It wasn’t the first speech I heard, but was the first one I paid attention to. I was 9 ½, home for lunch on January 20, 1961, and watching television as President John F. Kennedy took the oath of office and then give his inaugural address. My parents weren’t Kennedy fans, and following their lead I wasn’t either. But I vividly remember – we all remember (those of us who date back that far)- — his clarion call to America: “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
Eleven Presidents have made their inaugural addresses since then, and a week from now Donald Trump will deliver his for the second time. Each new President has employed their own unique perspective and prescription for their presidency, but embedded in each of their inauguration day speeches has been a variation of Kennedy’s challenge: to offer our civic commitment and talent for the well-being of our country. To work together.
There is significant tension as we approach Inauguration Day, 2025. Millions are excited about the transition from President Biden to President Trump. As one person told me, it feels that the bushel is being taken off the burning candle and we can see again. For millions of others, the inauguration of Donald Trump portends a period of unrelenting darkness. The gap between the two orientations seems more like an unbridgeable chasm.
Braver Angels, a national movement with which I have been active since 2018, dares to step into that ever-widening breach. Braver Angels is brave, although some critics would argue that it is naïve; still others even accuse Braver Angels of being horribly misguided for thinking that it can work through — or even overcome — toxic polarization. We are angels, not because of our purity or our faith, but because we are messengers – which is the original definition of an angel. We are not celestial spirits, but are very much on the ground – building relationships across political difference and working tirelessly to find common ground. We are messengers of hope, which, as Christian author Jim Wallis has written, hope is believing in spite of the evidence, and then watching the evidence change.
The Braver Faith Engagement Team, a relatively new “department” of Braver Angels, of which I am the “blue” co-chair, will be bringing that hope to a zoom event on Inauguration Eve, January 19th, at 7 pm eastern time. Faith and spirituality play a significant role in the lives of many Americans, so engaging people of faith provides an opportunity to help spread the civic renewal movement of Braver Angels throughout the country. Our various faith communities not only provide support and strength to their members, but each has time-honored practices, narratives and symbols that have the capacity to bring people together.
The hourlong event will feature three speakers: the Rev. Daryl Crouch, a Southern Baptist Pastor from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee; Rabbi Michelle Dardashti, a rabbi from Brooklyn, New York; and John Wood Jr., Braver Angels National Ambassador, from Los Angeles. The three represent a diversity of religious and political perspectives. Each speaker has demonstrated a commitment to building bridges across political and religious difference. Prayers from various faith traditions will also be offered during the gathering, and the Braver Angels Music Team will provide musical interludes, including an invitation for attendees to join in singing “My Country Tis of Thee” (with one’s device on mute). You can register for the event here. link to register. I will introduce and facilitate the gathering.
“With malice toward none and charity for all” is the iconic phrase from the conclusion of Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address, which he delivered on March 4, 1865. For many of us, and certainly for me, Lincoln’s words provide the foundation for the incredibly important and necessary work that is before us. Work that is committed to reconciliation, and at the same time honors resistance, both of which have been hallmarks of the American journey as well as key ingredients of the world’s religious traditions.
The Braver Faith Engagement Team’s hope for the pre-inauguration gathering will be to inspire us to live more fully and confidently into the challenge given by President Kennedy at the end of his inauguration speech, who, like Lincoln before him, made several references to Divine Providence:
“Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”
Join us. Invite your friends and colleagues. We can make an important witness.
