One question, four answers

Karen Georgia Thompson
‘The call to follow Jesus invites risk’

The aftermath of the presidential elections in the United States left a mixture of emotions and responses to the election of former President Donald Trump as the 47th President. The results show a nation divided, polarised on a myriad of issues, with Christian nationalism adding an additional challenge for the Church in the years ahead. The nation and the Church are divided by the politics of the day, with no middle ground for negotiating social issues such as migration, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, refugee resettlement, religious minorities and racial justice….

Karen Georgia Thompson is General Minister and President/CEO of the United Church of Christ

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Tim Meadows
‘A divide is at play’

Prior to the election I was visiting my father in America. Like everyone else, I was perplexed why Trump and Harris were running neck and neck at the polls. The cost of living crisis is hitting the US. People see the immense resources, and how grand America is, yet if you break away from the tourist areas, amusement parks and fancy neighbourhoods and ride public transportation you will see another American reality where there is much poverty. Illegal drugs and the opioid crisis have had a devastating effect…

Tim Meadows is Moderator of the General Assembly of the URC

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Carla Grosch-Miller
‘We have a caste system’

We are on the cusp of another grand experiment, ‘grand’ in the sense of one with great import for the whole world. Democracy has delivered its result. People voted with their purses, their fears and their hopes. Now we will see how that plays out, as we all do our bit.

My husband, David, and I were in the US for two weeks in October and were surprised at the cost of food. So people’s stated reasons for voting Republican made some sense, despite the fact that the US economy is stronger than that of most countries in light of global factors (Covid, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine)…

Carla Grosch-Miller is a retired practical theologian and minister

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Roberta Rominger
‘Hope knocked us over’

On the day before the election, I texted my cousin in Ohio, pretty much the only Trump supporter I know. I wanted to assure him that, whatever the outcome, we would always be family. I was being magnanimous, assuming that it would be my side that won and his that lost. All the signs were pointing my way. That wave of euphoria when Joe Biden stepped down from the race and Kamala Harris stepped in. Huge numbers of new voter registrations, especially women and young people. Abortion on the ballot in ten states. An endorsement from Taylor Swift, for heaven’s sake. Beyoncé. Springsteen. The surge in early voting, long lines like a badge of honour. What could go wrong? Especially when the country had already experienced four years of waking up to his latest tweets, daily undermining the dignity of the office, reeking of racism and pettiness and, some days, downright terrifying…

Roberta Rominger is a minister in the United Church of Christ and a former URC General Secretary

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This is an extract from an article published in the December 2024/January 2025 edition of Reform

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