Lesson Sixteen: Learn From Peers in Other Countries
The United States has slipped into what political scientists call a “competitive authoritarian” system.
I would encourage you to take some time to research what this means. Essentially, the executive branch is violating the laws designed to restrict its authority while the legislative branch is allowing it to happen, but we still have elections which may or may not be free and fair.
The executive branch also lies continuously to the American people and instead of holding the executive accountable, members of the legislative branch have become extensions of the executive branch.
Then there are the media outlets that have become nothing more than mouthpieces for this authoritarian, white nationalist agenda.
We have millions of Americans who are on board with all of this. They want an authoritarian, white Christian nationalist country. This is what they voted for, they voted to end, or at least pause, our democracy. They voted to overturn the Declaration of Independence and the idea that “all [people] are created equal”.
We hear that it’s unprecedented all the time, but it’s not. It’s frustrating, it’s depressing, it’s exhausting, but it’s not unprecedented and we need to remember that.
Other people have been exactly where we are today, and we can learn from them. In my research, what I’ve learned is that if we don’t want to continue this path, which historically ends badly for everyone, there is another group out there, well, two groups.
There is a significant percentage of Americans who have no idea what’s happening: the uninformed and the misinformed. We must believe there are more of these people out there than those who truly want an authoritarian, white Christian nationalist country and we have to wake them up.
The uninformed people are busy. They’re not into politics. They don’t want to get involved.
The misinformed believe the lies and honestly believe they are on the side of democracy. They truly believe that we’ve been invaded by 20 million “illegals” who are here to destroy us. They believe this is an emergency that warrants the abuses we’re seeing, not unlike grounding the planes and implementing new security procedures after 9/11.
They don’t fact check, watch full speeches, or read transcripts.
They’re not in a cult; they’ve been abused for years. We need to love them.
As hard as it might be, we have to welcome them with open arms, even if they hold wildly different views from us. Whoever is not against us, is for us.
It doesn’t matter if they’re late to joining the party, like the workers in the vineyard that Jesus spoke of who all got the same pay; or if they’ve been out partying and deliberately squandering our inheritance. If they’re ready to come home, let’s slaughter the fatted calf and greet them with open arms.
We need to vote in 2026 and in 2028. We need to mobilize others, protect voting rights, and do all in our ability to ensure free and fair elections.
At the same time, we need to prepare for the worst. We need to build new infrastructure and preserve and protect ideas and information. If we do fall completely into a fascist dictatorship, or civil war, or World War 3; we need to lay the groundwork for those who come after us to rebuild what we failed to protect: a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and a Christianity that’s centered in Jesus.
This is part 17 of a series inspired by my reading of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons Learned From the Twentieth Century, by Timothy Snyder as part of my effort to offer Christian insight to those wondering what to do in this moment.