Patrick Briggs attends All Saints Church in Pasadena, and is a leader in the Occupy Democracy-Pasadena movement.

Posts By This Author

The Common Good Amid Individualism

by Patrick Briggs 04-15-2013
Two churches,  Silva Vikmane / Shutterstock.com

Two churches, Silva Vikmane / Shutterstock.com

As Americans, we live in a culture that is hyper-individuated, fragmented, and dehumanizing as it pushes a mantra of success based on material accumulation and power. Being in community with others is the countercultural answer to this. Doing so with others unlike ourselves is an important part of this. At the end of the day, above the polarization and partisanship, there is much we can do to promote the common good together. As Maddie put it at a meeting that brought Christians of opposing social interpretations together, "We may never agree on some issues, but that is not why we're here; we're good people, you're good people, let's do good together."