Our nation is facing profound risks in this election cycle. These risks include eroding trust in the voting process and large-scale disinformation campaigns. Not so hidden threats of political violence are being sent out by both the left and the right. The core of democracy is being challenged, if not undermined and dis-organized.
In the midst of this challenge there is an important and potentially powerful role that people of faith and faith communities can play to bring their wisdom, love and compassion front and center during this highly charged and polarizing moment in our nation’s history.
There are brave citizens from across the political spectrum working right now to address this risk, but we need many more voices raised in support of free, fair and safe elections and the role they play in protecting our freedoms. Faith in America is a new effort by various faith-based bridge building groups to amplify voices from America’s faith-based communities in a way that transcends polarization, political parties, religious differences and policy disagreements. So far the sponsors of Faith in America include faith250, Paths to Understanding, International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, Interfaith America, Living Room Conversations, Listen First Project. Braver Angels has agreed to provide the resources of its technical team to coordinate some online events, as well as to serve as the fiscal agent for the project. The initiative will provide an opportunity for democracy’s allies Republican, Democrat and Independent to come together and support America’s most fundamental civic sacrament – citizens expressing their will by casting ballots and having them counted.
This ongoing organizing initiative is designed to stand up to and counter the dis-organizing that undermines trust and shackles hope. There are three ways you can help:
- Join the online events scheduled for Sunday evenings on October 11 and November 1. These aforementioned organizations will participate in two 90 minute “Praying For America” events. As prayer services, these events will embody very different values than those driving our divisive, zero-sum politics. There will be no political speeches, no signs, no partisan name calling. These gatherings won’t be positioned as a traditional protest “against” anything or anyone – rather they will focus on celebrating America’s core values as expressed through the right to vote. It’s an opportunity for all Americans to come together and champion the need for free, fair and safe elections in 2026 and beyond. This call to shared civic values will also be linked to teachings from each participating faith tradition. We are not claiming that the current election process can’t be improved but rather asserting that the legally sanctioned rules in place must be honored and that all votes cast consistent with those rules must be counted.
- Make a one minute “I have faith in America” video. These will be gathered and distributed through a social media campaign designed to reach maximum scale. We expect to establish a significant social media footprint. Instructions for making the video are here: https://engagingdifferences.org/test/
- Spread the word about this. Put it on your social media feeds. More information about the October 11 and November 1 online events will be forthcoming. We need to prepare and hold fast to the promise of free, fair, and safe elections, which are enshrined in America’s founding documents.
Sometimes there are moments when I feel that efforts like these are like spitting in the ocean. That the wind and waves of discord, disinformation, and distrust are just too strong and will swamp or capsize efforts like these. That communities and people of faith are either too anemic or too distracted by their own institutional tensions and worries that they won’t be able to make a difference.
And then there are other moments when I see and hear of the extraordinary commitment religious communities make to nurture those who are part of their particular flock, and at the same time provide support and sustenance to the least, the lost and the last. Their witness – and their actions, provide a lifesaving net of compassion and hope. That energy, that faith, can be brought to bear on this next election cycle.
Voting in America is a sacred trust. It is one of several elements which celebrates and sustains our democracy. It has often been said that religion is the load bearing wall of American democracy. It needs to be kept separate, yes – a distinct bulwark – and at the same time it has an important role to play in the push and pull of the democratic process because the practices, narratives, and discipline of our various religious traditions undergird our sense of freedom and morality. Keep your faith in America, however you hold that faith, and however it is nurtured. Let’s protect the franchise to free, fair and safe elections – and do all we can to engage one another in active participation. It will make a difference.
