There is a war going on today in our nation’s political discourse. And the casualties are many. We’ve lost our civility, the ability to have public discussion that isn’t harsh or dismissive but respectful and genuinely open to dialogue and disagreement. We’ve also lost our ability to really listen to one another and even to learn from people who don’t have all the same views, perspectives, and experiences that we do. We’ve lost our capacity for political compromise, for actually finding solutions instead of just continually blaming each other for the problems. And we’ve lost our problem-solving commitment, which sometimes depends on different kinds of contributions and answers from varying points of view. We’ve certainly lost the kind of news and information outlets that regularly broadcast or publish different and even conflicting political opinions and therefore challenge our previously held thoughts and persuasions. Perhaps the greatest loss is to the common good.
Jim Wallis
On God’s Side
