Throughout the months that follow, this monthly blog will present the contemporary Leftist perspective on hot-button issues such as abortion, economics, foreign affairs, free speech, religious freedom and more, followed by a "Red Pill" rebuttal.
However, with my first post being scheduled for today, and following the recent violence at the Capitol, I was compelled to begin this blog with the end in mind. Pastor Mark Batterson in his sermon, Flip the Script, stated that there are days when decades happen. Yesterday, was one of those days.
This past year, we've endured a barrage of events testing the strength of our union, perhaps the greatest such test since the Civil War. The president who guided us through that trying time, Abraham Lincoln, stated in 1838, "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher."
This past year, we faced incredible challenges from abroad including the attacks of foreign aggressors such as China, Iran and Russia while enduring a global pandemic.
And yet, none of these threats caused as much damage as we have caused to ourselves. According to Charles Kesler, America is in a cold civil war on the brink of turning hot.
If I had any aspiration for the outcome of this blog, it would be "in Order to form a more perfect Union" as stated in the Preamble of the Constitution. However fanciful that ambition, try I must. The only way that we can form a Union is through unity, but unity seems impossible with so much division.
In fact, in the word division, the prefix di means "two" followed by the word vision meaning "two visions." At the root of our problems, as noted by Kesler, "we are torn increasingly between two rival constitutions, two cultures, two ways of life."
Is there any possibility for hope for unity in such an environment?
Thankfully, our American heritage is rich with many examples of courageous individuals who sacrificed for unity while living in perilous circumstances. From George Whitfield, to George Washington, to Harriet Tubman, to Abraham Lincoln, to Clara Barton and so many countless others gave their last full measure of devotion, so too, our sacrifice for unity will either come at the cost of blood or the cost of humility.
Not humility in the weakest sense of the word, but humility in the strongest sense of the word. Humility inspired by courage to build bridges with others of different viewpoints, political affiliations and backgrounds. In an age when the forces of technology and social media dominate our lives, the value of authentic relationship carries immeasurably more value.
The strength of these local relationships between neighbors, family members, colleagues and rivals, defines the strength of our union.
One of America's greatest heroes, Frederick Douglass, who escaped slavery to become the greatest force in the abolitionist movement, embodied this kind of humility.
He never withheld from speaking the truth about slavery and the brutal treatment of his former master, Thomas Auld. And yet, after the Civil War, Douglass arranged a trip to reunite with his former master.
This meeting in 1877 was full of emotion and forgiveness.
As Douglass approached the bed of the elderly Auld, both began to weep, and they clasped hands as they reminisced over the past. If Frederick Douglass could befriend the man who once enslaved him without compromising on the principles which he defended with unwavering passion, so too we can today.
I anticipate the next two years to be full of terrible political consequences resulting from a Democratic-led House, Senate and White House.
Like Douglass, I resolve to fiercely contend for the truth while also seeing the humanity and God-given worth in my fellow citizens, and treating them accordingly.
Undoubtedly, to offer grace in this environment may be impossible out of our own strength. Thankfully, Abraham Lincoln modeled what to do in in the face of such dire circumstances.
"I went to the room one day and locked the door and got down upon my knees before Almighty God … and after that, I don't know how it was, and I cannot explain it, soon a sweet comfort crept into my soul. The feeling that God had taken the whole business into His own hands."
Lincoln drew from a Source of supernatural strength to lead with courageous humility.
We too must draw from that same Source of strength to begin the long and difficult, but most crucial task of cultivating authentic relationships which have the power to pull us back from the brink of civil war.
Jonathan Jakubowski is the Author of a newly-released book that has gained national attention, Bellwether Blues, A Conservative Awakening of the Millennial Soul. He is also Director of SmartSolve, an award-winning startup business focused on sustainable packaging. Jonathan played football and received his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University and Masters Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University. Jonathan is the Founder of Champions in Action and is the Chairman of the Forge Leadership Network Board of Directors. Read Jonathan Jakubowski's Reports — More Here.
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