American politics, neighbors, and enemies

Who is my neighbor anyway?

I’ve been thinking lately about the parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke’s Gospel (10:25–37). At the same time, I’ve been reading the newspapers (usually the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times) and listening to podcasts like Honestly with Bari Weiss and Truth Over Tribe. Can I just say this? The world is a mess. And so is the U.S.

While it may be true that the United States is divided and angry in many ways, it is not the worst of times. People abuse power, the rich seem to get…