Those who know me are aware that I’m addicted to American politics. I follow it more closely than I follow what’s happening in our own country. I find it hard to drag my eyes away – we are potentially watching the end of an empire – the dying days of Pax Americana. And it is being destroyed from within.

I’ve been keeping an eye on the January 6 hearings being run by the Democrat led House of Representatives.On January 6, 2021 there was a violent riot at the time and place where the 2020 presidential election results were to be confirmed. The worst that we thought we knew about former President Trump and the lengths he would go to hold on to power, is being confirmed. On that day the future of America’s democracy rested on the shoulders of one man, Vice President Pence. Those hunting him down came within 40 feet (12 metres) of catching him.

Why does this matter? We are just coming out the other side of a world-changing event – the Covid-19 pandemic. Whether we realise it or not, the world has forever changed. In my view no less significant is what is happening within the USA. This is also potentially world-changing. The USA, with all its self-serving faults, has yet been the primary bulwark against totalitarianism and the guarantor of world peace since the end of WW2. We now see the rise of fascism, in the guise of Christian Nationalism, where a narcissistic bully, championing the causes of people he personally despises, uses them for personal power. The most dangerous bit is that he does it by continually repeating lies, convincing his followers that what is false is true, and what is true is false.

The long-term consequence is that faith in the democratic institutions is irreparably damaged. Elections are no longer trusted as valid. If the result is not the one desired, it’s because it has been rigged. Evidence to the contrary is irrelevant. The future for the American experiment looks bleak.

The difficulty is how does one pull back from the precipice? The advent of social media, a ready tool for conspiracy theories and disinformation, and how we are all so connected into it, makes the task appear close to impossible.

And it’s not just the USA. I’ve just heard that the French elections have seen huge gains for the polarities – both the ‘Left’ and ‘Ultra-Right’ extremes in French politics have ramped up their representation significantly, leaving Macron’s centrist party well short of a ruling majority. It’s also here in Aotearoa. The same divisive polarising forces are at work. One needs simply to follow Facebook threads on pages of ‘friends’ to see the effects. And it’s dividing families. There is no longer any shared understanding of what’s true, or even how we discern truth. It comes down to the way in which the social media algorithms drive us to our echo chambers where we hear the voices we agree with of people singing from our song sheets. Whether we like it or not, we’re all caught up in it. We’re all saying the same thing; “If only they would step out of darkness into the light, then they would see the truth.”

Unfortunately it’s the churches, both in the USA and here, where this is most evident. We no longer recognise those we might once (albeit reluctantly) have regarded as our errant brothers and sisters. They’re now demonised.

Let’s not kid ourselves. It is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Where does this leave us, as the Methodist Church in Aotearoa New Zealand? These divisions exist within us as well. While they may not be so obvious or pronounced, they’re present.

The mind of Christ would surely encourage us to treat one another with dignity and respect, with unconditional love. With, as I’ve opined before, a generous assumption that they are doing the best they can. And with a large dollop of curiosity and a willingness to listen. The fact that this is easier said than done indicates that I continue to be part of the problem. A deeper work of grace needs to happen within my own heart. I may not be alone in this.