COMMENTARY: Laying it all out on the table

(RNS) Political discourse reached a new low after evangelist Franklin Graham insinuated that President Obama is a closet Muslim because his father had once been a Muslim. Religious identity is genetic, he seemed to say. Forget the conversion of Saul, the impact of Peter’s preaching after Pentecost, or the souls who knelt before Franklin’s father, […]

(RNS) Political discourse reached a new low after evangelist Franklin Graham insinuated that President Obama is a closet Muslim because his father had once been a Muslim.

Religious identity is genetic, he seemed to say. Forget the conversion of Saul, the impact of Peter’s preaching after Pentecost, or the souls who knelt before Franklin’s father, Billy Graham, seeking new life. Obama’s profession of Christian faith apparently accounts for nothing.

When you’re trying to bring down a president, any nonsense goes.


But maybe these public displays of intolerance will serve us well. Maybe it’s a good thing for the “birthers,” Tea Party activists, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and all the fear-du-jour commentators to vie for who can be the most vicious and deceitful.

Let’s get all this anger, hatred, bigotry and willful ignorance out in the open. Let’s see what the face of America looks like. No more hiding in code phrases or parliamentary procedures.

Let’s see the rage. Let’s see videos of smirking vigilantes chasing Mexicans across an Arizona desert. Let’s see the offspring of yesterday’s immigrants shouting vitriol at today’s immigrants.

Let’s see descendants of Christians who came to these shores seeking religious freedom shouting against religious freedom for Muslims.

And let’s hear the other side, too, like the liberal Facebook activist who cannot squeeze enough profanity into her frequent words against everything she loathes.

Let’s see and hear it all. Let’s see what the anger- and fear-contorted face of America looks like. Then let’s decide if that is who we really are.

If it is, are we content to abandon our heritage to seek partisan advantage? Have we lost all spine? If not, who is spreading lies about us?


We need to know who we are, what we hold true, and whether American ideals still count for anything. Or are we simply too frightened and hateful to sustain our better nature?

I personally believe that today’s echoes of 1920s nativism, Jim Crow racism and 19th Century religious bigotry end up selling America short. We have moved on. We know more and should know better. We have seen immigrants enter and enrich our culture, and races mix without endangering the species, and religious leaders share podiums after 9/11.

I don’t believe we are the fools that partisan warriors make us out to be.

But I could be wrong. America’s values may actually be at risk. If that is the case, then we have more work to do than we realized. Every preacher with an ounce of courage needs to engage his or her flocks in discussing the issues that divide us. Every parent needs to make sure that the Pledge of Allegiance is being said — “liberty and justice for all,” not the few — and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is being recited, and Emma Lazarus’ poem of courageous welcome is studied.

We need to study our history, especially the tragic times when fear overwhelmed us and we sacrificed our values for expedient safety. We need to know what our forefathers risked their lives to launch. We need to study the entire Bill of Rights.

We need to study our family histories and understand what our ancestors left behind, what they came to America to find, and what they endured along the way.


This moment is far more important than Obama’s birth certificate or quibbling over the location of a prayer center. This is about the soul of a great nation and whether, as Lincoln once asked, a nation dedicated to justice, equality and freedom “can long endure.”

(Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of “Just Wondering, Jesus” and founder of the Church Wellness Project. His website is http://www.morningwalkmedia.com. Follow Tom on Twitter @tomehrich.)

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!