Don't Fall for It
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“They offer empty words, making promises they never intend to keep.” — Isaiah 30:10
We are being told lies. Again.
If you listen to the loudest voices in politics right now, you’ll hear them say that America is spending too much, that government programs need to be slashed, and that fraud is everywhere (but no evidence of it). It sounds urgent, even responsible—until you dig a little deeper. Because the numbers tell a different story.
Historian Heather Cox Richardson1 reminds us that government spending, as a percentage of GDP, has not increased since the 1950s.2 What has changed is the massive tax cuts handed to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Since the 1980s, the rich have been paying less and less, while everyday people shoulder more of the burden.3 Companies like Tesla, Amazon, and major oil corporations make billions in profits—yet many pay nothing in taxes.4 And now, rather than asking the wealthiest to contribute their fair share, we’re being told that the only way forward is to cut social programs that millions rely on.
This is a lie. It is the same lie that has been used for generations to justify cruelty. The lie that says there is not enough to go around. The lie that pits people against each other, whispering that your neighbor, the single mom, the elderly, the refugee, the working poor—they are the problem. If we take away their healthcare, their food assistance, and their safety nets, then things will get better.
But scripture warns us to beware of deception. “They offer empty words, making promises they never intend to keep.” (Isaiah 30:10) Jesus himself warned against those who heap burdens on the poor while refusing to lift a finger to help (Luke 11:46). God’s economy is not built on greed—it is built on generosity and care. A society is judged not by the wealth of its richest, but by how it treats the most vulnerable.
We have a choice. We can accept these lies, or we can refuse to be fooled. We can push back, speak up, and remind ourselves—and each other—that another way is possible - one where wealth isn’t hoarded at the top while millions go without. We can recognize that a nation’s strength is not in tax breaks for billionaires, but in the well-being of its people.
Don’t fall for it. We don’t have to destroy our public safety nets and harm our vulnerable citizens to save our country. We have to expose the lies.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
How do you discern truth in an age where misinformation is so prevalent?
Where have you seen the impact of economic policies on real people’s lives?
What role can you play in pushing back against the narrative that there isn’t enough to go around?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for Justice
Loving Spirit,
Give us ears to hear beyond the noise,
To discern wisdom from deception,
To resist the easy lies that serve the powerful.
Give us courage to speak
When the world tells us to stay silent,
To call out injustice,
To stand with those who are cast aside.
Let us be voices for fairness,
Hands that build equity,
Hearts that refuse to turn away.
And when we grow weary,
Remind us that Your justice is relentless,
That Your love does not yield,
And that we are never alone in this work.
Amen.
Spiritual Practice
The Practice of Seeing Clearly
This week, practice the discipline of seeking truth and naming deception. When you hear a claim about government spending, taxes, or social services, take a moment to research it. Who is saying it? What is their agenda? Who benefits if people believe it?
Then, practice naming the truth. Have conversations with friends and family. When someone repeats a political talking point that scapegoats the vulnerable, gently ask, Where did you hear that? What if there’s more to the story?
And finally, ask yourself: Where can I direct my voice or resources to advocate for justice? Maybe it’s calling a representative, donating to a cause that supports economic fairness, or simply staying informed so that you are not easily swayed by false narratives.
Truth-telling is a sacred act. It is an act of love. Let us commit ourselves to seeing clearly—and to helping others do the same.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
February 18, 2025, 12pm ET, Being a pastor is no easy task, especially in a year like this one. Join my colleague Rev. Jim Keat and other faith leaders as we talk about not only what we are holding, but how we are holding it. Register here.
February 27, 2025, 12-1:30pm - Margaret Wheatley and I are offering a 4 or 8-session course called “Are We Made for These Times?” If you know Meg’s work, it’s going to be extraordinary. If you want the deep dive, the 8-session course is for you. You can read about the shorter 4-session course here. Scholarships are available. I sooooo hope you can be a part of this!
March 4, 2025, 7-8:30pm - Dr. Matthew Fox and I are scheming a series that we are calling “From Darkness to Dawn: Spiritual Courage and Political Action in the Age of MAGA.” We are still confirming our co-presenters, but Andrew Harvey will be one (on March 11)! The registration page is coming…stay tuned.
July 20-25, 2025 - The Art of Wilding: A 5-Day Expedition in Wyoming for Women Leaders. Click here to learn more. Only two spots left!
August 11, 2025, 2pm ET - Dr. Andrew Root and I will be hosting a 6 part series on Spirituality in the Secular Age based on his research. The dates are August 11, 18, September 8, 15, and October 6, 13. Mark your calendars! More on this soon.
September 4, 4:30pm ET - I will be collaborating with the Anderson Forum for Progressive Theology to host a conversation with Thomas Jay Oord on Open and Relational theology. It’s a FREE event. Register here.
October 15-18, 2025 - Converging 2025: Sing Truth Conference (all musicians invited!) at Northwest Christian Church in Columbus, OH. Mark your calendars for now. More info is coming.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
If you don’t follow Heather Cox Richardson, you need to. Here is a link to her stubstack. You can also watch her latest “lecture” here.
https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/federal-spending/#:~:text=Spending%20Trends%20Over%20Time%20and,the%20United%20States%20that%20year.
https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/
Here is one way to look at the impact of low corporate tax rates compared to payroll tax rates. Here is the Tax Policy Center’s explanation of how corporate tax cuts have impacted the overall economic health of the economy.
Ezra Klein.
Well and truly said. I will reply that we also need very much to be aware of how little credibility churches and other key institutions currently have among most people today. The same lying and betrayal that is knit into the corrupt fabric of our civilization is knit into our churches and religious organizations. The very same “bright green lies” that have gotten our species well into a rapid anthropogenic extinction event are shared by most of the churches and academic institutions that are associated with them. We need more than ever church leaders who are willing to model true repentance and reconciliation with our shredded more-than-human beloved community as well as within our human family. We need to move from tyranny to tenderness, and from the fortress of Modernity to the vulnerability of being humbled -literally brought into close and intimate relationship with earth.
The earth has been inviting us into the Kin-dom of Heaven, but we have been busy imposing our own ecocidal and genocidal order in place of the Kin-dom that Jesus himself was pointing to all along. The crisis is cosmic rather than bounded by the narrow echo chambers of the neoliberal institutions that simply make the crisis worse.
Look around and see who is not in conversation with you. Note which humans are excluded. Note the lowly species which are vital to life on earth that are being killed off with complete indifference. The more-than-human beloved community is excluded by our religion and religious institutions.
Vine Deloria Jr said that “religion is for those who are afraid of Hell, wile spirituality is for those who have been there.” What most white people do not understand has also been repeated by numerous Native American - see Stan Rushworth, or check our Nicke Estes “our History is the Future”. White “Christians” genocided the Native American people alongside the forests and the buffalo and many other creatures. That genocide is ongoing around the world.
So we have sent so many people and species to Hell in that way, and now we are ourselves afraid to face the Hell we have created. The Hell we have inflicted is the place we are afraid of dwelling in for ourselves.
Do you understand now? “Our History is the Future.”
We are being rewilded.
The Metacrisis is our spiritual teacher.
Most churches and religious leaders do not even see that they themselves are a very big part of the problem, and not even close to being part of the solution.
Very few religious leaders are aware that they themselves need to repent.
Therefore we will not see any change.
I have been leading studies on “living into the rapid anthropogenic extinction event with love, purpose and compassion. I have for the past few months also been leading studies based on Brian McLaren’s “Life After Doom”.
One thing I have discovered is how frightened and angry many very smart, caring young people are. Especially those with young children.
They know that they have absolutely been betrayed by the very institutions that ought to make a way for life.
I know young people who look at their toddlers and guess that those children will not see the age of 20.
These are smart, well-educated working people who have come to realize that not only were they never included in a plan for the future, but the future has been depleted of the great wealth of the living biosphere in exchange for a burden of spiritual, relational, and physical toxins.
I also recommend “Generation Dread” by Britt Wray. She herself is a young mother and works out of the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford Medicine. She is deeply aware that our problem is not technological or scientific, but rather is spiritual.
The world has already ended.
We are already absolutely vulnerable.
The future is here, but not yet evenly distributed.
Churches are completely unprepared for the deluge.
If your theology does not include the reality that we are living into a rapid anthropogenic extinction event, then you are creating a theology that denies the central issue of our day. Such theology is no theology at all.
Our churches and academics have been specializing in such denial for a very long time.
I see very little indication that Christian, religious and academic leaders will change at all. It looks like they will continue to pretend that they are not part of an ecocidal, genocidal civilization.
Brian McLaren did bravely tiptoe up to the line of talking about reality with “Life After Doom”.
I recommend more of us start talking about that reality.