“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” — Archbishop Desmond Tutu
In these polarizing days, it’s easy to feel like we’re on opposite sides of an unbridgeable chasm. MAGA signs in neighbors’ yards can feel like a threat. Woke slogans can be written off as naive or dangerous. But as writer Parker Palmer recently reminded us1, it is possible to hold fierce disagreement without demonization.
He writes:
“Does my empathy for these voters dial down my disagreement with their political choices, or my resolve to do what I can to defeat MAGA-style fascism? Of course not. But this subset of voters is not my enemy in the struggle to retain our democracy. They are victims of a Darwinian economy that keeps making the rich richer and the poor poorer, a divide that is toxic to a democracy. If a person of privilege like me cannot understand their plight and advocate for an economy that serves them as well as me, that makes me their enemy.”
This is not an argument for moral relativism or political passivity. We must confront injustice with clarity and courage. The MAGA movement has unleashed waves of cruelty: white supremacy, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, anti-intellectualism, and violent authoritarianism. None of that should be excused. But neither should we collapse into the lie that every person who voted for Trump is beyond redemption or deserving only of contempt.
Some are driven by fear, others by grievance, and still others by sincere, if misguided, belief. Some are opportunists, but many are simply trying to survive in a system that has long abandoned them.
Theologian, Walter Brueggemann once taught:
“The truth is that frightened people will never turn the world, because they use too much energy on protection of self.”2
It’s worth asking: What would it mean to build a future that doesn’t require enemies at all?
We’ve been trained to think in binaries: us vs. them, right vs. wrong, saved vs. damned. But the spiritual path invites us to something braver. It asks us to hold truth and compassion. To speak with moral clarity and deep listening. To organize against systems of harm without sacrificing our own humanity in the process. To love and hold accountable.
The long arc of transformation won’t come from shaming the broken. It will come from gathering the willing, from refusing to become what we are resisting.
So today, hold your convictions. March. Vote. Preach. Protest. But also, look your neighbor in the eye. Remember the complexity of every human life. Refuse the cheap comfort of enemy-making.
In the end, the real battle is not between red and blue, but between love and fear. Only one of those has the power to heal what has been broken.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where in your life are you tempted to collapse into “us vs. them” thinking?
Can you recall a time when empathy shifted your understanding of someone you disagreed with?
What would it look like to resist injustice without losing your capacity for compassion?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for Repair
Holy One, You who see us beyond our slogans and divisions— Help us remember that behind every opinion is a story, Behind every fear, a wound, Behind every anger, a longing to belong. Grant us the courage to resist harm without hatred. To speak truth without cruelty. To stay grounded in love when the world would have us forget. When our hearts harden, soften us. When we rush to judgment, slow us. When we feel powerless, remind us that every act of compassion is a small defiance of despair. Let us be those who do not turn away. Let us be those who do not give up. Let us be those who build a future where no one must be the enemy. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Today, reflect on someone you profoundly disagree with—someone who stirs anger, fear, or frustration in you. Don’t excuse their views or behaviors. But gently ask yourself:
What might they be afraid of?
What have they lost?
What story might they be living in?
Then, shift the lens: Who are the “enemies” of your own imagination? How does that shape your posture toward the world?
Consider one small way you might resist enemy-making today:
A conversation held with deeper listening
A social media comment you choose not to post
A prayer for someone you struggle to understand
These are not passive acts. They are spiritual resistance. They are how we begin to remember—across every divide—that we belong to one another.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
NEW!!!!!!!!!!!! October 8-9, 2025, 7-8:30pm ET ONLINE Event- Counterpoint: A Response to Peter Thiel’s Antichrist - For four straight Mondays, tech billionaire Peter Thiel is convening a private series in the heart of Silicon Valley on his obsession with the Antichrist. This peculiar and troubling theological fixation is not just eccentric—it reveals how his version of political theology and apocalyptic imagination are shaping the worldview of some of the most powerful people in the world. We cannot remain silent. As a counterpoint, join me and Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox, along with Kamala Harris’ former Communication Director, Gil Duran, for a powerful counter-narrative rooted in wisdom, justice, and authentic spirituality. REGISTER HERE.
October 18, 2025 - No Kings 2.0 Protest - Scholars of authoritarianism teach us that we need 3.5% of the population rising up to disrupt the rise of authoritarians. The last protest had over 6 million people in the streets in the US (more around the world) which was one of the largest protest in US history. We need to double that number. So here we go again. The movement builds. See you on the streets.
October 20-24, 2025 - FREE Online 5-Day Summit on “Made for These Times: Spiritual Leadership for a World in Crisis.” Political extremism. Climate collapse. Cultural fragmentation. People of faith across the globe are asking: How do we lead with clarity, courage, and compassion in a time like this? REGISTER HERE.
October 23, 30, November 13, 20 2025, 7pm ET - In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next, A 4-Part Online Series with Dr. Matthew Fox, Cameron Trimble, Ilia Delio, Diana Butler Bass, Caroline Myss and Luther Smith. We are living through the unraveling of many old stories—about who we are, why we’re here, and how we are meant to live together on this Earth. As these inherited narratives collapse under the weight of climate crisis, social fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection, the question becomes clear: What story will guide us now? REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
NEW!!!!!!!! July 19-24, 2026 - Join me and my amazing co-facilitator, Victoria, on retreat in the back-country of beautiful Wyoming. The Art of Wilding is a 5-Day Expedition for Women Leaders. We will spend the week reconnecting to nature, exploring our inner landscapes for change, and engage the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Click here to learn more.
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 are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
Brueggemann, Walter, A Way Other Than Our Own: Devotions for Lent, Westminster John Knox Press, 2016
May clear vision rise.
May kinship stand strong up right.
May kind mission guide.