Jerusalem, Jerusalem...
A city in a country with a profound sense of purpose
I usually stick close to the topics of innovation and ministry leadership. This time, though, I am going to give you a few observations I have made about my time in Israel. My wife and I have been in Jerusalem for three weeks now, with a week to go. This has been a fascinating trip for us in many ways. Walking where Jesus walked, hiking through Hezekiah’s tunnel, and traversing the ramparts of the Old City have been epic. What strikes me more, though, is the thirst for nationhood which I find to be missing in the United States.
The nation of Israel is very aware of its existential struggle for existence. People are proud to be Israeli. They are keen to show that what they have created here in the desert, and they see themselves as building a joint future. There are a lot of kids here. We have been using only public transportation and most buses include strollers with kids. I understand a lot of has been made of Orthodox Jews having a lot of kids, but I would say that it goes past this. People here want to have large families.
Young people are not in withdrawal from society but are highly engaged. Now, realize that this is Jerusalem is m, probably the most religious city in the world and certainly so by historical standards. We spent a couple of Shabbot’s (Sabbaths) at the Western Wall. What is surprising is that it is not filled with old people. There are young men everywhere. The area is divided between men and women. On the women’s side, young women swirl and dance, singing songs of faith loudly and proclaiming their heritage. Yes, there are older people but the vibe is youthful.
To be sure, there are many questions about this experiment. Spending time in the West Bank and seeing the wall that separates the Palestinian areas from the Jewish is a reminder that this is very much a work in progress. We happened to be here during the election that occurred on November 1st, making political fervor even stronger than it might be normally. Just as Trump coopted the US flag as a patriot, Netanyahu’s supporters advertised their candidate with the “blue and white” of the Israeli flag. The feeling of national identity is strong and, frankly, contagious. It is hard not to root for this nascent state.
Contrast this to our society. To be patriotic has become shameful. In the culture at large, we have the 1619 Project seeking to make slavery the defining dynamic of our history. Deconstructionism runs rampant in history, the church, human sexuality, our views of labor and just about everything else. There are no heroes any longer including historical figures who have contributed to our common history. Within the church, fears of Christian nationalism drive a narrative that the only course for a Christian is to be thoroughly secular in their view of state.
Whereas Israel exudes a sense of unified, national identity, American society has gone in the opposite direction. We are a nation of division with rising shame about who we are as a nation.
As I write this, there is an election in the US tomorrow (we voted by mail before we left). It This post will publish the day after the election. I have a hard time seeing how we will heal our national psyche through the current political process regardless of the outcome. It will take leaders, who, as far as I can tell, are not running for political office right now. It will take some creative thinking, repentance, innovation, forgiveness, and a healing process for us to come through this era. This will only happen with much prayer.
Shalom!