The road to healing

Back in Reagan days conservatives hardly ever agreed with Democrats – both sides fought all the time. But, at the same time, we saw liberals like Tip O’Neil as fellow Americans. That led to mutual respect. So, back then, no one called people on the other side ‘garbage’…or ‘slimeballs’… or ‘scumbags.’

That’s changed.

These days, we hear politicians hurl insults all the time.

When someone disagrees with Trump – say, on the Iran War – Trump doesn’t look at him as a fellow American who’s wrong – he calls him ‘a scumbag’ on social media. Mutual respect flies out the window. Anger erupts, spreads like wildfire.

But, of course, that comes with a price.

A moral bedrock beneath our feet, the old saying ‘love your neighbor’ crumbles.

And that comes with a price too: Next the Rule of Law flies out the window and, when that happens, anything goes; a nation splits into mobs of brawlers – breaks apart piece by piece like ancient Rome before the Huns arrived.

So how does healing start?

We’ve stumbled into a dark time; we’ve seen that happen over and over in history. What saved people? In the past prayer, forgiveness, repentance led to a Reformation, Great Awakenings, Revivals…and the road to healing.