Us for Them

Book excerpt: Us versus them—it’s one of the oldest stories ever told, and we keep finding new ways to tell it. The conservative versus progressive cultural holy war over social justice, reconciliation, unity, and politics is the most recent version of the story, and our lives are increasingly defined by it. Which side are you on? Do you want justice or friendship? Diversity or unity? Victory or communion? But what if this alleged holy war is better understood as an opportunity for a humble and creative collaboration? What if conservatives and progressives tell a better story together? What if we seek higher ground instead of partisan or middle ground? What if God doesn’t want to pull us to the right or to the left or to the middle? What if God wants to pull us up? Us for Them suggests that instead of hunkering down into ideological trench warfare, Christians can ascend into the elevation of the kingdom by practicing God’s fierce but friendly justice in an unfriendly and unjust world. Because Christianity is a faith of justice and friendship—not one or the other.