When The Soul Is Denied

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

“What does it profit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit their soul?” —Mark 8:36

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Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash

There are moments in history when legislation is more than just law—it’s a mirror. The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” now moving through Congress is one of those moments. More than a thousand pages long, it hides behind complexity, but its intent is brutally clear: to strip away protections for the vulnerable, to legalize cruelty, and to turn public systems into tools of profit and punishment.

This bill is not just a list of policies. It’s a worldview. One that sees people as problems, not neighbors. It’s built on the logic of control—mass deportations, increased surveillance, deep cuts to food assistance and healthcare, and the quiet transfer of public lands into private hands. These aren’t technical decisions. They’re moral ones.

And this isn’t just about Trump. It never really was. It’s about a deeper unraveling—of identity, of meaning, of belonging. Especially among those whose inherited roles in society—white, male, Christian, powerful—are no longer guaranteed. When old myths collapse, fear rushes in to take their place. And with it comes rage, nostalgia, and the urge to dominate.

MAGA, at its core, is not a political platform. It’s a theology—a false religion built on grievance and fear. It replaces God with ideology. It replaces love with control. It doesn’t just reshape policies; it reshapes people—training them to see enemies where there are neighbors, threats where there is difference, weakness where there is compassion.

This bill is a performance. It tells a story to its base: that suffering is deserved, that power belongs to the ruthless, that freedom means obedience. It’s governance by grievance, policy shaped not by the common good, but by a hunger to punish and a fear of losing control.

Here’s the deeper truth: this bill, and the worldview it reflects, are not signs of strength. They are signs of fear. They do not come from power. They come from panic. When a system loses its soul, it tries to make up for it with force. But domination can’t fill the space where meaning belongs. No amount of cruelty can offer connection. No victory can take the place of belonging.

The soul doesn’t vanish when ignored. It waits. Quietly, persistently. Beneath the noise and the headlines, it waits. And it whispers: You are more than this.

When we remember that—when we ground ourselves in that truth—we see clearly what Empire wants us to forget: that reverence is not a luxury. It is essential. That dignity is not earned—it is inherent. That love is not weakness—it is our only chance at a future that includes all of us.

No bill can outlaw love. No policy can erase the sacred. But our refusal to go along with systems of harm? That still matters. Our courage to feel, to grieve, to act from a place of deep remembering—that still shapes the world.

Let us not meet this moment with despair. Let us meet it with soul.

We are in this together,

Cameron

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Reflection Questions

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• Where in your life or leadership have you noticed the absence of soul? What does it feel like when something lacks reverence?

• What stories or identities are unraveling in your community or nation? How do we grieve without getting swept into collapse?

• What would it mean to resist not just injustice, but the worldview that makes injustice seem inevitable?

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A Prayer for the Day

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A Prayer for Soulful Resistance

Holy One,

In a world that forgets its soul,
let us remember the depth from which we come.

May we see beyond the noise of domination,
and hear the quiet voice of truth rising within us.

Grant us courage to resist cruelty,
and tenderness to hold fast to love.

Let our lives be shaped not by fear,
but by fidelity—to one another, and to the sacred.

Amen.

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Spiritual Practice

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Tend What Extraction Forgets

Set aside ten minutes today—no agenda, no productivity—to be in relationship with something often ignored. It could be a patch of weeds in a sidewalk crack, a neighbor whose name you’ve never asked, the ache in your own chest that you keep pushing aside.

Approach it gently. Let your body slow. Breathe. Let your senses awaken to texture, sound, weight, presence. Let yourself feel what it is to attend without needing to explain or extract.

This is not about usefulness. It’s about reverence.

When you notice your mind returning to urgency or problem-solving, gently bring your attention back to presence. Ask quietly—not with words, but with your whole being—What do you need? What do you know?

And then simply listen.

In a world that commodifies everything, presence without agenda is a radical act. It teaches us to see again, to belong again, and to remember that life is sacred—not because it can be measured, but because it can be met.

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Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

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SOLD OUT!!! July 20-25, 2025 - The Art of Wilding: A 5-Day Expedition in Wyoming for Women Leaders. Click here to learn more in case you want to come next year!

REGISTRATION OPEN! 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. Register here!

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!

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.