down the path that led us here? The answer lies with each of us, and the choices we make today and every day after.  

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Guest post: Today’s fight for democracy

This Memorial Day, I bring you a guest post from an author very dear to my heart: my dad, Michael Harrell. He had some thoughts weighing heavy on his mind today, and when he sent them to me, I felt they were worth sharing. He agreed to having them posted here. Whether you fully agree or not, I hope you appreciate the perspective of someone who has spent a few more years than I observing this great American experiment.

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It has been a very long time since World War II. That is the last war that clearly saved the world from despotism and hatred. In that war there was a clear “right” and a clear “wrong.” The individuals who served in that war are now few, and aging. It is far too easy to forget that very many men and women sacrificed lives, health, finances and comfort to defeat a very evil enemy, and maintain the freedom and democracy we now enjoy.

We are now used to wars of questionable purpose and value. Wars fought with increasing technology that removes death and suffering ever further from our own homes; wars that seem too significantly motivated by financial gain or political advantage.

It is, I believe, important to remember that many gave up much that we can live as we live. I fear we have grown fat and lazy, and are unappreciative of the blessings we have and live with from moment to moment. Memorial Day is a time set aside that can serve to help us remember and appreciate what others have sacrificed.

We are now in serious danger of losing much of what those men and women gave to save. What a powerful enemy could not take away by violence, we are day by day giving up voluntarily. The man, elected by citizens of this free nation, who places the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier today, is bit by bit eroding the foundations of our democracy. Nor does he bear this responsibility alone; he is the leader with many who follow for their own purposes.

Truth may be the most significant and lamentable casualty. Reshaping facts and misleading statements have always been a part of our democratic process. Our current leadership, however, now seems to have no attachment to honesty and factual evidence, with resources for verifying truth being assiduously undermined.

A free and unbiased source of information, on which we can make evidence based judgments, is another fallen trooper. Mistrust and scorn for any evidence that disagrees with a strongly held construct seems determined to put to death all but collaborative “evidence.”

Respect for one another, regardless of ethnicity, country of origin, age, sex or any other imagined difference is perhaps an equally remorseful loss. The seeds of hatred, division and disrespect are being sewn widely and deeply.

Certainly we have never been a perfect society, honest, faithful and respectful in all situations and at all times. We have had tremendous failings. But until truth can be resurrected, evidence restored and respect regained, can we expect to continue in the freedom and democracy we so underappreciate?

God’s Kingdom is our true country, and citizenship in that country is the only true security. I pray that God will soon put all concerns to rest, and establish His forever true, faithful and respectful government on this earth, as it is throughout the rest of Creation.

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Michael Harrell is a respiratory therapist, an exceptional husband, father of two and grandfather of four, a deeply devoted Christian, an avid reader, a talented vocalist, excellent chef and baker, and disability advocate. He lives in Ooltewah, Tenn. with his wife of more than 40 years and his faithful guide dog, Honor. 

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A conversation with my conservative friends

It’s been a while since I posted here. I, like many of you, have been distracted with events swirling around us. The noise has reached deafening levels, and as a result, I am doing some unplugging. But I also have some things I need to say. I’ve decided to say them here, where you can choose to read them or not and choose to comment or not. (While I am trying to unplug, I am always open to respectful conversation. I check email regularly and will be happy to talk to you about this or whatever else is on your mind.) Maybe this post will be helpful, or maybe it will just add to the noise. If it’s the latter, I sincerely apologize. I know you’re already bombarded from all sides. This is a long one, so hang in here with me.

If your social media feed is anything like mine, it’s recently been full of two broad groups of people utterly failing to understand one another. I’ve probably contributed to some of that myself, because I haven’t understood. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at events and wondering how things could possibly be happening the way they were. How could anyone think this way? How could anyone dream of voting for that man? 

But the unfolding of those events has shown me I’m clearly missing something big. The hand painted, billboard-sized, floodlit Trump sign a few doors down has shouted that I’m missing something. The views of members of my own family, people I love dearly, have shown me I’m missing something. So, I’ve been trying really hard to listen.  It’s not easy. I have very strong views of my own. Discussions can get tense. I get emotional. I don’t always hear what people are trying to say. I talk (or more often, write) too much.

Despite all of that, I think I’ve learned a few things. Trump supporters, I’d like to talk to you for a little while. Let me tell you first what I’ve been hearing from you; I’m sure you’ll tell me if I’m not in the ballpark.

You’ve felt for a long time that people in government – in Washington, maybe even in your own state capital – are worlds removed from you. The policies they debate and the laws they pass intrude but have little chance of making your daily life any easier. Maybe you’ve personally faced some hard times, and you’ve felt like Washington has made it worse.  You’ve seen opportunities you expected for yourself and your family disappear, and maybe it seems the government is taking them from you and handing them to someone else according to some twisted idea of fairness. But it’s no real surprise. These politicians don’t sound like you, they don’t come from backgrounds like yours, they don’t share your values, they’ve probably never held a job like yours. They’ve become a class unto themselves, existing to scratch each other’s backs, cater to wealthy special interests and big donors and perpetuate a godless system that places an increasing burden – of taxes, rules and limits – on the backs of citizens like you.  Everything you hear from Washington and from liberals says that you should be someone other than who you are, that you should believe differently than you do and that your way of life and values aren’t respected. 

Then, a candidate came along who sounded a lot more like the people you talk to day-to-day. He didn’t speak like every word was vetted by committee for its political impact. He made you feel like you could be proud again in who you are. He made you feel your grievances were real and justified, and he gave you hope that maybe your voice was being heard. He told you he was going to give back the opportunities that had been taken from you. He explained the world’s problems in terms that made sense to you and talked about solutions that sounded simple and straightforward. He seemed like the kind of guy who wasn’t beholden to anyone and did what he wanted, without the endless calculations of the politicians you’re used to seeing.

And yes, I know many of you voted for Donald Trump reluctantly, feeling stuck between two bad options. You chose to optimistically hope he would settle into the role, and that perhaps his outsider status really would be good for our entrenched system. 

Am I in the ballpark?

 I actually identify with some of that. I, too, feel that Washington is too insular, too far removed from the daily lives of “we the people.” I agree that donations for access and favor trading have become the status quo, leaving too little room for the voices of the people to drive agendas and shape policy. I think the executive branch of government has become too powerful and Congress ridiculously inept. I know our laws and regulations have become overwhelmingly complicated, and I know that many liberal voices in America have become increasingly removed from or even hostile to traditional Christian beliefs and values. I hear the condescension; maybe I’ve even sometimes been guilty of it.

But now I’m going to ask you to stay with me as I try to answer the question I have been hearing in various forms from so many conservative friends and family members: “Why are liberals so upset? Why the need for massive demonstrations? This is how it works. Your side doesn’t always win. I don’t remember this happening when Obama won. What’s with the whining/hysteria?”

 I’m not going to talk about what happened after Obama’s election. I’m not going to try to convince you that Trump is awful and you never should have voted for him. I’m not going to accuse you of being a racist. I’m not even going to rehash all the things he’s said, because most of you admit you don’t always love his big mouth/Twitter account. This is a conversation about understanding each other’s viewpoints. There will be no sarcasm here. I’m asking you to lower your defenses and step into shoes that may pinch a little.

I’ll start with the Trump campaign slogan, which has now become the mission statement for his administration: “Make America Great Again.” We’ve seen it everywhere for many months now. My friends who support Trump hear it as a rallying cry they can get behind after years of disillusionment.

Let’s break that message down. “Make America great again” contains at its core the idea that America was at some point in its past greater than it is now. In fact, it directly states that America is no longer great. Clearly, this resonates with many voters. But let me ask you a question: If America is not great now, when was it great?

I’ve heard man-on-the-street interviews on this question, and the responses vary. Some point to the Reagan years, some go farther back. I read an interview today with someone at the inauguration who pointed to the 60s as our golden era.

Again, I get it. You are likely thinking of more stable jobs, simpler family and social structures, foreign conflicts that had clearer moral grounds, fewer government regulations, a time when traditional Christian values bound us together.  We could argue about the accuracy of those associations, but I understand where you’re coming from.

But imagine now that you are a person of color in the south in the 1960s. What is life like for you? You are not able to eat at the same lunch counter, drink from the same water fountains, use the same restrooms or travel in the same rail cars as white citizens. You ride at the back of the bus, where the exhaust and heat are most oppressive. Your children’s “colored” schools receive a fraction of the funding of white schools. You will not be admitted to most colleges or universities. You live with the constant fear that you (or your husband or daddy) could be beaten or hanged from a tree because someone thought you looked too long at a white woman. You are expected to show complete deference to every white person you meet, no matter how you are treated. You face limited job and economic prospects. (And let’s not kid ourselves that it was much better outside the south.)

 Now imagine you are a woman in the 1960s. Many of your friends marry young and begin having children right away. Maybe you choose to go to college, where career options center on secretarial, nursing or similar occupations. If you choose a typically male area of study, you know to expect constant harassment from fellow students and an all-male teaching staff. You are barred from attending most Ivy League institutions. Once you are in the workplace, you face persistent sexual advances from male colleagues and may be limited in your ability to progress if you reject them. Once you marry, you are expected to quit your job to care for your home and husband. Birth control pills are still illegal in many states. If you are able to keep working after marriage, you may be fired as soon as you are visibly pregnant. You are not able to open a bank account in your name, and in many states, you are not able to serve on a jury.

What if you are a person with an intellectual disability? You are almost certainly hidden away in an institution to face torture and abuse, never to be seen or heard from in civilized society again. If you are lucky enough to have family who defies doctors to keep you at home, you have no access to education and certainly no hope of employment. It is assumed that you are incapable of even the most basic learning or independence. Predictably, your life expectancy is around 18.

If you are gay, you will likely never be able to publicly admit that identity, living in fear of being ostracized, beaten or killed. Any relationship must be conducted in absolute secrecy. You spend enormous amounts of energy keeping up pretense, feeling deep inside that something must be horribly, irreparably wrong with you.

I could keep going for pages; I’ve left out many, many groups. The point, my friends, is that the times you look back on as examples of American greatness were times of severe oppression and marginalization for many, many people. It is no coincidence that these times are long enough ago to have been softened by the haziness of memory, the sharp edges worn dull and the complexities simplified by forgetfulness. But for many people, those sharp edges and complexities were daily life. Can you understand why many of your fellow citizens quell at the idea of recapturing those days? Do you understand why the “make America great again” message, reinforced by divisive rhetoric and a reenergization of hate groups, feels to many like a rescinding of their rightful place in America? 

I know many of you feel the pendulum has swung too far; that deference is now given to minority groups out of fear of offending. You believe we have more than addressed historic inequities and members of minority groups are overly sensitive. But my friends, that view lacks the perspective that comes from experiencing that the lives of people like you always have been valued less than other lives. We do not live in isolation from our past. Our society was built on the authority of white, straight men over all other groups. When you complain about black pride because white pride is racist, you deny the entire historical context in which we live. When you talk of despising political correctness, we hear you saying you don’t want to have to consider the feelings of people who aren’t like you. You and I are not responsible for the inequities of the past, but we must live in a world shaped by them.

I know your climb has not been so easy. You hear the term “privilege” and feel angry, because you know how hard you’ve worked and how many challenges you’ve overcome. I’m not here to take that away from you. But please, try to understand: so many groups of people still face incredible hurdles just to reach the place where you started your climb. The progress our country has haltingly achieved toward rights for the marginalized is not guaranteed to remain or continue. Progress toward equality requires deliberate understanding and exhausting work to sustain. Maybe you feel the concerns and efforts around you are misguided. That is certainly your right, but please try to at least understand their origin.

On my news feed and in my daily life, I hear the voices of people from all walks of life, all races and all political persuasions who feel ignored and unheard. My friends, we must find ways to listen to each other and find common ground to make our government more responsive, more connected to the lives of its citizens. Gains for one group need not come at the expense of others, but that will be the result if we continue to operate from a place of fear and anger.

We live in a very complicated world and in very complicated times. We have no hope of facing the challenges ahead unless we begin from a place of kindness, listening to understand, giving each other the benefit of the doubt and valuing people more than ideas or identities. This is my prayer for myself, for you and for my country.

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Not a John Wayne movie

For the second time in recent history on this blog, I am going to weigh in on a hot button political issue. In fact, I’m weighing in on the same hot button issue. I will try not to make this a habit, for those of you who avoid politics like the plague or who disagree vehemently with me and find this spoils the rest of the content for you. I promise, a nice Christmas/New Year’s post is coming.

But for now, I find I have something to say that I’m not hearing in other places. As I discussed in my earlier post, public discourse on the issue of gun violence is at a place of complete inanity. Lobby interests and political agendas are so deeply imbedded that we as a nation appear unable to seek real solutions. It is discouraging beyond belief to the many of us caught in the middle, who simply don’t want to live with a pervasive fear that we or someone we love might die by gun violence in what should be a safe place.

In that context, I’m going to address the argument that seems most common among those who disagree with any attempt to regulate access to guns. I commented on this thought from a friend on Facebook today, and I want to say up front that I approach this subject with respect for those who hold this view. I want to engage in thoughtful conversation, not shouted arguments. We get more than enough of that elsewhere.

Here’s the thought I hear so commonly expressed: “Criminals don’t care what the law says about guns. They will get guns any way they can. Gun regulation only affects law-abiding citizens who are attempting to protect themselves and their families. We keep making more hoops for good people to jump through while criminals continue to arm themselves illegally. Then we ban weapons in public places, which means people who follow the rules are guaranteed to be unarmed when the criminals ignore the rules, as they always do.”

I get this. There is logic in the argument. But I think it’s based on a misunderstanding – or at least an oversimplification – of human nature. This line of thinking assumes one very problematic fact: That there is clear delineation between “good guys” and “bad guys,” and everyone is one or the other. Life simply doesn’t work that way.

Let me explain. Take, for example, the law passed in Tennessee a while back that allows patrons to carry firearms into bars. The result is that bar customers are now armed in an environment where they are guaranteed to have impaired judgement and lowered inhibitions. Why would we do this? Even the most law-abiding citizens can make terrible, life-ending mistakes.

What happens when a previously law-abiding employee at a local business faces a series of extremely stressful events and, in a moment of extreme distress, suffers a mental break while also having access to a deadly weapon? Here in Nashville a few years back, a video from a high school student made local news when a teacher had some kind of breakdown and started screaming and throwing things, including a desk.

My friends, this world is not populated by “good people” and “bad people.” It’s populated by a few really evil people, a lot more with a record of really bad decisions, and even more imperfect, everyday people who, given the right set of circumstances, can make really terrible mistakes. We know we want to try to keep guns out of the hands of the first two groups, but what about that third group, which almost certainly includes you and me?

Law-abiding citizens do have a right to defend themselves. But how do we also deal with the reality that so often, having deadly weapons on hand dramatically increases the likelihood that inevitable problem situations will turn deadly?

These issues are not simple. I don’t write all this to beat anyone over the head. Instead, I hope to provoke thought and start conversations that allow for nuance and complexity. Let’s stop demonizing and oversimplifying. We are not extras in a John Wayne movie. We are complicated people living in very messy times. Once we start dealing with that reality, we will already be much further down the road to a solution.

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Let this be the final straw

Fellow Americans, we need to talk.

It’s happened again. Yesterday’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, California was the 352nd in the U.S. in 2015. There have been more mass shootings than there have been days so far this year. This time, a public health facility that serves people with intellectual disabilities was targeted, for reasons that will never make any sense.

But here’s the thing: We are all culpable. This keeps happening, and we keep having the same ridiculous, entrenched arguments that incapacitate our nation and leave the door wide open for more senseless violence.

The public conversation is the same every time: It’s a gun control problem. No, it’s a mental health care problem. Politicians and the media line up to take a position on one side or the other. Everyone has a favorite hobby horse and a favorite line of defense. We hash and re-hash the same, tired debate and wonder why this keeps happening.

We can blame the media. We can blame politicians. But ultimately, we are to blame. We the people allow this to happen. We align with a particular political agenda and fall in step behind the rhetoric. We allow complex issues to be oversimplified into easily-packaged 60-second segments. We quickly regurgitate lines and arguments that resonate.

I am a fairly informed and intelligent citizen, but I don’t understand why this keeps happening. My guess is you don’t, either. I don’t think any of us really have a handle on what this disease is that’s eating away at the soul of our culture, stealing the lives of far too many innocent people.

Let’s stop pretending we have the answers. Let’s stop jumping on political bandwagons, shouting the same old lines at each other. Let’s have a discussion that acknowledges the truth: This is a complex problem that’s pretty unlikely to have one simple solution. Yes, we clearly are facing a mental health crisis, with no apparent idea how to address it. Let’s also admit that extremely deadly weapons are regularly ending up in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them, costing an unacceptable price in lives lost.

Let’s demand funding for research on gun violence so we have information instead of endless opinion. (See this article on why the CDC is not currently conducting that research.) Let’s fund serious mental health research and talk to serious people about practical solutions. Let’s acknowledge that solving this problem will likely cost money, and that we all have to have a part in that. (Emergency medical care and massive crisis response operations aren’t exactly free.)

I’m honestly not convinced we have the collective will to do this. Our nation is in a terrible place. We don’t seem able to work together to solve problems. We are very attached to our rhetoric and our hobby horses. Which is why I’m making this a very personal appeal: Put down that hobby horse. Step away from the rhetoric. Demand that your public representatives do the same. Let San Bernardino be the final straw. Let this be the event that galvanizes a nation to work together to find real answers.