“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” – Mark 9:23-24

If doubt wins, America loses.

This blog is – primarily – a day by day journal of my life, viewed through the lens of my faith in God and my commitment to follow the Living Way of Jesus. My writing tends to be positive, uplifting, and (hopefully) inspirational.

Today – November 3, 2020 – I am also writing from a sense of deep concern for America. I hope that I remain positive and inspirational as these thoughts pour out.

Here’s what’s on my mind:

America is under attack and I believe we have been caught off-balance so badly that we are reeling. We are seriously at risk; the most essential fabric of our freedom is under threat and I am deeply concerned.

But the danger is not conservatives leaning too far right, or liberals tilting way to the left; it’s not Republicans or Democrats or any political movement; it’s not atheists, or agnostics, or evangelicals, or anything to do with religion; we are not even at risk because of bigotry or prejudice or white-privilege or protests against systemic racism.

All of these things are worth talking about, and we absolutely need to make progress as a society in terms of equal opportunity and mutual respect. But that’s not the danger of today.

The danger today is doubt. Freedom exists not just through our constitution but via general consent. When citizens are repeatedly encouraged to question the validity of free elections it’s not just supporters of a political opponent who are disenfranchised it is every citizen of this country.

What is being called into question is the integrity of every local board of elections; what is being chipped away at – one unfounded accusation after another – is more than 240 years of trust; what are being dismantled – cynically and not so subtly – are the underpinnings of democracy itself.

There is only one real enemy today, and that enemy is doubt.

Trust is hard to rebuild:

What worries me is how long it may take to reestablish trust once it has been compromised.

But we can begin right now, by remembering that elections are not run by the party in power but by local election boards who are working hard to make every vote count. Not just the votes they like, but every vote.

We have to trust this. And we certainly must not listen to the opinions of those who stand to gain power by undermining the process.

So we must not just vote today (and I hope that we all will), we must also believe.

I believe. Fact is it’s the best chance that we have – DEREK