America is such a richly blessed and exciting land of opportunity, and those opportunities are floating (or trying to float) in the free market of ideas. With stakes so high, media so pervasive, moneyed interests free to wield whatever clout they like in the political arena, and fear and moral issues mixed in, our society is a churning cauldron of challenges, solutions, and missed opportunities.
As a liberal Christian, it’s my hope that others who see things the way I do feel empowered to raise their voices politically. It’s OK. And, considering all of the competing interests out there these days, getting involved is more important than ever. For example, I’m passionate about supporting Christian advocacy organizations, which lobby for the poor and hungry — those who don’t otherwise have a voice in government. My favorite causes include Bread for the World in Washington DC and Faith Action Network (FAN), here in Washington State.
I recently gave this talk at FAN’s annual fundraiser. It deals with these issues head-on, by pondering thoughts I’ve had on the road. At the end of the talk, I debut my theory of “vicarious consumption” as a way to unleash the compassion of our society into the political arena. If these ideas are of interest to you, I hope you enjoy this peek at the action.