America’s True Greatness

Sunday, August 9, 2026

I find myself deeply worried this Sunday morning.  As I discussed on Friday, the election of Abdul El-Sayed as the Democratic candidate for Senator in Michigan is a very clear sign that much in this nation is currently motivated by hatred.  Hatred that rots the soul and the body politic.  Hatred that opens the door to all sorts of personal corruption and makes this nation less than it ought to be.

To my mind there is no more clear indication that this nation is Christian in its heart, if not its government, than the deep contrast between the average American and El-Sayed.  El-Sayed is Muslim and his platform is clearly one of hating this nation as it was founded. Islam is a religion that permits room for hatred, fosters it even and attempts to control it.  Christianity is, on the other hand, a faith that seeks to eliminate hatred:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same?  And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same?  Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

This, by the way, would be where I part company most with our president who makes terribly contrary claims.  But his actions, particularly in Iran, indicate that there is less than 100% compliance between his rhetoric spoken in the heat of a passionate and awful moment and his actions.  And while it is true that many Muslims are peaceful in their behavior, their religion leaves room for the kind of hateful rhetoric that comes from El-Sayed and his compatriot Hasan Piker.

Just a few verses before those just quoted, Jesus tells us that it is not enough to merely behave well, that we must eliminate hatred from our very soul:

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

Entire books have been written unpacking these verses and quotations of Christ.  They are difficult to understand and even harder to live by.  But one thing is quite clear – this nation has tried to live by them to the best of its flawed ability.  We do not destroy or conquer our enemies, we defeat them and then attempt to help them rebuild into something better.  We seek to build where others seek to destroy.  We do that because it is a reflection of the heart of the American people.  We are, in the end, lovers not haters.

But that state, almost unique in world history, can only be maintained if we as citizens of the nation work diligently to be Christ-like; to be and do, as Jesus says, “Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same?  Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  That means exercising a whole lot of spiritual discipline – church, scripture reading, prayer, service.

Our political battle this election season is also a deeply spiritual one – one I pray fervently we do not lose.