What Every Communicator/Teacher Needs to Know
All my adult life I've been a communicator - a college teacher, a pastor, an author, an activist.
I feel like I'm only learning now, in my sixties, what I wish I had known when I was in my twenties.
Two understandings rise to the top these days.
First, an understanding of authoritarianism. In less than four minutes, this video gives a good overview:
Second, an understanding of bias. I wrote this short e-book to summarize what I've learned:
Why Don't They Get It: Overcoming Bias in Others (and Yourself)
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Your Three Key Steps to Help Heal our Planet
The single most important thing any of us can do to address climate change and help restore this beautiful fragile earth is to vote for candidates who put the long-term health of the planet over the short term wealth of their super-rich donors. For Americans in 2020, that means voting out Trump and every Republican, since at this moment, not a single one is standing up to oppose Trump in his anti-science climate change denial. Here's a link to the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris plan to convert to a clean energy economy:
https://joebiden.com/9-key-elements-of-joe-bidens-plan-for-a-clean-energy-revolution/#
The next most important thing we can do - reduce our carbon footprint. This is a site I've been using to track my carbon footprint - and then offset my contribution to greenhouse gases.
https://www.carbonfootprint.com/
If you take the time to use this site, you'll learn a lot - about your own behavior, about global norms, and about what's necessary to get human civilization more in line with our planetary limits. Because of catastrophic political failure, aided by religious failure, we're already too late to avoid very serious consequences for our inaction, and the longer we wait, the more serious the consequences will be. Our children and grandchildren will live in a far worse environment - ecological, social, economic, and political - if we do our part now.
Along with reducing our carbon footprint, we can divest from and boycott the world's dirtiest companies and invest in and patronize cleaner alternatives. For more in divest/invest, check out:
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Why I Endorse Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
I am honored to publicly endorse Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for 2020. I believe the Biden/Harris team has the character, vision, and competence to guide our nation through this difficult and dangerous passage in our history. I was an enthusiastic supporter for Obama/Biden in 2008 and 2012, and I am thrilled to support Biden/Harris in 2020.
I have two main reasons for offering this public endorsement.
First, I believe Donald Trump is a terrible president. He has shown himself to be dishonest and corrupt in character, vengeful, arrogant, mean-spirited, and small. He is incompetent in discharging his duty of public service, in large part because he is so focused on his own personal and family advantage. He shows that he neither understands nor upholds the Constitution. He seeks to win by dividing Americans from one another. He is not trustworthy to hold nuclear codes that could wreak havoc on the world, nor is he trustworthy to build alliances of trust for a more peaceful world. He puts the love of money over the well-being of the earth upon which both our health and wealth ultimately depend. He has brought out the worst in our national character, not the best.
I believe he is not just a bad president, but a president with authoritarian tendencies who threatens our democracy. I believe these things because of the evidence I've seen through his whole public life, and especially over these last four years. Even growing numbers of life-long Republicans are coming forward to express their rejection of Trump and their support for Biden/Harris.
Second, I believe Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are truly excellent candidates. They are people of honest character, people of sincere faith and values, people of extraordinary competence, people who understand and respect the Constitution, and people who want to rebuild America to be better than our past and present. They have the capacity to help us face the worst and bring out the best of our national character.
They care about the growing gap in wealth and power between the super-ultra-rich and the rest of us. They support policies that will help poor and middle class people move ahead.
They care about racial justice and will not coddle white supremacists, neo-nazis, and conspiracy theorists as our current president does. They represent the equality and teamwork among races and religions that we need for our future.
They understand that the climate crisis is real, and they will promote policies to help heal our planet rather than continue plundering it.
I cannot trust Donald Trump to address the current pandemic, our ingrained white supremacy, our deep economic problems, our need for updated infrastructure and green energy, corruption and nepotism in government, international relations, or any of the other problems we face. But I do trust Biden and Harris.
Because I am a committed progressive Christian, I appreciate their commitment to work for the well-being and equality of all people of all faiths and no explicit faith, rather than seeking to privilege one faith over others.
Of course I'm sure that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, like the rest of us, are far from perfect. But unlike our current president, I can trust them to admit their mistakes. I will do everything I can to help them be elected, in hopes that the tide of corruption, division, and incompetence that Donald Trump represents can be turned around.
I'm offering this public endorsement as an individual and citizen, on my own time, using my own equipment and social media, and not as the representative of any organization, and I encourage you to do the same, especially if you are a spiritual leader.
I was a local church pastor for 24 years, and I believe that leaders in the faith community have a special obligation to set an example -- not just in their preaching, teaching, and other public religious duties -- but also, to the greatest degree possible, in their private lives: how they care for their families, how they treat their neighbors, how they respect the environment, how they participate in their civic duties -- and how they treat those who vote differently. We don't have the right to tell other people how to vote, but we do have the privilege of expressing ourselves appropriately as private citizens and seeking to set a positive example of citizenship, rooted in our faith. That doesn't mean that I believe faith leaders should always go public with their personal commitments and values as voters, but in times of special emergency and danger, I think that is a wise option and can be done appropriately.
I will be writing frequently about my vote and the values behind it in the coming days because I believe so much is at stake in this election -- for the future my wife and I face, for my adult children and their children, for our nation, and for the world. As I speak out, I will do my best to abide by the Six Commitments of Common Good Communication. and I encourage you to do the same.
Once more: I will enthusiastically cast my vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for 2020, and I encourage you to consider joining me!
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We Make the Road by Walking
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IMPORTANT NEWS FROM VOTE COMMON GOOD
Greetings, friends -
Here's some important news from Vote Common Good ... doing our part to try to set people free from the dangerous mis-leadership of the current president and his religious allies.
I'll be one of the panelists on Wednesday night. Tonight, don't miss Dr. David Gushee in the Electionary.
Vote Common Good exists to put Faith, Hope, and Love into action, and this week we are taking action by hosting 3 incredible online events.
Not only are we returning with another edition of "Electionary: Biblical Reflections for this Election from Vote Common Good," but we are proud to announce our partnership with the Lincoln Project for an online forum on faith and politics on Wednesday, and we are partnering with Believers for Biden for an online event on Thursday!
Wednesday, we will be partnering with the Lincoln Project to discuss faith voters and the pivotal place they have in the coming 2020 election.
The Lincoln Project believes that the priority for all patriotic Americans must be a shared fidelity to the Constitution and a commitment to defeat those candidates who have abandoned their constitutional oaths, regardless of party. Electing Democrats who support the Constitution over Republicans who do not is a worthy effort.
Tuesday, "Electionary: Biblical Reflections for this Election from Vote Common Good," will feature Dr. David P. Gushee. Dr. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University.
An award-winning teacher, Professor Gushee offers courses both to seminarians and college students at Mercer. Over a busy 25-year career, he has written hundreds of opinion pieces, lectured around the world, given interviews to scores of media outlets, and led several significant social-ethical activist efforts.
Thursday, we will join as Believers for Biden speak directly to faith voters who know that Donald Trump is not someone who acts with the Christian character he so often claims to have. They will talk about the role faith has in personal politics, and why our faith compels us to voter in the interest of our neighbor, as an act of love.
Want to get involved with Vote Common Good, or be reminded of these upcoming events? Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website today to be in the loop on all of our VCG events!
Learn more about Vote Common Good here: https://www.votecommongood.com/i-believe-in-the-common-good/
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