In Matthew 5:14–16, Jesus declares, “You are the light of the world A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” In a world facing fear, uncertainty, and division, these words stand as both a promise and a challenge to us They remind us that, amid any darkness, we are called to be the light of God’s presence a light that offers warmth, justice, and hope to all.
In the wake of Donald Trump's reelection, millions are feeling a deep sense of anxiety about the future, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Yet, in moments like these, Jesus’ words remind us that light is often brightest in the darkest times. We are called to rise above division and despair and to be that light, reflecting an incarnate, inclusive God. This calling offers not only a path forward, but also a way to pierce through the darkness of this world a darkness that brings so much pain by joining in God’s ongoing work of healing and love
The setting of Jesus’ words on the mountainside paints a powerful picture of radical inclusion Gathered around Him was a large crowd, drawn not only from Galilee but from far-flung regions: Jerusalem, Judea, the Decapolis, and even the areas beyond the Jordan. This was a “mixed multitude,” a diverse gathering that reflected a wide range of backgrounds, beliefs, and social standings. There were Gentiles, despised by the religious elite, and people from varied ethnicities and walks of life. Despite these differences, they
shared a common yearning for something new a message of hope that would uplift them all It’s important to recognize that Jesus didn’t address only the religious insiders or spiritual elites He didn’t wait for this crowd to fully understand or accept His teachings before telling them, “You are the light of the world ” Let that sink in! Jesus extended this identity to all who had gathered, proclaiming that everyone, regardless of background, was God’s light and was invited to reflect God’s light. This radical inclusivity stands at the heart of God’s Kingdom a Kingdom that doesn’t shut doors but rather throws them open wide to all who seek light and love.
He didn’t wait for this crowd to fully understand or accept His teachings before telling them, “You are the light of the world.”
Part of what it means to be light in today’s world is resisting the temptation to turn inward or to give in to anger and bitterness Instead, we are called to reach out to those who feel marginalized or unseen, especially in this moment Jesus’ message reminds us that light is not passive; it’s active and visible. As He says,
“Let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Light shines through deeds of compassion, justice, and love that extend to all In a time when the world often seems to pit people against one another, our call is to lift up the broken, stand with the vulnerable, and embody a better way the way of God’s inclusive Kingdom
God’s Kingdom is breaking through, one compassionate act at a time.
In our world, many feel overwhelmed by personal and social struggles. They’re seeking a glimmer of light a kind gesture, an affirmation of worth, a sign that someone, anyone, cares. Through our acts of kindness, inclusion, and justice, we become God’s light, sending rays of hope into the depths of despair. These acts are reminders to the world that it is not abandoned or forgotten; instead, God’s Kingdom is breaking through, one compassionate act at a time
This call to shine doesn’t mean we ignore injustices, nor does it suggest we withdraw from difficult issues. To the contrary, it challenges us to engage with a justice that refuses to discriminate, a love that embraces the vulnerable, and a compassion that reflects the inclusive nature of God As followers of Jesus, we are called to be light-bearers in the here and now, to live as agents of God’s love, and to build a culture where everyone can feel seen and valued.
In our compassion, resilience, and commitment to inclusion, we become bearers of the incarnate God’s presence in our communities. In this season of uncertainty, may we embrace the privilege and responsibility of being light-bearers, offering hope to a world that desperately needs it.
Daniel Xisto
Rightly having enemies is an unsung discipline of the Christian life. More often than not we abandon the task before we get started; we wrongly assume we should not have enemies. But the expectation of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that we will have enemies We know this because Jesus gives us a command to love our enemies. And in order to love your enemies, you first have to know who they are.
Often people outside the church tell me how they are drawn to Jesus, meek and mild This caricature misses out on the actual Jesus of the Bible, who lashes out against the religious teachers whom he calls false prophets, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, and hypocrites Jesus’ anger drove the moneychangers from the temple with a whip.
This Jesus teaches us that there are right and wrong ways to have enemies. When we look at Jesus’ life we see that enmity is born when we recognize that the structures of terror and injustice are held up by people. Oppression is enacted by individual human beings, who collectively wash their hands of the matter. Without the participation of people individuals doing the work these systems would collapse.
Enemies are not the people we dislike or those who are different from us. In the gospel, enemies are those who make camp on the far side of the line that is justice. And God is beckoning us all of us to join God among the oppressed.
The expectation of Jesus is that we will have enemies.
In this way Jesus reorients our way of having enemies We do not arm ourselves with weapons to coerce or threaten enemies of God’s liberation into submission Instead, we create the world we want.
Actual enemies within
On December 8, 2018, Jakelin Caal Maquin, age 7, died in El Paso, Texas, 2,000 miles from the home she fled in Guatemala She and her father were detained at a remote border crossing in New Mexico. We have yet to see anyone take responsibility for her death Instead, individuals and agencies wash their hands of Jakelin’s death
But there are many individuals who contributed to Jakelin’s death Doris Meissner is the enemy of Jakelin. She is the commissioner who signed off on the 1994 plan to strategically push migrants into remote parts of the desert, making the desert a weapon. President Dwight D Eisenhower is responsible for Jakelin’s death He oversaw the coup d’etat in Guatemala orchestrated by the U S to overthrow the democratically elected president and install a puppet administration.
In the gospel, enemies are those who make camp on the far side of the line that is justice.
The architects of the Central America Free Trade Agreement that decimated the Guatemalan economy are responsible for Jakelin’s death. White House staffer Stephen Miller is responsible for Jakelin’s death, by whipping up anti-immigration sentiment in the U.S. The border guards who refused to respond to her father’s cries for help are responsible for Jakelin’s death. . . .
We cannot be former enemies until we first name our enmity, both that we have enemies and that we have been the enemies of others. This is why the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission hearings in post-apartheid South Africa began with confession There could be no hope for forgiveness unless enemies were named first
To love your enemies is to help them see the truth about themselves and show them something else is possible.
To love your enemies is to call them out of the world of denial and oppression, of despots and executioners To love your enemies is to help them see the truth about themselves and show them something else is possible. To love your enemies is to tell them the story of how we once too were enemies of God and that through the love of God who lived, died, and rose among us, we are now called friends We have enemies because we hope that one day we might call them friends
There is nothing emotional or psychological about this change To turn from enemies to friends means our lives must change And sometimes this means our jobs, how we make money, how we act in the world must change
Melissa Florer-Bixler, excerpt from Sojourners magazine Sept /Oct 2019
InSpire
STAY SANE
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God
Corrie Ten Boom UNKNOWN FUTURE
Sanity is not about confrontation. It’s about filtering. Having a stable energy and happy life is about saying “no” to crazy people, not about inviting them in and then hoping that confrontations are going to make them sane.
DEFINING ASPECT
Who we are is not a matter of the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, or the social media we participate in Our identities are defined by who we love.
Daniel Schultz
I can be changed by what happened to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.
Maya Angelou MY DECISION
CLEAR DIFFERENCE
My philosophy is: Life is hard, but God is good Try not to confuse the two
Anne F Beiler
Stefan Molyneux
TODAY’S PRESENT
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say thank You?
William Arthur Ward
FAMILIAR LANDSCAPE
Of my two “handicaps,” being female put many more obstacles in my path than being Black
Shirley Chisholm, US Congressperson 1969-1983, U.S. Presidential candidate in 1972
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce that she was “favoured” by God and He was with her, but that in her life this would look like an unconventional and unexplainable pregnancy that would risk her prospective marriage, her place in her community and potentially even her life, he concluded with the assurance that she would not be alone in this unique predicament The angel’s concluding words were to direct her to someone who would understand: “What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month For the word of God will never fail” (Luke 1:36, 37).
Only a few days later before she would have to face the awkward questions of her fiancé and family, as well as the gossip and accusations of the people of her village Mary “hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth” (Luke 1:39, 40) While the details provided in the story are limited, it is likely that Zechariah and Elizabeth lived in the region of Bethlehem, meaning that same week-long journey to the south and that Mary would not have travelled that far alone.
But the portrayal of the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth is one of the most intriguing scenes
On almost any reading of this story and its anticipated outcomes, it was ridiculous.
While there were undoubtedly other people around them, these two women suddenly had a special bond While the angel had directed Mary to Elizabeth, this was Elizabeth’s moment of revelation, as the baby “leaped within her” and the Holy Spirit filled her “at the sound of Mary’s greeting” (Luke 1:41). Perhaps before anyone else knew of Mary’s secret, Elizabeth immediately recognised the momentous event that was beginning within her: “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed Why am I so honoured, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said” (Luke 1:42–45)
But this was not the only proclamation of this meeting Prompted by this extraordinary greeting, Mary did not shy away from the claims Elizabeth had made but broke into a song that for its poetry would readily fit into the book of Psalms and for its intent belongs firmly in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets. She acknowledged the blessings of God and the incredible nature of what was happening to them. And she recognised the goodness and power of God that was working to bring change to the world, announcing a new kingdom of reversal that was about to be realised in their world:
Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed
For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me
He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones
He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever” (Luke 1:46–55.
It is a beautiful song of revolution. It is humble and powerful It is personal and political It subverts the assumptions and powers of our world It celebrates God as active, faithful and great It is the beginning of a holy uprising
Except that the song seems absurd. Two peasant women one old, tired, perennially disappointed, now pregnant and probably feeling the strain in her elderly body; the other an unmarried teenage girl, inexplicably
and scandalously pregnant, nervous, perhaps fearful but suddenly bursting with confidence and hope in a small unnamed village in the hills of Judea singing about how their “miracle” boys were going to change the world, begin to undo all the injustices in the world, to challenge the empires and kings of the day, to begin to set the world right On almost any reading of this story and its anticipated outcomes, it was ridiculous. That both their sons would lose their lives in the process underlines the farce
The portrayal of the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth is one of the most intriguing scenes in the larger story of Jesus’ birth.
Which is why it’s also a demonstration of faith and a challenge to our understanding of Jesus
That their song is recorded, that we know their names today is remarkable enough. But that this actually was a step toward changing the world has been borne out in history since. Princes have been brought down from their thrones and the humble have indeed been exalted. It is an incomplete project, but their song and this story continues to resonate and bring change in lives and in places of injustice today
Luke’s story recorded that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months (see Luke 1:56) before returning home to face her family and community. In the way the story is told, this suggests that Mary would have left Elizabeth only a short time before John was born. Perhaps we see more of their understandings in Zechariah’s song after he listened unable to talk to some of their many conversations (see Luke 1:67–79) It must have been an important time for both women, as they talked and prayed together, encouraged and helped each other in what they were going through and would
confront, and continued to marvel together at the goodness of God and their unlikely roles in His coming kingdom
When we re-tell the story of the birth of Jesus, we need to remember the perspectives of these two unlikely but “highly favoured” and inspired women. In discovering the newborn King and the kingdom He would establish, we too will learn to sing songs of faithful revolution and holy resistance, which will change us and change the world around us
Nathan Brown, adapted from Advent: Hearing the Good News in the Story of Jesus’ Birth
Pulse Tribute
The Baptist pastor and sociologist argued caring for the poor was an integral part of proclaiming the gospel
Tony Campolo frequently started his speeches to Christian audiences by telling them three things.
First, he would tell them how many children had died from hunger or malnutrition-related diseases the night before a number in the tens of thousands
And Campolo would say, “Most of you don’t give a shit ”
Then: “What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said ‘shit’ than the fact that thousands of kids died last night ”
Campolo, a progressive Christian leader who courted controversy challenging evangelicals to see caring for the poor as an integral part of proclaiming the gospel, died on November 19. He was 89
Campolo popularized the term red letter Christian a reference to the way the words of Jesus are printed in many New Testaments as an alternative to evangelical. He felt an alternative was needed because evangelicals had turned their backs on the good news, embracing right wing politics and comfortable, middle-class
conformity. But the best cure for evangelicalism’s ills, he said, was Jesus
As he travelled relentlessly, speaking to up to 500 groups per year, Campolo urged people to let their lives be transformed by Jesus And he told them that if their lives really were transformed, it would be good news for people who were hungry and oppressed.
He told them that if their lives really were transformed, it would be good news for people who were hungry and oppressed.
“I surrendered my life to Jesus and trusted in him for my salvation, and I have been a staunch evangelical ever since,” Campolo wrote in 2015. “I believe the Bible to have been written by men inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit. I place my highest priority on the words of Jesus, emphasizing the 25th chapter of Matthew, where
Jesus makes clear that on Judgment Day, the defining question will be how each of us responded to those he calls ‘the least of these ’”
A Baptist pastor and sociologist, Campolo attributed this vision to John Wesley. In a 2003 interview with Christianity Today, Campolo said he studied the founder of Methodism in a class on “Christian classics” when he was a student at Eastern College (now a university). He realized Wesley’s social activism wasn’t distinct from his conversion but deeply connected
Campolo regularly clashed with Christian conservatives for what he saw as their misplaced priorities.
The backlash was quick Campolo was sharply criticized by white people in his congregation, who said he was going to hurt real estate value and the reputation of the church It was eye-opening for the young minister. “I did not expect that Christian people could be so openly racist,” he said.
Campolo left the church to get a doctorate in sociology and took a teaching position at Eastern in 1964. At the school, Campolo started getting students to volunteer with children in Philadelphia, first with college resources and then with his own organization, the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE) Shortly after it was founded, the EAPE helped start a school in the Dominican Republic and another in Haiti.
“The Wesleyan vision was warm-hearted evangelism with an incredible social vision,” Campolo said. “Out of this conversion grows the great Wesleyan revival with all of its social consciousness, attacking slavery, championing the rights of women, ending child labor laws ” Born a second-generation Italian immigrant in 1935, Campolo had his first taste of social conflict in the church while growing up in Philadelphia. His family attended an American Baptist congregation in West Philadelphia, but it shut down when white people fled the city and their African American neighbors for the suburbs Campolo’s father, Anthony Campolo Sr., decided not to follow. Instead, he took his family to a Black Baptist church nearby, and they worshiped there.
As a young pastor in his 20s, Campolo faced racism in the church again He was working in a congregation near Valley Forge, in Pennsylvania, when General Electric opened a new research headquarters in the area, triggering a housing shortage Black people in particular had trouble finding places to live Campolo started pushing local leaders to fix the problem and soon found himself the head of a council working on fair and affordable housing.
Campolo regularly clashed with Christian conservatives for what he saw as their misplaced priorities He consistently argued that Christians should support a political agenda that would help the poor.
“There are 2,000 verses of Scripture that call upon us to respond to the needs of the poor,”
Campolo said “And yet, I find that when Christians talked about values in this last election that was not on the agenda, that was not a concern If you were to get the voter guide of the Christian Coalition, that does not rate.”
Campolo launched Red Letter Christians, a network for Christians with [progressive] politics, with fellow Eastern alumnus Shane Claiborne The network grew to include 120 affiliated organizations and churches, as well as a popular podcast, an annual gathering, and social justice campaigns, such as events where Claiborne and a Mennonite blacksmith invite people to turn firearms into garden tools in fulfillment of Isaiah 2:4.
Excerpt from “Dead: Tony Campolo, Champion of ‘Red Letter’ Christianity” by Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today, November 2024
Tony Campolo
February 25, 1935 – November 19, 2024
WHO WE ARE
Pulse is the monthly digital magazine of JustLove Collective
This month’s issue is sponsored by Adventist Peace Fellowship (Thank you )
Designed by Jeffers Media
Unless indicated otherwise all Bible references are from the New Revised Standard Version.
CHRIS BLAKE
Is Professor Emeritus at Union Adventist University where he taught English and communication courses, including Conflict and Peacemaking and Critiquing Film. He has also served as academy teacher, editor of Insight magazine, author of many books and articles, and pastor of two small churches.
NATHAN BROWN
Is book editor at Signs Publishing, based near Melbourne, Australia He is author of 21 books, including Advent (a devotional book for the Christmas season) and Do Not Be Afraid (the devotional book for 2025, published by Pacific Press in North America).
MARCIA NORDMEYER
Is a circulation/reference associate at Union Adventist University's library in Lincoln, Nebraska She is happily married to Jeremy Their two children are encouraged to read banned books
DANIEL XISTO
Serves as the Administrative Pastor at Azure Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in Southern California, as well as the Peace Church Coordinator for Adventist Peace Fellowship.
Despite recent results, God’s Spirit is alive
Here in the divided states of America it feels as if we’re witnessing the death of DEI dignity, empathy, and integrity That’s in addition to, of course, diversity, equity, and inclusion While at it, we could slam the books on discipline, ethics, and intelligence We peer around The room is bleak The voices are murmuring. The air is fetid. The curtains are closing The patient is flatlining
My sister, Janine, who was a poll worker for the election and is not Jewish, told me afterward that she was “sitting shiva ” She admitted, “My faith in humanity disappeared.” Elsewhere, fingers point and Monday morning quarterbacking is the national sport. Stunned people sit in clumps. News programs implode Millions reach numbly for phones or remotes to binge watch Couples stir their coffee. Dog walkers shuffle into the night and stare past Ursa Major Silently we wonder, Are people really that dense and shamelessly amoral? Is half the country actually FOR monotony, inequity, and exclusion?
Life is complicated. People had reasons they voted for Trump, so we hear, including simply wanting “a change.” The day after the election, I reached two astonishing conclusions In retrospect, it really didn’t matter what Harris or Walz did or said during their excellent campaign they would have lost It also really didn’t matter
An anonymous Black podcaster summed up: “It’s a master class in White privilege. Trump can’t say enough racist things to be a racist He can’t commit enough crimes to be a criminal. He can’t fail enough times to be a failure He can’t say enough stupid things to be stupid The idea of him overshadows any reality. The ‘Christian savior’ who doesn’t know the Bible, the adulterer who screws porn stars and steals from charities. It’s the promise of the protection of Whiteness he represents.”
What now?
Yet, realities remain The country’s judicial and educational systems/nuclear strategies/health and welfare benefits/press briefings will be soon in the hands of a
self-centered, delusional, simplistic, vengeful megalomaniac And not just Elon Musk
As happened on January 6, 2021, a phalanx of marauders preps for storming the halls of political power this time legally Entire social safety net structures and legal safeguards are apparently in jeopardy, some for the sake of tax breaks for wealthy individuals and corporations. Grossly underqualified and highly suspect candidates for offices have already been tapped Timothy Snyder, author of On Freedom, writes that “citizens, regardless of how they voted, need now to check their attitudes. This is no longer a post-electoral moment It is a pre-catastrophic moment ”
We will not allow Donald J. Trump to steal our joy.
This is not to say that the vast U S government is flawless and carries no need of multiple reforms However, reforms should not arrive on the backs of people who are already poor, ill, and marginalized those whom Ben McBride in Troubling the Water
labels the prevented and the persecuted. Jesus calls these the poor in spirit, the mourners, the humble (Matthew 5:3–5).
We all grieve differently On the cold slab of postmortem deconstruction, it’s tempting to withdraw far beyond being netizens who decide to limit our media consumption A few of my friends are moving to other countries, which is fine Yolanda and I are staying We will not allow Donald J Trump to steal our joy
Scripture commands, “Be angry but do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26) We must never lose our anger against injustice, and in fighting dragons we must take care never to become one This legit battle is difficult, with many setbacks. That’s why the Apostle Paul contends, “Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9)
By contrast, to wander down the paths of evil is verifiably easy Hannah Arendt reported for The New Yorker in 1961 on the war crimes trial of Adolph Eichmann, the Nazi operative responsible for organizing the transport of millions of Jews and others to their deaths in concentration
More than ever
Defiant optimism and courageous love characterize the true followers of God Together, in our mutual resolve for love and justice, we are stronger “Encourage one another and build up each other” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Now, more than ever, we need JustLove Collective. camps Arendt found Eichmann an ordinary bureaucrat who was “terrifyingly normal,” wishing only to advance his career in the Nazi bureaucracy Eichmann’s evil acts were connected to his disengagement, owing to an “inability to think from the standpoint of someone else.” He lacked empathy. Eichmann, she concluded, was a clueless follower As a result of Arendt’s findings, she coined “the banality of evil.” Even “normal” people can commit, or assent to, horrible actions
Desmond Doss had agreed to shoulder a gun, if Merikay Silver had accepted the inequity of second-class status, if Eleanor Roosevelt had surrendered to threats, if Nelson Mandela had harbored toxic bitterness, if Alexei Navalny had caved to corruption, there would be much less light in this world. We cannot embrace the triumph of hate or the success of lies
“We are perplexed, but not driven to despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8). Darkness will not consume our thoughts Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:8, 9)
Love never ends We will grant space for grieving. The battle and quest for dignity, empathy, and integrity live on Christianity is, after all, the seeds of resurrection
Chris Blake
Gratitude
As we launch, we are particularly grateful for every contribution to JustLove Collective. Donations are tax-deductible. Though we are a global movement of volunteers, we do need to pay for expenses related to this magazine and to the Summit For more information, please see our website at justlovecollective org
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I snapped my book shut when she knocked on the door and walked in with her broad smile
Enter my doctor, whom I’ve been seeing for the past 20-ish years. Today’s visit was to follow up on the recent tweaks to my migraine meds we’d made last time I saw her
“Oh, what are you reading?”
I showed her my borrowed copy of Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans (2024) by Jane Marie, and told her about you wonderful readers of Pulse, and how our radical progressiveness connects to our faith. She nods approvingly. I tell her that this book details multi-level-marketing schemes and that I’d just finished the chapter about the founder of Amway
“Did you know, he used to soak rusty nails in tea and call it an iron supplement?” I ask my doctor incredulously
She shakes her head in knowing disbelief. She goes on to tell me that supplements are tricky because “overdoing supplements that you don’t need is literally flushing money down the toilet. You just pee them out!” I tell her that someone once tried to convince me to ditch my thyroid medication that she prescribed me in favor of the essential oils that they (not a doctor) were shilling
“Well, what did you say?”
“I said heck no!” I replied.
“Thaaaaank you!” she said with a chuckle
Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans chronicles and exposes pyramid-structured (multi-levelmarketing) companies as shams that do not
Pure Romance, Avon, Tupperware, and Amway
These businesses prey upon vulnerable people, mostly women, promising them financial freedom while bleeding them of what money they do have
The original pyramid scheme definition is “companies where distributors were compensated primarily through recruitment bonuses and sign-up fees as opposed to sales of actual product to an end consumer outside the organization ”
I’m sure I’m not alone in admitting that I have experienced this firsthand. You buy the “startup kit” thinking, Sure, maybe I’ll make a few bucks You buy your monthly minimum and sell nothing. Maybe you even upgrade to the “Rewards Program ” And before you know it, you have a cabinet full of product that represents an amount of money that you don’t have the courage to calculate. Your upline “friends” say things like “People who fail are negative thinkers” and “You have to want it enough” or “You really should invest in your business more ”
Snap out of it
Stop believing the lies.
This is not going to make you rich
For those of you still reading, the migraines are currently under control, thanks to my wonderful doctor and the medication she prescribed I didn’t even have to recruit any friends to get what I needed. I’m winning.
Marcia Nordmeyer
Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans
Jane Marie Atria Books, 2024
HOPE IS AN EMBRACE OF THE UNKNOWN Rebecca Solnit on living in dark times
S p e c i a l M u s i c
Your opponents would love you to believe that it’s hopeless, that you have no power, that there’s no reason to act, that you can’t win. Hope is a gift you don’t have to surrender, a power you don’t have to throw away. And though hope can be an act of defiance, defiance isn’t enough reason to hope But there are good reasons.
In 2003 and early 2004, I wrote a book to make the case for hope. Hope in the Dark was, in many ways, of its moment it was written against the tremendous despair at the height of the Bush administration’s powers and the outset of the war in Iraq. That moment passed long ago, but despair, defeatism, cynicism and the amnesia and assumptions from which they often arise have not dispersed, even as the most wildly, unimaginably magnificent things came to pass
Coming back to the text more than a dozen tumultuous years later, I believe its premises hold up Progressive, populist and grassroots constituencies have had many victories Popular power has continued to be a profound force for change. And the changes we have
undergone, both wonderful and terrible, are astonishing.
This is an extraordinary time full of vital, transformative movements that could not be foreseen It is also a nightmarish time. Full engagement requires the ability to perceive both. The 21st century has seen the rise of hideous economic inequality, perhaps due to amnesia both of the working people who countenance declines in wages, working conditions and social services, and the elites who forgot that they conceded to some of these things in the hope of avoiding revolution The attack on civil liberties, including the right to privacy, continues long after its “global war on terror” justifications have faded away
Memory of joy and liberation can become a navigational tool, an identity, a gift.
Worse than these is the arrival of climate change, faster, harder and more devastating than scientists anticipated. Hope doesn’t mean denying these
realities It means facing them and addressing them by remembering what else the 21st century has brought, including the movements, heroes and shifts in consciousness that address these things now. This has been a truly remarkable decade for movement-building, social change and deep shifts in ideas, perspective and frameworks for large parts of the population (and, of course, backlashes against all those things).
Unpredictable change
Social, cultural or political change does not work in predictable ways or on predictable schedules The month before the Berlin Wall fell, almost no one anticipated that the Soviet bloc was going to disintegrate all of a sudden (thanks to many factors, including the tremendous power of civil society, nonviolent direct action, and hopeful organising going back to the 1970s), any more than anyone, even the participants, foresaw the impact that the Arab spring or Occupy Wall Street or a host of other great uprisings would have We don’t know what is going to happen, or how, or when, and that very uncertainty is the space of hope.
This has been a truly remarkable decade for social change and deep shifts in ideas for large parts of the population.
Those who doubt that these moments matter should note how terrified the authorities and elites are when they erupt. That fear signifies their recognition that popular power is real enough to overturn regimes and rewrite the social contract. And it often has. Sometimes your enemies know what your friends can’t believe. Those who dismiss these moments because of their imperfections, limitations, or incompleteness need to look harder at what joy
and hope shine out of them and what real changes have emerged because of them, even if not always in the most obvious or recognisable ways
Change is rarely straightforward. Sometimes it’s as complex as chaos theory and as slow as evolution. Even things that seem to happen suddenly arise from deep roots in the past or from long-dormant seeds. A young man’s suicide triggers an uprising that inspires other uprisings, but the incident was a spark; the bonfire it lit was laid by activist networks and ideas about civil disobedience, and by the deep desire for justice and freedom that exists everywhere
It’s important to ask not only what those moments produced in the long run but what they were in their heyday If people find themselves living in a world in which some hopes are realised and some joys are incandescent and some boundaries between individuals and groups are lowered, even for an hour or a day or several months, that matters Memory of joy and liberation can become a navigational tool, an identity, a gift.
People in official institutions devoutly believe they hold the power that matters, though the power we grant them can often be taken back; the violence commanded by governments and militaries often fails, and nonviolent direct-action campaigns often succeed.
Paul Goodman famously wrote, “Suppose you had the revolution you are talking and dreaming about Suppose your side had won, and you had the kind of society that you wanted How would you live, you personally, in that society? Start living that way now!” It’s an argument for tiny and temporary victories, and for the possibility of partial victories in the absence or even the impossibility of total victories
Total victory has always seemed like a secular equivalent of paradise: a place where all the problems are solved and there’s nothing to do, a fairly boring place The absolutists of the old left imagined that victory would, when it came, be total and permanent, which is practically the same as saying that victory was and is impossible and will never come
It is, in fact, more than possible. It is something that has arrived in innumerable ways, small and large and often incremental, but not in that way that was widely described and expected So victories slip by unheralded Failures are more readily detected.
Together we are powerful
And then every now and then, the possibilities explode. In these moments of rupture, people find themselves members of a “we” that did not until then exist, at least not as an entity with agency and identity and potency; new possibilities suddenly emerge, or that old dream of a just society re-emerges and at least for a little while shines Utopia is sometimes the goal It is often embedded in the moment itself, and it is a hard moment to explain, since it usually involves hardscrabble ways of living, squabbles and, eventually, disillusion and factionalism But also more ethereal things: the discovery of personal and collective power, the realisation of dreams, the birth of bigger dreams, a sense of connection that is as emotional as it is political, and lives that change and do not revert to older ways even when the glory subsides.
Sometimes the earth closes over this moment and it has no obvious consequences; sometimes empires crumble and ideologies fall away like shackles But you don’t know beforehand. People in official institutions devoutly believe they hold the power that matters, though the power we grant them can often be taken back; the violence commanded by governments and militaries often fails, and nonviolent direct-action campaigns often succeed
The sleeping giant is one name for the public; when it wakes up, when we wake up, we are no longer only the public: we are civil society, the superpower whose nonviolent means are sometimes, for a shining moment, more powerful than violence, more powerful than regimes and armies. We write history with our feet and with our presence and our collective voice and vision And yet, and of course, everything in the mainstream media suggests that popular resistance is ridiculous, pointless, or criminal, unless it is far away, was long ago, or, ideally, both These are the forces that prefer the giant stays asleep.
Together we are very powerful, and we have a seldom-told, seldom-remembered history of victories and transformations that can give us confidence that, yes, we can change the world because we have many times before. You row forward looking back, and telling this history is part of helping people navigate toward the future We need a litany, a rosary, a sutra, a mantra, a war chant of our victories. The past is set in daylight, and it can become a torch we can carry into the night that is the future
Excerpt from Rebecca Solnit, “‘Hope is an embrace of the unknown’: Rebecca Solnit on living in dark times,”
The Guardian, July 15, 2016.
INSPIRATION
Podcasts we just love
A House on Fire: This Adventist Peace Fellowship podcast series is based on the excellent book on race and racism
Adventist Voices: Weekly podcast and companion to Spectrum designed to foster community through conversation
The Social Jesus Podcast talks about the intersection of Jesus, faith, and social justice today
COLLECTIVE
Red Letter Christian Podcast: Christian commentary on the way of Jesus in the world today
Adventist Pilgrimage: A lively monthly podcast focusing on the academic side of Adventist history
Just Liberty: A fresh, balanced take on religious liberty where justice and liberty meet
I had been a long-time casual fan of Midnight Oil and their idiosyncratic frontman Peter Garrett But in a gap between harsh COVID restrictions in early 2021, I was among about 13,000 people at an outdoor show one of the largest crowds of any kind in Australia that year as part of the iconic Australian band’s “Makarrata” tour. Devoted to highlighting the invitation for a renewed relationship with Australia’s Indigenous peoples contained in “The Uluru Statement from the Heart,” this tour and album featured a number of Indigenous musicians sharing the songs and stage with Midnight Oil.
One of the things I took from this remarkable show was a new curiosity about Garrett, who was 45 years into musical career and in his late 60s at that time, but still singing about things that matter, speaking out in support of various justice causes, and continuing to give opportunities to younger musicians. I wanted to be that when I grew up. Not so much the enigmatic frontman of an iconic rock band, but someone who will continue to speak and create in ways that matter as long as I am able, and to support others in doing so
So I read his memoir Big Blue Sky and took a deeper dive into the back catalogue of the band I found a passionate musician and
advocate, who coincidentally was born at Sydney Adventist Hospital. His early life was personal tragedy and music became the way he found a place and voice in the world. Like any band, Midnight Oil had their hits and misses, both musically and politically, including their famous performance at the closing ceremony of Sydney’s Olympic Games in 2000. And Garrett also was circumspect in reflecting on his time featuring both successes and failures as a member of Australia’s parliament and government minister (2004–2013), during which time the band took a hiatus, before regrouping in 2017 and their final world tour in 2022
Filmed over those final years of the band’s life but drawing from footage across their career, The Hardest Line is a powerful introduction to the band and their environmental, peace, and justice activism, from touring outback Australia to performing in protest on the street in front of the Exxon building in midtown Manhattan. Of course, for those already fans, it is primarily a celebration of all things Midnight Oil, pulling together many aspects of their story that have been told previously in various forms. But this new documentary added one significant and intriguing element to my
The Hardest Line: The story of Midnight Oil
Written and directed by Paul Clarke, 2024
understanding of Midnight Oil and their career
After their initial success in Australia, built on the hard work of travelling and playing countless gigs around the country in the early 1980s, they struggled to continue and grow that success in the wider world. There were a couple of false starts with recording albums in the UK, but it was a tour through central Australia, primarily visiting Indigenous communities that gave them new perspective and inspiration
Almost counter-intuitively, engaging with Australia’s Indigenous peoples and unique country sparked their biggest global hits and international tours.
Almost counter-intuitively, engaging with Australia’s Indigenous peoples and unique country sparked their biggest global hits and international tours, including “Beds are Burning” a song about the dispossession of Indigenous peoples “The Dead Heart” and “Blue Sky Mine ” But, as Garrett comments, Diesel and Dust was not only their most successful album, it was, “much more important[ly], an addition to our way of thinking and feeling and seeing that we never otherwise would have had” that “made us, I think, better people ”
“We were caught unaware that our songs about Aboriginal people in Australia would find [such] an audience overseas and then we
got on the bus and we were shuttled all around the United States and Canada and Europe,” comments drummer Rob Hirst of their extensive touring that began in 1988 Midnight Oil found its greatest and broadest success when most particular, when finding inspiration on the margins, listening to the dispossessed, and literarily amplifying their voices to the wider world in the work of justice. This is “the hardest line” of the documentary’s title borrowed from their song, “Power and the Passion” refusing the easier path and instead taking uncompromising, sometimes uncomfortable and even seemingly unsuccessful stands for justice, and in pursuing their own way of creating music, sometimes in tension with the existing music industry
As the story of such a long-standing band, The Hardest Line is a significant contribution to the recent cultural history of Australia and beyond, touching on many of the issues that have engaged activists around the world over that time Whether it introduces you to Midnight Oil or reminds us of some of their biggest songs, this documentary prompts us to reflect on the role of the creative activist and the faithful calling of sustaining this focus over the seasons, successes and frustrations of a lifetime. That’s still what I want to be when I grow up
