This is the seventh chapter of a book in progress, with the working title “Be Not Afraid of Their Terror.” The first chapter is here: When I speak to a fellow American Christian about the current state of our nation, though they’ll often make a brief statement of how we’ve lost our way spiritually, most times their view of the situation and what should be done is exclusively political. If only the government would stop (or start) doing [something] or elect [person] our nation would have a chance to cease circling the societal drain. There is almost always something, or someone, they believe to be an existential threat to the proper order. Just as it is with secular America, it’s been hard to find a politically interested Christian, since the 2016 election, who thinks that the other side is worth engaging in good faith. Ironically, if there’s one thing we can agree on, its that we all used to be more civil, but it seems nobody wants to be the first to let their guard down and interact with those on the other side of the political aisle. We’re more interested in a nondescript lamentation over the loss of civility, while avoiding any personal responsibility.