TheWorldIsAboutToTurn

Celebrating Our Common Humanity and Shared Hope

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 12:43:56 -0800

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. (Ephesians 4:4)

“One body, one spirit, one hope” is a powerful vision of who we are meant to be as the people of God, regardless of ethnicity, faith tradition, or station in life. Unfortunately, there are forces at play in our world that would divide rather than unite us. There are those that seek to drive a wedge between us by focusing on differences or demonizing those who are not of our same tribe. Xenophobia—fear of the Other—has unfortunately been used by politicians and religious leaders as a strategy to sow the seeds of fear and distrust that would turn us against each other.

But the Creator reminds us that ALL of God’s children are precious and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. The hope to which we are called is just that—to recognize our oneness, our common humanity, our mutual aspirations. It is to acknowledge the shared values of many faith traditions. Several years ago, there was a special exhibit at the International Peace Museum in Dayton, Ohio.. One of the most striking pieces was the “Peace Labyrinth” quilt designed by artist Janet Bear McTavish, an artist from Duluth, MN. In her tapestry (pictured above) she sought to show that love of neighbor and the Golden Rule are common threads found in all the world’s religions.

My prayer is that we might come to see our nation as a rich tapestry of diversity; that we are richer for the contributions of the many different colored threads that make us who we are. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of God’s vision for Beloved Community, one that could transform people and relationships grounded in reconciliation, justice, trust, and love. In his 1963 “I Have Dream” speech, King said: “This is our hope…with faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of...Read More

The Nuremberg Trials and the Empathy Void in America Today

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 11:51:07 -0800

I recently attended the movie Nuremberg based on the true story of the Nuremberg trials following WW II and the relationship between Hermann Göring, Hitler’s second-in-command, and U.S. Army psychiatrist Captain Douglas M. Kelley. Kelley was charged with interviewing Göring and his fellow defendants, all from the Nazi high command charged with war crimes including their complicity in the “Final Solution”—the Jewish holocaust. Following the trial Kelley returned to the U.S. where he was interviewed about his experience and tried to warn his fellow citizens about the impending danger stating: “I am convinced that there is little in America today which could prevent the establishment of a Nazi-like state.”

One wonders if Captain Kelley was prescient considering what is happening today on the national political scene. There is a poster in the National Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. that should give us pause. It lists the early warning signs of Fascism as follows:

Powerful and continuing nationalism
Disdain for human rights
Identification of enemies as a unifying cause
Supremacy of the military
Rampant sexism
Controlled mass...Read More

A review of "A Journey Called Hope"

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:59:42 -0700

We were delighted to read a lovely review of "A Journey Called Hope" on the website Practical Resources for Churches in May 2025.

Their website describes their work as, "PRC is a nonprofit, 501 (c) 3, non-denominational, education-based service organization providing consultants, educational webinars, workshops and resources. Our goal is to provide faith communities time-effective; cost efficient; and results-oriented programs and services to help them flourish in their ministry.."

We thank them for publishing this helpful overview of the book.

Photo by Duncan Sanchez on Unsplash

The US War on Immigrants

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 14:47:26 -0700

Every war has its casualties and this one is no exception. In this case, it includes men and women shackled in chains by ICE agents as they are herded onto planes for deportation, often to a country foreign to them. Refugee families live in terror of becoming the next victims of ICE, hiding in their homes because they are afraid to go to work or keep their appointment for an immigration hearing in court where they could be snatched up by ICE. Victims include employers whose businesses are at risk because few laborers are showing up to pick the crops, run the machines, or care for the elderly in the nursing home. Children find themselves separated from one or both of their parents who have been incarcerated and/or deported.

Trump Declares War

Beginning with his campaign for President in 2016, Trump’s strategy has been to demonize immigrants and refugees by suggesting that they are the “enemy within our borders” that threaten the lives of the average American. His comment that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” comes directly out of Hitler’s Mein Kampf. False claims were made about asylum seekers and other refugees being murders and rapists because other countries were opening their prisons and sending their criminals here. This hurtful and hateful rhetoric was meant to convince voters that “these brown and black strangers” among us were threatening the average American’s way of life, including their white privilege, and must be expelled. So during 2024’s Presidential campaign, Trump promised to round up and deport some 12 million undocumented immigrants. From day one of his second administration, he has been obsessed with carrying out this mission. And as part of his efforts to crack down on immigration, Trump has invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, an obscure law that has been used sparingly throughout U.S. history to detain or deport nationals of an...Read More

You are invited!

Tue, 06 May 2025 13:15:53 -0700

You are invited!

Global Refuge is hosting a free webinar on Immigration with me on Tuesday, May 20, 7 p.m. EDT/4 p.m. PDT - online

Are you concerned about the immigrants and refugees who live in the USA?
Are you concerned about those who were fully vetted by the UN and US government, had airplane tickets and were sitting in airports waiting to board airplanes to relocate to the US, but were turned away by the current administration, leaving them stranded?
Are you trying to figure out how to help people just like many of our forefathers and mothers who came to the US for a better life?

You are invited to join us for a virtual conversation between Rev. Eric Shafer, Global Refuge pastor in residence, and Rev. Dr. Richard Rouse , author of the newly published book "A Journey Called Hope: Today’s Immigrant Stories and the American Dream."

During this time to learn more about the stories of resiliency of new Americans featured in the book, you will also have the chance to ask questions of the speakers. ‘A Journey Called Hope’ is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about the lives of refugees and other immigrants, and can be a...Read More

Why America Needs Immigrants and Refugees

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 14:39:34 -0800

During the Christmas season you may have seen banners that proclaimed: “Rejoice in the birth of a brown-skinned,middle-eastern, undocumented immigrant.” We are reminded that Jesus himself was a refugee for a time. The Gospel of Matthew records that Mary and Joseph were told to take their baby and escape to Egypt because of King Herod’s plan to kill the infants in Bethlehem.

America is a nation of immigrants. Most of our families came from somewhere else to America in search of opportunity and a better life. Now more than ever our nation needs immigrants and refugees to ensure a strong and vibrant future. The hurtful and hateful rhetoric about how immigrants are dangerous and are poisoning our country is part of a right wing conspiracy to convince us that they are the enemy among us that has to be dealt with and expelled. They claim immigrants are threatening our white privilege, our way of life, our future as a country.[i] But the truth is just the opposite. These newcomers are not only enriching our lives with their presence, they are providing us with the hope and promise of a better future. Let’s look at several factors.

First, it’s important to note that the native born birth rate has plateaued. We are not even replacing ourselves, and we are an aging population. More and more, we need foreign-born workers. Projections indicate that, in the long term, immigration will be a bigger contributor to the demographic growth and stability of the nation than in the past. Our population peaked in 2024 at 333.4 million and will only decline from here. Consider the impact this could...Read More

Time to Summon our Better Angels

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 15:52:04 -0800

There are many of us who are devastated by the results of the 2024 election as the country appears to embrace extremism. The new administration promises to use the military to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants and to unleash the Department of Justice as an agent of retribution in punishing political enemies. This at a time when polarization in this country has never been more apparent and violence is on the rise. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate groups this year in the United States has surpassed 1500, up from 838 that were tracked in 2020. The Anti-Defamation League reports that acts of anti-Semitism have tripled while white supremacy propaganda in social media has more than doubled in just one year (Oct. ’23 to Sept.’24). CNN indicated that since the election, some 20 states report racist threats to black college and university students conjuring up images of slaves and picking cotton.

How do Christians respond when the worst of our nature has been emboldened?

In Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address, he tried to appeal to the shared sense of unity and patriotism among Americans, urging them to use reason and compassion to avoid civil war by calling upon the "better angels of our nature" rather than succumbing to anger and division, despite the growing tensions between the North and South over slavery. Perhaps now is the time that we need to do the same. I believe we are called in our baptism to be agents of hope and healing in a world gone mad. Are we not disciples of Jesus who commanded us to follow the way of love? It is a counter-cultural and risky strategy, but one that has changed the course of nations in the past. We can strive to make real our Founders’ vision of liberty and justice for all by inviting American voters into an evolving society and increasingly diverse democracy. So, how can we move beyond the fear, the hate, the prejudice, and feeling of...Read More

Voters Must Choose Between

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 13:10:48 -0700

Voters Must Choose Between Democracy and Autocracy

by Rick Rouse

Gold Star General John Kelly, Trump’s longest serving Chief-of-Staff in the White House, recently warned Americans about the dangers of a second Trump presidency. In an interview with Michael S. Schmidt of The New York Times, published Oct. 22, the retired U.S. Marine Corps general confirmed that Trump is “certainly the only president that has all but rejected what America is all about, and what makes America, in terms of our Constitution, in terms of our values, the way we look at everything, to include family and government—he’s certainly the only president that I know of, certainly in my lifetime, that was like that.” Kelly added that the former president admired Hitler, saying he did many good things, and that “in his opinion, Mr. Trump met the definition of a fascist, who would govern like a dictator if allowed, and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law.

In an interview with CNN on Oct. 23, Vice President Kamala Harris called out Trump for his comments about “the enemy within.” The former president has claimed that China and other outside sources are not to be feared but rather immigrants and any American who doesn’t agree with him are the real threat. He has called political opponents like Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi evil and suggested he would unleash the military on them and others who oppose him. Taking a page out of Hitler’s playbook, Trump claims “America should be for Americans only” and has threatened to round up millions of immigrants, placing them in detention camps prior to deportation. Republicans like Liz Cheney and many others are now campaigning for Kamala Harris, despite their differences with her on many policy questions, in order to protect democracy itself, which they now also say is at...Read More

Church Anew interview series on books starts with Rick Rouse!

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 09:33:41 -0700

Church Anew's mission is "a Spirit-led movement that nourishes Christian leaders and ignites communities of faith by setting an inclusive table of belonging and developing resources for a fresh, bold, and faithful witness in the world." They do this through a rich blog featuring diverse ecumenical voices. They do this by offering in-person and virtual events to provide leadership education, inspiration and more! And, they do this by creating resources for congregational leaders on important and often challenging topics, like stewardship.

Their latest venture is a. new blog series on books of interest to church leaders, both lay and clergy. Rick Rouse is honored to be their first interviewee talking about his new book, A Journey Called Hope: Today's Immigrant Stories and the American Dream, published by Chalice Press. I hope you enjoy reading the brief conversation between Rick and Pastor Eric Shafer.

Photo by Ferdinand...Read More

Two Paths Lie Ahead for the 2024 Election

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 12:56:15 -0700

There is no question that voters in the USA have a definite choice between two presidential candidates with a very different vision for America’s future. The contrast could not be more stark or definitive. Jamar Tisby an African American scholar, suggests that two paths lie ahead in this election: a white Christian nationalist authoritarian vision or a participatory or a multi-racial democracy that moves us toward a more perfect union.[i] Let’s look at two dramatically different options.
Trump Envisions a Whiter Future for America
Recently the Trump campaign posted on X a picture of a peaceful residential neighborhood which was captioned “Your Neighborhood Under Trump.” This tranquil scene was juxtaposed with a chaotic image of Black and Hispanic migrants who’d arrived last summer with the caption “Your Neighborhood Under Kamala.” The post declared: “Import the third world, become the third world.” [ii] This blatantly racist post is consistent with Trump’s maligning of immigrants and refugees, falsely claiming that countries are emptying their prisons and insane asylums and sending them to the U.S. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially considering the extreme vetting process for almost everyone who wishes to resettle in this country. And to make matters worse, Trump has promised to use the military to round up over 15 million allegedly undocumented immigrants, place them in detention camps, and then deport them—much to the dismay of economists who say this would have a devastating affect on the U.S. economy.
While Trump has a history of using xenophobic rhetoric, his campaign’s recent posts represent a troubling shift to overt racism and are helping to mainstream a theory that was previously confined to white-nationalist fringe groups. Trump has embraced the White Christian Nationalist vision of an America that is primarily Christian and where white descendants of European immigrants can be restored to...Read More