American culture at-large has confused facts with truth, truth with opinion, and opinion with intolerance and bigotry. When facts become bigoted opinions, the truth is squeezed from the center of cultural thought. Much of what people say think and believe has been poisoned by division, short-sighted arrogance and despair.  This Hobbesian vision of the world is subconsciously propagated in our modern era by “fake news”, half truths, venomous 140 character diatribes and all out lies. These none redemptive ways only serve to reinforce what is wrong in America. We are becoming a nation of concepts and not a nation of Americans. We have morphed into “We the Tweets” not “We The People”.

American thought hasn’t always been as toxic as it is today. Recall the days of America’s founding when ordinary people dared dissent the suffocating rule of an autocratic elite. These revolutionaries were men and women of great character and courage. Many were both haunted by personal failures and plagued by seemingly impossible divisions between fellow revolutionaries. Two hundred and fifty years ago, in the face of deep disagreement, the American experiment took shape. They believed, in spite of what their eyes saw, that glistening in the not so distant future was a better world than the one they inherited.

Clarity demanded this world would only come into existence when a united confederation of sovereign states was wrought from a furnace fueled by discord and oppression. United by this immovable cultural foundation, they fought with pen and musket, in the open fields of Gettysburg to the stuffy halls of independence. And from decades of struggle, an extraordinary new nation was formed. We now live in that nation and I invite you to share the same hope for the United States.

I propose establishing redemptive trilateral cultures built on honor, wisdom, and hope. These cultures can grow up in every sphere of cultural influence. These kinds of cultures will go a long way at restoring the hearts and minds of those poisoned by the division, short-sighted arrogance and despair rampant in America today. Redemptive cultures do not have agreement or teaching people what to think as their highest aim. Rather, they build a framework on which honest, vulnerable communication can be established.

A redemptive trilateral culture is marked by three sides of thought joined together by genuine affection for humanity.

Redemptive

Redemption is often times associated with theology and religious belief but it is by no means a solely spiritual practice. It is the learned skill and practiced art of forgiveness. When we establish a redemptive culture we are declaring that mistakes do not define us. We all make them. But a culture that exercises the muscle of forgiveness grows incredibly strong. Redemption does not mean over looking or forgetting a mistake. Wisdom requires we not lose touch with the sometimes painful realities of the past and the plight of those who suffered at the error.

Those who truly learn the path of forgiveness are not looking for “gotcha” statements or slip ups to “win” an argument or discredit an opponent. Forgiveness says, “I see what you did, but I refuse the temptation to define you by this.” Only in a redemptive culture can we discover both identity and accountability. Identity is a personal and internal affection which grows for your own uniqueness in the world. It is an embracing of both divine purpose and personal joy which accompanies living life to the full.

Accountability is the transformative experience of being seen for who you are not what you’ve done. It’s astounding what can happen when, at the moment of failure or exposure, a darkened corner of our souls is seen and not condemned.