By posing questions and reminding us of our call as followers of Jesus, Bishop David Bard hopes to encourage deep reflection on how we live out our faith as we assess the health of our democracy and address current immigration issues…
“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9, NRSVUE).
“Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good” (Romans 12:9, The Message).
I am going to offer something a little different this month, a series of quotes with just the briefest of comments, followed by a longer reflection. I hope to encourage deep thinking about how we live out our faith and our love of God and neighbor in this particular time. The Scripture reading is about love, a familiar theme for February. The underlying question in the back of my mind comes from Tina Turner, “What’s love got to do with it?”
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President Donald J. Trump, speaking to Republicans gathered in retreat on January 6, said of Democrats: “They’re violent. They’re vicious. They’re vicious people. And they stick together like glue.” He later added, “Hell, we have to even run against these people. Now, I won’t say, ‘Cancel the election. They should cancel the election,’ because the fake news will say, ‘He wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.’”
Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff for policy in the Trump administration, said in a January 5 interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper: “We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world — in the real world, Jake — that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that have existed since the beginning of time.”
A January 7 interview with President Donald J. Trump in “The New York Times” reported: “When asked in the interview if there were any limits on his global powers, the president responded: ‘Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me. . . . I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people.’”
In a 1973 interview, around the time of the Watergate crisis, political philosopher Hannah Arendt said: “You know, what really makes it possible for a totalitarian or any kind of dictatorship to rule is that people are not informed. How can anyone have an opinion who is not informed? On the other hand, if everyone always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but that no one believes anything at all anymore. . . . A lying government which pursues different goals at different times has constantly to rewrite its own history. That means the people are deprived not only of their capacity to act, but also of their capacity to think and to judge. And with such people you can then do what you please” (“Thinking Without a Banister,” pages 491-492).
Richard Rorty, an American philosopher, wrote in his 1998 book, “Achieving Our Country”: “Many writers on socioeconomic policy have warned that the old industrialized democracies are heading into a . . . period, one in which populist movements are likely to overturn constitutional governments. Members of labor unions, and unorganized unskilled workers, will sooner or later realize that their government is not even trying to prevent wages from sinking or to prevent jobs from being exported. Around the same time, they will realize that suburban white-collar workers — themselves desperately afraid of being downsized — are not going to let themselves be taxed to provide social benefits for anyone else. At that point, something will crack. The nonsuburban electorate will decide that the system has failed and start looking around for a strongman to vote for — someone willing to assure them that, once he is elected, the smug bureaucrats, tricky lawyers, overpaid bond salesmen, and postmodernist professors will no longer be calling the shots. . . . One thing that is very likely to happen is that the gains made in the past 40 years by black and brown Americans . . . will be wiped out. Jocular contempt for women will come back into fashion. All the resentment . . . Americans feel about having their manners dictated to them by college graduates will find an outlet” (pages 89-90).
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“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good” / “Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good” (Romans 12:9, NRSVUE and The Message).
What’s love got to do with it? Is power the iron law of history? What would it mean to have that at the center of our country’s soul? What about love? Is it too naïve to think that love might have something to do with the behavior of nations? Are the only limits on the power of a president, any president, their own mind and morality? If democracy has something to do with organizing society in terms of love, how concerned should we be about hints of canceled elections, even if only in jest, and the profound denigration of political opposition? Are we witnessing the erosion of the critical thinking so essential to democratic governance? Have the disappointments with our economic and political system led us to look toward a “strongman”?
I have not even mentioned Minnesota and immigration enforcement yet. What’s love got to do with it?
The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice will not be investigating the shooting of Renee Good, as would have been their usual practice in an officer-involved shooting. The focus of federal investigations has been on Renee Good herself, when administration officials have already labeled her a “domestic terrorist” and a “radical leftist.”
Citizens who don’t look like lifelong Minnesotans are being stopped by masked and camouflaged officers on the street and asked to produce documents proving their citizenship. Some have been detained for hours before being released without charges. Native Americans have been detained. Immigration agents have entered hospitals to inquire about patients’ citizenship status. A seventeen-year-old citizen was dragged from his job at a Target store by immigration enforcement agents and placed in a vehicle. When he was able to prove his citizenship, they dropped him off miles from where they had picked him up. A citizen of Hmong descent was taken from his home, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts, and led to a waiting vehicle in winter weather. He was later released without charges. An off-duty police officer, a woman of color, was stopped by immigration enforcement, who boxed her car in and demanded proof of citizenship, which she did not think to carry. She became more concerned by her treatment and took out her phone to record the encounter, only to have it knocked out of her hands. When she identified herself as a local police officer, the immigration officers left.
After I sent a version of this essay for publication in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference, another lethal shooting took place in Minneapolis. Federal officials have said that the killing of Alex Pretti by border security agents will be investigated only by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with assistance from the FBI. The Minnesota State Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was initially prevented from entering the scene. As I write, details are still forthcoming and further investigation is needed, but multiple videos contradict the initial descriptions of the fatal incident offered by DHS officials.
Earlier this year, I provided testimony before a Michigan Senate committee considering bills that would limit immigration enforcement, e.g., returning to previous practices that limited enforcement to exclude schools, churches, and hospitals, except where there was a warrant for a specific individual accused of specific crimes. In my testimony, I said that it is not just that the law is enforced, but how the law is enforced that matters.
Some protesters have engaged in violent or unlawful action and should be held accountable. I do not support disrupting worship services for protest purposes. I am concerned about the arrest of journalists who were present to cover that story. Accountability also applies to law enforcement agents who may act recklessly or unlawfully. Law enforcement rightly encourages citizens, “When you see something, say something.” Is that not also applicable when law enforcement personnel behave recklessly, perhaps even outside the bounds of the law? Nonviolent witnessing of immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis and across the country is part of encouraging the rule of law. How the law is enforced matters. Respect for the law is different from fearing law enforcement because they might terrorize you.
By posing questions and reminding us of our call as followers of Jesus, I hope to encourage deep reflection on how we live out our faith and our love of God and neighbor in this particular time. I want to encourage nuanced thinking. Assessing the health of our democracy is complex. Immigration is complex. We cannot allow the complexity of these issues to paralyze our thinking, create apathy, or stunt moral reflection. You may disagree with how I have chosen to use this space, but I hope it has offered an opportunity to think, ponder, reflect, and pray, rather than simply triggering a reflexive reaction.
Recently, the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church released a resource book, “Building Beloved Community: The Courage to Love in the Face of Tyranny.” It says: “The resurgence of authoritarian movements, and the violence associated with them, calls for our engagement . . . . We want to encourage a prophetic witness that offers alternatives to narratives of fear, hatred, division, and violence. The alternative we offer is grounded in our biblical tradition, especially the life and ministry of Jesus Christ: love” (page 3, x).
What’s love got to do with it? Everything. “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good” / “Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good” (Romans 12:9, NRSVUE and The Message).
Let me end by repeating the words I offered for the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. Be people of hope, not of bitterness or apathy. Hope with eyes wide open to the realities of the present situation, but hope. Think deeply and with nuance, but think. Speak judiciously and with care, but speak. Witness peacefully for the common good and against evil, injustice, and oppression, but witness. Pray always. Be salt. Be light.
And love from the center of who you are. As always, thank you for reading.
P.S. Beginning in late February, I will be engaged in some conversations regarding the proposal coming from the cabinet to annual conference that the Michigan Conference have four districts. The number of districts is set by a vote of annual conference. The following sessions are being scheduled, and more details are forthcoming:
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- February 22: Southfield: Hope UMC, 2 to 3:30 pm
- March 28: Grandville UMC, 1:30 to 3 pm
- April 13: From Lansing, 5:30 to 7 pm (virtual conversation only)
- April 18: Mount Pleasant: First UMC, 1:30 to 3 pm
The ministry of our bishop is made possible thanks to generous financial gifts from local United Methodist churches in Michigan through Ministry Shares. Thank you! Learn about the impact of Ministry Shares on mission and ministry in Michigan and around the world.
Last Updated on February 4, 2026