I recently met a friend for lunch. He arrived with a March 2017 copy of THE GOOD NEWS PAPER and showed me the editorial I had written in the wake of Donald Trump’s November 2016 election. My friend said it was still timely. And so here it is, abridged to make it (far) less than the original 1,156 words.

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Before the election I did not declare publicly for any side. Ministers and churches (and tax-exempt publications like this one) are forbidden by law to endorse a party or a candidate during an election.

But now the election is over. A line has been drawn. Sides must be taken.

Yes, we must somehow love this president and be kind, but that doesn’t mean we condone inflammatory rhetoric, hurtful policies, or attacks on the ideals that make America truly great.

Patriots can’t remain silent. We stand with the Statue of Liberty. We must not let that torch fall.

The president claims to lead “a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen.” Its marching orders are: America first. The rest of the world be damned.

But no nation is an “island” entirely unto itself. No nation can thrive alone any more than the human species can thrive alone on this planet. To dismiss or discount our interdependence within the web of life or within the family of nations is naive, foolish, and dangerous.

And yet “America first” is now heralded across our land, and patriotism is demanded. But love of country hardly requires a commandment. Patriotism is a natural and honorable affection for one’s own country. When patriotism anywhere is married to bigotry and belligerence, it is dangerous and abhorrent. It quickly leads to nationalism.

Furthermore, “America first” evokes a dark and shameful era when America refused to join other nations in resisting Hitler and turned away Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust. That’s taking a side.

I am not on that side.

I am on the side of another historic movement, a movement launched by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and shaped by the deep tradition of the Hebrew prophets. Its marching orders are: Love first. May all nations be blessed.

I’m pretty sure many of you are on that side, too, whatever your “faith” may be. It’s not about religion. It’s about a revolutionary movement of love.

So please, let your little light shine. Hold it high.

I know, I know. You may feel self-righteous doing so. But if you wait for moral perfection, you’ll never do any good.

So while holding up your little light, by all means, work on being humble. And while you’re working on humility, for heaven’s sake, keep standing up. 

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