It seems that each day the news includes yet something else impacting on we citizens. Today it included the announcement of further cuts to VA employees. Since the beginning of the year, the news has included announcements of other job firings, cuts in foreign aid, the pardoning of persons convicted of crimes at the Jan 6 riot, and insults to other foreign leaders. Intelligent dialogue seems to be a thing of the past as our country becomes more and more polarized. If you take a conservative position, you ae accused of being a fascist. If you take a liberal position, you are accused of being a socialist.

Shades of Joe McCarthy! In the time of Sen. McCarthy in the 1950s, any criticism of that Senator and his anti-communist agenda resulted in one being labelled as a Communist. Neighbor turned against neighbor. We may be moving in that direction and will be encouraged to report our neighbors who are immigrants, who still work from home, etc.

The issues facing our country are difficult. Immigration, gun control, disease control, the Ukraine. All are complex issues that do not lend themselves to easy resolution. Intelligent study and dialogue is desperately needed. Instead what we seem to hear are insults and threats on all sides with undercurrents of violence to those who speak out. In the face of all of this, we common citizens can feel powerlessness. Or angry.

It is that anger that has been capitalized on. One politician was astute enough to take what I call a Howard Beal approach to things. Paddy Chayefsky predicted not only the TV news environment but the political environment over 40 years ago with his script for the film Network. Here is the signature scene:

There is such a thing as righteous anger, an anger that needs to be balanced by compassion and a capacity to listen. Much of the anger that we see and hear from our political leaders lacks any degree of compassion.

Beneath anger is fear. Fear of the immigrant. Fear of the economy. Fear of the future. Underneath the anger that drove January 6 and that influenced subsequent elections lurks fear. In the face of such fear, many, many of us feel powerless.

To feel powerless is to fell an absence of control, an impotence. Most of us lack a vehicle to directly impact current events. We can write to our congressman or congresswoman yet have the nagging thought that our letter won’t be read. We can march in protests. History shows us that protests can make a difference. Witness the impact of protests against racial discrimination or the Viet Nam War. Yet at an individual level, it can feel like a waste of time.

Those of us who consider ourselves Christian are especially challenged, particularly in the face of so-called Christians acting an an un-Christian manner by resorting to name-calling, violence, and judgment. Some of us Christians seem to have forgotten some basic Christian principles.

What are we Christian citizens to do?

1. We can educate ourselves. We can select a reliable news source, one that reports all sides of an issue without name-calling.
2. We can educate ourselves on current Christian teaching and thinking on the issues before us. For example, an excellent recent article in America magazine by El Paso’s own Bishop Mark Seitz presents an excellent examination of the immigration issue from a Christian perspective.
3. We can be honest with ourselves in terms of what we fear and how that may be influencing our reactions to the issues of the day and in particular whether that fear is being manipulated by others.
4. We can participate in protests as long as they are peaceful and respectful. Remember that more than a few participants in the Jan 6 riot labelled themselves as Christians.
5. In the 12 Step program persons in recovery are called to acknowledge powerless and turn instead to a higher power. Perhaps our religious leaders need to challenge us to pray for solutions to problems that embrace the teachings of Jesus rather than ignore them.
6. As simple as it may seem, we can pray.

For me, the sense of powerlessness is a persistent negative voice. Even as I write this, that voice says “This is a waste of time. Who do you think you are?” Well, I’m a Christian and we Christians have a long heritage of speaking out in the face of negativity. Jesus of course is the original Voice but there have been others since then. All have been willing to speak out in the face of indifference.

It can also be an issue of ego –that I want to make a difference. That I want people to listen to Me! Perhaps I need to humbly accept that I can only be a small but significant part of a voice that can make a difference. And that matters!