Ebola. ISIS. Ferguson. Unaccompanied children at the border. Gridlock and partisanship in the Congress. Lately, it seems that the media brings us nothing but more news that the world is spinning wildly out of control. We have lost not only a sense of hope, we seem to have stopped far short in our pursuit of the common good.

In fact, it seems that these days, the ancient idea of the common good has become most uncommon. Stories of bipartisanship, generosity, and community are rarely heard, except as filler pieces. In other words, caring for each other seems to have become a novelty.

As a Christian theologian, I want to say that church in America in particular, needs to reclaim this ancient concept and embrace Jesus' call to love our neighbor, especially those who are the most vulnerable, and even to love our enemies.