“And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mk 3:25)
This passage appears in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Abraham Lincoln echoed these words from Scripture on June 16, 1858 to more than 1,000 delegates at the Republican State Convention in Springfield, Illinois. They had just chosen Mr. Lincoln as their candidate for the U.S. Senate, running against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.[1]
Lincoln’s speech was controversial; it cost him the election to Douglas. A little more than two years later, people began to grasp the truth of his words and he was elected to the Presidency of the United States on November 6, 1860.
This past week, our nation elected a new president. The election has uncovered a deep and wide divide in our nation. It has left many feeling sad, angry, and disillusioned. Others are jubilant, hopeful and encouraged. Between these extremes are many that are just fed up with the ugliness of this election. How do we bridge the biggest divide in our country since the Civil War?
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