News
and Opinion
The following
was presented on Darcy Bacon's NPR radio show.
Forrest
Church
December
8, 2000
In the aftermath
of our nation's most closely contested presidential election, the American
people appear to be divided into two increasingly hostile camps. Taking
our cue from the electoral map, we might call them the reds and the
blues. Reds and blues face off against one another within every state,
in almost every office and neighborhood, even in many homes.
One can over-dramatize
this divide, but it is real and does threaten our new leadership's ability
to win legitimacy and thereby govern effectively.
To guide us through
such times, fortunately we have a script, written long ago by our nation's
founders.
From this same
script President Abraham Lincoln drew hope and offered inspiration at
the end of the Civil War. He expressed confidence that "the mystic
chords of memory . . . will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when
again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
What are these
mystic chords of memory? They ring forth from the writings of our nation's
founders, especially from the Declaration of Independence, which Lincoln
believed to be spiritually regenerative.
If the letter of
the Constitution provides a blueprint for relatively smooth transitions
even in election years as complicated as this one, the Declaration of
Independence expresses our country's spirit, later to be summarized
in the Pledge of Allegiance: "One nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all."
Never will this
pledge of one nation, indivisible, perfectly be realized. Nor will perfect
justice be done to resolve this year's election. But time and again
our nation's most holy writ has saved us from permitting mutual malice
to hold full sway. Whenever our union is tested, to this covenant we
return.
Today party distinctions
divide us. We also divide along lines of religion, class and race. These
too fuel the feud between the reds and the blues. But overarching all
our many differences endures this nation's motto, E pluribus unum, out
of many one.
One final thought.
To speed the work of reconciliation, nothing could be more important
than for our president-elect to emulate our founders. He should tap
their spirit. Invoke their words. Touch the mystic chords of memory
once again. Swell the chorus of the union. Recall us to the better angels
of our nature.
He won't have to
do this all by himself. In fact, any one of us could do it. After all,
we have a script.
© Forrest Church 2000
