TITLE: Worth Fighting For: Finding Courage and Compassion When Cruelty is Trending
AUTHOR: John Pavlovitz
PUBLISHER: Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2024, (168 pages).
It has been said that "No news is good news." This is obvious when we read the news today. On every page we turn, chances are, there is more bad news than anything else. From the poverty and homelessness crisis to global-warming; corruption to leadership scandals; rising inflation to unemployment; political turmoil and wars; social uprising and injustice; wherever one turns, the world seems to be getting from bad to worse. This world is broken. Systems are broken. People are broken. Everything is broken. No wonder many people are feeling more helpless and hopeless than ever before. Worse, people are turning from sympathy to lethargy to apathy. If a broken world remains unfixed, it will not be fixed. For all the talk about goodness and love, author John Pavlovitz writes that "Love isn’t real until it moves from aspiration to incarnation." We need action that speaks louder than words. Using a metaphor of the car warning lights, Pavlovitz urges us to use despair as the impetus for action. Our actions include attention to mental health matters; creating a safe space for people to share their struggles; encouraging empathy toward the vulnerable; harnessing righteous anger; resisting the tendency toward depression; cultivating good attitudes like gratitude, rest, joy, and simply being well. Fellowship with people who give us hope. Adopt faith over fear. Move beyond mere niceness.
Yet from time to time, we hear words that highlight sarcasm, skepticism, and various types of indifference. This is especially so in an age of social media where people are constantly divided over all kinds of issues that range from politics to societal preferences. What is lacking is relational stability and efforts to build bridges instead of walls. Pavlovitz gives several suggestions:
Learning to love a broken world
How to talk without about our religious beliefs
Correcting erroneous assumptions like "opposing hate does not make me hateful"
Resisting tribalism
Listening respectfully to people's stories
etc.
The author then makes a case for "progressive Christianity" and "Theological Humility." For those holding firm convictions, make room for alternative viewpoints. For those who are doubtful about Christianity, learn not to just look at the bad but to remember the good. For those disillusioned with Church, learn not to jettison one's faith based on any bad experiences. For those fighting racial discrimination and injustices of all kinds, think about humanity and what Jesus would do. Whatever it is, life is worth fighting for. That is why we need to keep doing the right thing whenever we can.
My Thoughts
Here are my three thoughts about this book.
First, it is essentially an extension of Pavlovitz's earlier book entitled, "A Bigger Table." It applies what it means to create a bigger table for all regardless of political affiliations, religious persuasions, or lifestyle preferences. The key theme is to call to love with action. It is not enough to hold up a placard that says "Love Wins" or to tweet "Let us just love." We need to create a space big enough for all to communicate and to learn to live together despite our differences. Focus less on differences but more on commonalities such as humanity, society's goals, and general goodness for all. Create an atmosphere marked by hope and positive goodwill. This calls for action to minimize the bad and to elevate the good. This is all about setting a bigger table for everyone to live in.
My second thought is in the form of a question: "Will it work?" In a world that is so diverse and divided, will Pavlovitz's prescription work? The author brings up the political problem of MAGA, and mentions the mental health crisis in the same breath. The problem is that MAGA is way larger than a mental health crisis. It is essentially a reactive culture against everything people are unhappy about, namely bread-and-butter issues such as the housing crisis, inflation, insecurity over one's future, low wages, unemployment, etc. How can one translate the act of love to address these issues? Love in action can only go so far. Whatever Pavlovitz is prescribing needs to be accompanied by macro-economics and courageous leadership. Setting a larger table is just the start. What then do we do at the table? We need to be ready for all kinds of behaviours and reactions. The author might have anticipated that which is probably the reason for his chapter "The Limits of Welcome" which bars bigots and extremists from participation. The chapter on "How to deal with toxic people" partially addresses this. Will Pavlovitz's call work? My head says "yes" but my heart tilts "no." The positive side is that this book opens up a path for useful conversations.
Third, the biggest reason to read this book is about putting action into words. Pavlovitz is spot on when he observes how many people talk more than they walk. This world is broken but as long as we continue to do all the good we can, we can make it less broken. This is an uphill task that will take a long time to heal. While that might seem like a long shot, it is still a worthwhile shot to make. In the author's words, this is certainly a battle that is worth fighting for. There are many fronts to fight and Pavlovitz has listed many of them throughout the book. For the exhausted, he urges them to keep going. For those of us sick of hearing bad news, consider just switching off our TV or to stop browsing the Internet. Distinguish between patriotism and nationalism. On the pro-life and pro-choice issue, try to de-politicize it. On gender matters, avoid dehumanizing anyone based on one's stand.
This is a needed book to address the deep divisions happening all over America.
John Pavlovitz
is a writer, pastor, activist, and storyteller from Wake Forest, North
Carolina. Over the past decade, his thought-provoking blog, Stuff That Needs to Be Said,
has reached a diverse worldwide audience with over one hundred million
views. A twenty-five-year veteran in the trenches of local church
ministry, Pavlovitz is committed to equality, diversity, and
justice―both inside and outside faith communities. His books include A Bigger Table, Stuff That Needs to Be Said, and If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk.
He currently directs Empathetic People Network, a vibrant online
community that connects people from all over the world who want to
create a more compassionate planet.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Westminster John Knox Press via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
