When Lines Become Walls

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

“Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors.” —Proverbs 22:28

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There is a quiet violence in how power redraws lines.

This week in Texas, political leaders proposed a new congressional map designed to tilt the 2026 elections further toward Republican control—expanding GOP-leaning districts from 25 to 30 while reducing Democratic districts from 13 to 8. In response, over 60 Democratic legislators fled the state to block a quorum and delay the vote. Now, Texas’ governor threatens legal retribution for their defiance.¹

This isn’t just about gerrymandering. It’s about the corruption of covenant.

Boundaries, in their sacred form, are meant to protect life, honor relationship, and ensure that no one is left without a place to belong. They are not meant to cage in power or cordon off justice. But that’s what happens when political maps become weapons rather than expressions of shared trust.

“Do not move the ancient boundary stones,” scripture warns. Not because boundaries should never evolve—but because some lines were set to mark sacred mutuality, not advantage.

When lines become walls, when maps are redrawn to erase the voices of the poor, the young, the immigrant, or the Black and Brown communities already silenced in so many other ways—then democracy becomes a shell.

And we—especially those of us formed by spiritual traditions of justice and love—are called not to look away.

We are living in a moment when both major parties have, at times, abandoned the moral imagination required to lead with integrity. The crisis is not just political. It’s theological.

We were not made to live behind fortresses of self-interest. We were made to be a people of covenant—binding ourselves to one another across difference, geography, race, and story. The very word “religion” shares the Latin root ligare, “to bind together.”

To distort boundaries for personal or partisan gain is to sever the very ties that keep a community alive.

Redistricting isn’t just bureaucratic work. It’s spiritual cartography. It tells us who belongs where, who counts, who is visible. It tells us what story we want to pass on to our children: one of shared flourishing, or one of manufactured control.

We must remember that the sacred call of justice has always been geographic. From the tribal divisions of Israel to the borders crossed by Jesus in Samaria and beyond, God’s movement was always toward wider inclusion.

Let us be stewards of that story.

We are in this together,

Cameron

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Reflection Questions

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• What does it mean to you to live within a shared covenant with people you may not agree with politically?

• When have you experienced a boundary used to protect dignity—and when have you seen one weaponized to exclude?

• How might your spiritual tradition inform your understanding of political representation and justice?

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A Prayer for the Day

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Draw Us Into Justice

Holy One,
When lines are drawn to silence,
and maps become weapons,
draw us into the way of justice.

When power seeks to isolate,
may we move toward mutuality.
When boundaries become walls,
teach us to build bridges instead.

Unravel the grip of fear that would keep us apart.
Repair the cords of covenant that make us whole.

May we draw our lines with love,
not for conquest, but for care.

Amen.

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Spiritual Practice

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Re‑Mapping Our Hearts

Maps are stories, and stories shape what we see.

This week, choose one map—literal or metaphorical—to revise.

• A map of your neighborhood: Who is present? Who is invisible?

• A map of your relationships: Who have you unconsciously redistricted out of your life?

• A map of influence: Whose voices shape your decisions? Who could you invite in?

Then act. Re-map your engagement. Walk a different street. Call a forgotten friend. Support efforts toward fair representation in your region.

Let your life be a map of compassion.

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Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

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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. Register here!

October 23, 30, November 6, 13, 2025, 7pm ET - In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next, A 4-Part Online Series with Matthew Fox, Cameron Trimble, and Special Guests. 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 OPENING SOON!

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.

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If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.

1. https://apnews.com/article/us-election-2026-texas-redistricting-136cfeddc717f9fc69337bd3d39b1819