One of the strategies of authoritarians is to “flood the
zone” with endless performative stunts, fabrications and lies, and ever-upped
incendiary rhetoric to exhaust people. This is done so that we — regular
citizens who are busy attending to our own lives — stop paying attention to
current events, tune out, and then either don’t vote or waste our votes. And,
of course, those same leaders want us to be quiet, to not speak truth in the
public square or even to each other.
Last week, I was at an event at Georgetown University,
hosted by my friend Jim Wallis, called the Test of Democracy. It was a good
event with GREAT people who are giving their all to rise to this political
moment. In effect, they are trying to “flood the zone” with goodness, truth,
and genuine hope to counter the noise of the authoritarian nationalists…
When his weary, anxious friends asked him about the end
of the age, Jesus told them not to be alarmed but to be ready. He wanted them
to pay attention and look past their fears to see the intimations of the
kingdom of God’s justice and love just beyond the horizon. What does it mean not to be alarmed but to be
ready in these treacherous advent days? I think it means finding friends,
listening to the right voices, and continuing in faith, hope, and love.
That’s why many good people are standing up and speaking
out.
Please don’t ignore everything that comes your way. I
know there are so many essays and articles and podcasts about faith and
politics right now. Every day, there are worthy causes and worthy candidates
asking for money and resources in your email. It is hard to keep up. Hard to
pay attention. The temptation is to stop paying attention. To the annoying
things. And then to everything. It would be easier to hole up and hide for the
next forty days. Because you are probably exhausted. That’s what the authoritarians
want.
Look for and listen to those who are flooding the zone
with goodness. Stay focused on caring for one another, encouraging each other,
and strengthening courage in community. We can all make this advent journey
together.
Diana
Butler Bass
_________________________________
Storm warning!
The warning is clear.
Bad times are coming!
Prepare to be deluged.
Swamped
Overwhelmed
Drowned
They are coming for your jobs
They are eating dogs and cats
They are evil and violent
They are killing babies
They are Marxists
These are the worst times, times like no one has ever
seen before
America is a $h!th*!@ country
We are a failing nation. We are a nation that is hostile
to liberty, freedom, and faith.
We are a nation whose economy has collapsed …
whose stores are not stocked,
whose deliveries are not coming,
and whose educational system is at the very bottom of
every list
It rains and it pours
The words flow from the mouths of those who would stoke
fear
And intimidate
The hate rises like a flood
And we can barely stand and barely breathe
“Long as I remember the rain been comin' down
Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground
Good men through the ages tryin' to find the sun
And I wonder, still I wonder, who'll stop the rain?” (John Fogarty)
Who indeed?
We are weary!
And we tire of trying to stop the rain
Yet we are called to stand
To be alert
We are called to “flood the zone” with goodness, truth,
and genuine hope
To look past our fears to see the intimations of the
kingdom of God’s justice
and love
just beyond the horizon.
We believe in the sun
We believe in the light
More, we carry the light
And we are called to shine
caring for one another,
encouraging each other
finding strength and courage
being a community of hope
that cannot be overcome
by the darkness
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