A wall, a barrier, seemingly real, but mystifying nonetheless. Some sort of impermeable membrane, scales on eyes.

All the while, as I read the Meacham book, I was thinking about how differently the sides viewed the slavery issue. On the surface it may have looked similar… they both incorporated the Bible, both invoked God and claimed Divine support for their cause, both claimed the moral high ground.

Yet not unlike our current milieu, in that the sides seemed to be talking past one another, unmoved by any argument, convinced of the heaviness of the moment but for very different reasons.

Lincoln and others argued that the only way one can interpret the Declaration of Independence— and tamp down charges of hypocrisy in the process– was to bestow on all human beings those certain inalienable rights. Enslaving someone denies them these rights. Conversely, John C. Calhoun and many others believed that God, via Holy Scripture, allows that some people are destined only to be servants. He and others saw slavery as a “positive good.” But could he be at peace with what that actually looked like, the form it readily took? Apparently, yes.

For Lincoln and others, there was an obvious moral dilemma. It was a matter of conscience, an unshakable feeling that enslavement of any human being– regardless of skin color– was plain wrong. The white plantation owners and congressmen and newspaper editors and even clergy came at the issue as those who also had an economic stake in the outcome of arguments and legislation. And isn’t this the elephant in the room all along?

The high-minded, passionate appeals to scriptural interpretation and God’s will and the righteousness of their cause were always in service of employing a smokescreen that, for some reason, they hoped Lincoln and the rest would never see through?

Many a southern livelihood– a whole way of living and operating- were on the line. At its root, the whole issue, for the Confederacy, pivoted on economics and an apparently unshakable, though horribly misguided belief that black people were inherently inferior to white people.

States’ rights? In a way, but not exclusively. The four-year conflagration and bloodshed and national trial by fire was about much more than that.

I recently finished reading “And There Was Light,” by Jon Meacham. Being a book reader and not a book critic, I can only say that what Meacham has done for me is to open windows and doors and allow light to pour in on a critical moment in our nation’s history. And he’s given me insights too numerous to count regarding Abraham Lincoln.

And one more thing, well, two: first, I’ve learned that people paid more attention to their language and utterances back in Lincoln’s day. The prose was elevated, expressive, flowing like honey at times, stinging like a bee when necessary, offering balm as well, but mostly concise and indicative of people who placed value in communicating well, who had a command of the English language, remarkably beginning with Lincoln himself, he of little formal education until much later in life. And even back then, a command of the language could provide enemies and friends alike with a potent and persuasive tool, painting one issue with differing palettes in service of opposing ends.

Second, Marjorie Taylor Greene and her recent crass, bilge water utterances about the country needing a divorce reminded me that we have not moved beyond, or have circled back to a dangerous time in our history, with echoes of what Lincoln and others were facing during his Presidency. The blindness, the shallowness, the single-minded, unmasked Christian nationalism, and racism– the irrational fury couched in comments by Greene and her ilk are indicative to me that the North’s victory of 1865 has done little to cool the passions or neutralize the venom and hard feelings that have been nursed and nurtured for almost 158 years.

Meacham wrote the book in part to address this very dynamic: that what we’re seeing with the emergence of Trump and Bannon and Greene and Scott and Boebert and Lake and other election deniers, along with Fox News and the sentiments fomenting the events of January 6, 2021, are what’s been seen before– in the years and decades leading up to April 12, 1861 and the firing on Fort Sumter.

Namely, an affinity for autocracy, a deep conviction, informed by religious faith, that all people are not created equal, a visceral fear among white people over a loss of power and control, and a good dose of hubris, a hard-headed pride and stubbornness, just not wanting to be told what to do.

Lincoln’s goal was to preserve the Union. Sadly, there are still many who would prefer it torn apart.

Unlike WWII, everyone has nukes already. How long will it be, if things deteriorate, before someone decides it’s time to release the hounds? What is the strategy that Putin and Xi have already cooked up?

Don Lemon behaves like a high-strung prima donna. I get the impression that if he didn’t get his way at CNN, he would cry and sue somebody (update: he no longer works at CNN) (update: he’s back, guess he was never actually gone).

Tucker Carlson gets over 40,000 hours of Jan. 6 security cam footage from Kevin McCarthy. The textbook definition of a field day. What are the chances this will backfire in the Speaker’s face? Probably next to nil.

“A super-rich beer family calls the shots…” describes the latest Wisconsin Supreme Court elections.

And… multiple indictments in the Georgia election case. Prediction: underlings might take a fall, but certainly not the gasbag from Queens.

If you want to know why people go to seminary to become pastors, here are some reasons born of cynicism and observation: because they’re needy, attention-starved, insecure, opinionated, and they consider the position one that reflects power and authority (not so much anymore).

And they don’t all get weeded out.

Oh, some are humble and full of the Spirit and feel genuinely called, like there’s nothing else they could imagine doing with their lives. Some will be shepherds until they die, working tirelessly to spread the Good News.

But others will burn out—not because they worked their asses off for the kingdom, but because they inevitably became disillusioned and discouraged by the lack of kudos and the sheer difficulty and futility of the work.

Me? I don’t know what happened. It often seemed like I was just along for the ride. It was something that provided us a paycheck for 26 years.

Yikes.

And all we can do is watch it unfold. It’s not unlike the lead-up to the Civil War. People could see the writing on the wall, even feared the onset of war between the states, yet no one could stop it from coming to pass.

It’s a familiar script… two worlds inevitably colliding, two different realities destined for conflict. Again. Despite knowing the toll.

I can hear it now—the President appealing to our sense of patriotism, calling for us to rally around the cause of democracy, standing with our allies in Europe. Putin and Xi doing the same, but for different reasons. And let’s not forget all the manufacturing interests with images of dollar signs and rubles and RMB dancing in their heads, licking their chops at the prospect of a prolonged conflict.

The wild card in all of this will be peoples’ reaction to such a prospect. Will they buy the “principles” thing, or will they finally evolve enough to say, “Nah, not this time. Not anymore. Go fuck yourselves and your principles. Sit down or suit up and work it out among yourselves, because we want no part of your delusional high stakes games. Damn right we don’t want to die. We want to actually live the one life we’ve been given without getting caught up in your fucking fever dreams.”

Like that’s gonna happen.

Doris Kearns Goodwin was way too animated. She seemed like a giddy schoolgirl over Biden’s surprise visit to Zelensky, likening it to FDR’s relationship with Churchill in 1940-41. She must realize what unfolded from 1941-45.

Holy shit— was she excited because history appears to be repeating itself, or at least rhyming? World War III is on our doorstep, and she’s smiling, Maddow is smiling. What the hell?

So, what’s going to be the Pearl Harbor, the precipitating incident, this time? Off-course “weather balloons,” or something more nefarious and in-your-face?  

Joe Biden shows up in Ukraine, ahead of a meeting in Poland. Don’t tell me this doesn’t have escalation written all over it. He’s getting the ducks in order, double checking readiness, corroborating a plan, providing an in-your-face moment for Vladimir Putin which, you might think, will only fuel Putin’s rage.

Great.

What a pile of shit.

The congregation I last served full time is without a pastor again. They join the ranks of sheep without a shepherd. Again.

I’ve been thinking about why this is, even allowing myself to imagine a day when a congregation that opened its doors in 1731 has to close its doors short of its 300^th anniversary and forfeit the property to the governing church body because pastors are few and far between, and because they can’t support themselves anymore. It would be an achingly sad, yet somehow not far-fetched development. Which leads to the bigger question of how such a thing could happen, and why.

Short answer? Covid 19 happened, though even before the pandemic, people were already finding other things to do with their time. People are being swayed by reason and what they perceive as concrete realities, which are easier to deal with. Religious faith is becoming more transactional. People are disproportionately concerned with what’s in it for them.

People are also discouraged, asking “Why bother? God doesn’t seem to be around anyway, and we’re really tired of waiting, really tired of a closed canon and ancient words on a page and walking by faith and not by sight, of not catching an occasional glimpse of the divine, seeing a flicker of hope. Tired of the party line we hear every Sunday about how Jesus loves us and God is with us.”

“Really? Is God really with us in the midst of the weariness and pain and escalating planetary madness? What should God’s presence feel like? What is God waiting for?! We’re tired of waiting for our reward!”

The anger is of course a reflection of my own unrest and doubt. My head has long ruled my heart, though if religious faith is only about heart, then what good is it? How can it be anything more than a crutch, a construct? A mere warm, palatable thought that soothes consciences and gets us through a day.

Maybe this is all just cyclical and the church will enjoy a rebirth, another period of health and vitality. But the question will always be, ‘WHY?” Why did it come back?” Was there a precipitating incident that scared people shitless, caused people to “get religion” again?

Would it be because God is indeed real and won’t allow the church on earth to perish? Or will it be, once again, simply a matter of people turning to God when all hope seems lost and there’s nowhere else to turn, and faith will last only as long as people are afraid and unsure?

Enough of the shroud. Enough of the mystery and inscrutability, and the confounded divine timetable. God is God and we are not, and all that. Still, I’m not the only one who needs reassurance that religion isn’t just a crock.

Alas, knowing for sure will always be out of the question. In the meantime, the onus is apparently on us to bring in the kingdom.

Ugh. A lot of folks are about ready to say, “No, thank you. We aren’t Pavlov’s dog, salivating over the news of an empty tomb, then waiting for next year when we’ll do it again.” 

900

Time to throw caution to the wind, time to live it up a bit, like there’s no tomorrow. Which there might not be at some point soon, given reports that China may start supplying arms to Russia.

Of course they will. Communist regimes need to lock arms over the wretched excess of free markets and the evils of democracy. In their mind, it’s time for a re-arranging of the world order, and they must, despite their differences, somehow support each other, restraint be damned. Their own people be damned. Peace be damned.

Is there really that much of an appetite to keep doing this, keep behaving this way? Escalation never ends well, especially in these circumstances, this time around. Heavyweights getting to try out their latest lethal toys. Are they feeling like kids on Christmas morning, aching to unwrap their arsenals? Or is there any hesitancy, any thought of showing restraint, any concern over what might be coming?

A small group of politicians with nationalistic visions and voracious appetities, making decisions for the masses, basically ignoring them, treating them as pawns. Such evil weakness. It’s a recipe for disaster, and it’s unforgiveable.

Have they lost control of their own militaries? Is this what’s going on here– the familiar, tired script where testosterone-fueled men are simply aching for a fight? They have to know that it ends well for nobody.

Cooperation and coexistence are for wimps, apparently. Just too hard. Shame on the ones in charge for giving up so easily.

The aerial view of the recent train derailment in Palestine, Ohio suggests that there is a Super Fund-level mess to clean up. And it highlights a reality that now stares us squarely in the face: this was likely just one of many trains that are carrying toxic payloads on any given day in any number of locales.

The apparent jump to conclusions on the right won’t help anything, but officials obviously will be expected and hounded to come clean about the level of damage, as well as the toxicity that was released and continues to exist. Not to mention the condition of locomotives and rail cars.

While a rush to judgment is unhelpful, it’s difficult not to wonder just how bad things got, and how bad things may still be today, and tomorrow.