Rev. Roger Wolsey

As a contributing writer for Progressing Spirit who lives in Minnesota, I feel obliged to share reflections on the tumult and upheaval happening in the state I love.

I write today seeking to work with the primary texts of the Christian tradition and invite us to operate from that “biblical” paradigm. The writers of the gospels present a Jesus who sees things as they are, calls things as he sees them, and doesn’t offer false hope or cheap grace. The writers depict Jesus foreseeing the end of Jerusalem/Israel, and the author of Revelation even has him proclaiming the eventual end of the Roman Empire. 

The American crowds yearned for a leader of perceived principle and strength to improve our self-esteem—and got played by appeals to our baser instincts. Too many of my fellow citizens, including a statistical majority of self-identified Christians, allowed their bigotry against women, trans and gay people, brown people, unhoused, and disabled people to cause them to vote against their own best interests.

Addressing my fellow citizens of the United States: Let’s consider how our founding fathers understood happiness and the purpose and role of the federal government. And as we do, also consider how well the societies of the top 11 happiest nations correlate with the happiness understood by those founding fathers.