Who Will Speak for Our Nation's Soul? | Sojourners

Who Will Speak for Our Nation's Soul?

Abraham Lincoln said, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Has America started down this road? Yes. Irreparably? I hope not.

We're destroying ourselves in many ways, the most obvious at the moment being the way we handled our midterm election campaigns. Nearly $4 billion was spent on midterm election campaigns; billions used to stir up fear and hatred; billions that could have been spent on the world's crying needs.

While politicians argue that the system forces them to spend huge amounts of money, and that negative ads work, where are the voices pointing out the consequences of these actions? Where are the voices speaking up for the nation's soul?

If an alien came to our planet and watched its wealthiest, most powerful civilization collapse, the alien would no doubt say, "They reaped what they sowed." Does God say the same thing? Perhaps.

But above all, God weeps.

portrait-margaret-benefielMargaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of Soul at Work and The Soul of a Leader, works with leaders in health care, business, churches, government, and nonprofits to help them stay true to their souls. Visit her Web site.