Words That Divide

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” (Matthew 12:25, NIV 1984).

My Musings – Jesus said this in the context of being accused of driving out demons by the power of Satan. In 1858, as a candidate for the U.S. Senate (a contest that he lost), in the context of the issue of slavery, Abraham Lincoln quoted this verse and said, “I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided.” It was divided for a while. It came perilously close to being dissolved.

This week many took issue when “under God” was omitted from the pledge of allegiance in certain venues at the Democratic National Convention. While I am both proud and glad that…