Friends,
At Our Simple Path, our focus is straightforward:
- Caring for God’s creation and
- Caring for each other here on Earth.
We believe both go hand in hand and are central to who we are and why we are here. Period. To do otherwise is to watch everything we hold dear disintegrate. That may seem overwhelming, and yes, it is, if we don’t reorient our lives to take the steps necessary for change.
Where do we begin?
We need to talk with one another about what divides us. This may seem like an odd place to start, given how much of the planet is strained by our poor choices. But for real change at every level, we need to talk. We need to learn how to disagree with one another so we can find common ground in our care for each other and the planet. As the writer of Ecclesiastes once said, “There is nothing new under the sun…” so you may already understand many of the concepts below. I hope this starts a conversation about how we can move from contemplation to action.
Why We Can’t Get Along
Let me start by addressing our disagreements, which aren’t new. American history includes the forced removal and dispossession of Native peoples, a civil war, labor massacres, the violent backlash against civil rights, and the Vietnam-era riots. Over the life of our country, all of these, and more, have caused deep fissures in our national unity. What’s different now is the shape of our divisions: they are aligned, intensified, and deeply personal. Several forces explain why.
Aligning our Identity
People’s political views, identities, and party loyalties are increasingly aligned. Political scientists call this “sorting.” A few generations ago, party identity cut across other identities: the South had conservative Democrats, while the Northeast had liberal Republicans. Religion, region, race, and ideology didn’t neatly align with either party. Today, they largely do. Generally, our political persuasion now predicts where you live or want to live, whether you attend church, what you drive, where you shop, and who your friends are.
When these identities overlap, disagreements about tax policy stop being just about taxes. They become conflicts between different views. Today, people’s identities tend to align more closely. For instance, a rural, evangelical, Republican small-business owner has less in common with an urban, secular, Democratic professional. Their disagreement over taxes is about more than government revenue. Tax policy has become a symbol of broader cultural differences: what kind of America people want, who deserves help, which values matter, and which social groups ought to gain or lose influence. These differences have been with us a long time, but what has changed is how we profile each other now.
In the past, someone who opposed you on one issue might see it your way on another. As those ties have thinned, so has our understanding of each other. We create profiles of each other and label quickly.
Emotional Distrust
Here is what is more striking. We may disagree on government policy and several other issues. Add to that the loud voices who know how to stir up our divisions, and, yes, you see where this is headed: we grow more easily to dislike each other. Surveys over several decades show that people increasingly view the other side with distrust and contempt, not just disagreement. Presently, we may easily move from “they’re wrong” to “they’re bad,” and eventually to “they’re a threat.”
In ordinary politics, with its compromises and trade-offs, our worldviews begin to lack humility and a willingness to change. I cannot tell you how many times, in a conversation, I have heard someone say, “They are just plain stupid.” Or, “Do they have their heads in the sand!” Giving an inch makes life feel like a moral surrender. Bargaining with evil is betrayal.
Overstating the Other Side
We’re also wrong about each other, and we're wrong in the same direction. Research shows that Americans significantly overestimate how extreme the other side is. Each party imagines its opponents as more radical, more hateful, and more homogeneous than they are. We picture the other side by its worst representatives, because those are the ones who fan the flames of distrust and get amplified.
The Media Environment
Cable news and social media didn’t invent conflict, but they profit from it. Outrage holds attention, and attention is the product. Algorithms optimize for engagement, which favors the emotionally charged, the tribal, and the alarming. As Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told lawmakers, Facebook knew content provoking extreme reactions was more likely to get clicks, comments, or shares. We scroll and click through, making extreme voices on each side more visible while the quiet majority, which tends to be more moderate and less online, fades from view. That alone is a good argument for shunning social media unless you take the time to weed out the noise.
Add the collapse of local news, which once provided a shared set of facts about a shared place. National narratives have displaced local ones, and they're built for conflict. We increasingly live in separate information worlds, where the two sides don’t merely interpret facts differently but search for different facts to bolster their way of thinking. Context for any news gets lost in the midst of our biases.
The Loss of Shared Institutions
Trust in nearly every institution has fallen: government, the press, churches, universities, and science. Some of that distrust is earned. But a society needs common arbitrators, a place where disputes can be settled and the outcome accepted. When every referee is suspected of bias, every loss feels illegitimate, and every election or court ruling becomes a crisis.
Meanwhile, the places where Americans once mixed across lines have eroded. Bowling leagues, fraternal lodges, congregations, and unions brought together people who disagreed about politics but shared a common project. When those thin because we are afraid to share our ideas, so does the practice of knowing someone as a whole person before knowing their social or cultural views.
In politics, fear-mongering begins to overwhelm persuasive thought. Consultants, pundits, and fundraisers lean into fear. Common ground and peace become bad for business. Stagnant wages, hollowed-out towns, and rising costs fuel the insecurity. Add to that rapid cultural change around family, religion, race, and gender, and it compounds our cultural anxiety. Blame begins to boil over, and the landscape fills with soothsayers and voices we are primed to hear.
Exhausted But Hopeful
Many of us are just plain tired of the conflict which I wrote about previously (you can find that article here). Many of us are what researchers call the “exhausted majority.” So what is our way out of this mess?
I’d say this is an old problem in a new form. Scripture describes tribalism—defining ourselves by who we’re against—and the way a shared enemy can bring a group together still feels remarkably relevant. The answer isn’t better or more persuasive messaging. It’s loving our neighbors face to face, where we live and among the people we know or are getting to know. That may be the most realistic place to start: not by fixing the nation, but by rebuilding the local, personal ties that make it possible to live with disagreement.
For followers of Jesus, our sacred writings can help here. When we are tempted to align with some while forsaking others, let’s remember that our identities aren't stacked into rigid camps, but rooted in a deeper belonging that cuts across our divisions. As Paul, the apostle, wrote:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
Building unity takes time, effort, and a willingness to reach out. Find someone whose political or social views may differ from yours. Meet for coffee and start a conversation about some of each other’s personal views. Here are some questions to get you started, or you can create your own:
“What experience or reasoning led you to this view?” Many disagreements come from different beliefs, values, or past experiences. Talking about these differences can help show where people truly disagree.
“What do you think I’m getting right, and where do you think I’m missing something?” This asks them to explain your position in its strongest form before you defend it. It shows that you see the disagreement as a shared effort, not a contest.
“Is there any room for either of us to change our minds on this?” It shifts the conversation from trying to win to trying to understand. It also shows whether the other person is sure of their view or open to evidence, and asks them to explain what they would count as proof.
When you think your disagreement may turn into disrespect or contempt for someone, remember that as one who trusts in Jesus, you can’t opt out of one of the hardest teachings about love he gave us:
“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.” Matthew 5:43-44
When the partial pictures and assumptions each of us may have, make it a point to listen actively, and remember the wisdom of Solomon:
“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” Proverbs 18:7
As someone once told me: “Understanding is never built on monologues, and life is never about winning the argument.”
When media algorithms amplify and raise your blood pressure, dial down the emotion and seek the facts. Recall what James wrote:
“The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” James 3:5-6
Plainly put, keep in mind these teachings from the master:
Don’t assign all the fault to the other side. “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3-5.
Remember, we seek after someone and something else that makes sense of the world. “Therefore do not be anxious... But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Matthew 6:31-33
Enough for now, and until next time,
John writes. Trudy edits. What teamwork!