It is important to consider that borders do not come from God; they are man-made constructs. They are nothing less than the result of humanities struggle to get along. In short, borders are the direct result of our seemingly inability to love one another. If we acknowledge then that borders are the result of our own sinful nature then perhaps we might not cling to them so tightly.

There are seasons in life when faith cannot survive on borrowed language. What once felt familiar may begin to feel thin. Easy answers no longer satisfy. Religious habits that once gave comfort may begin to feel too small for the ache, beauty, grief, and wonder of actual life. And in that place, many people fear they are losing faith, when in truth they may be standing at the threshold of a deeper one. Not a smaller faith. Not a looser faith. Not a faith emptied of substance.

America has become a people more eager to unite against an enemy than to unite around God. We know how to identify threats, expose corruption, denounce error, defend our tribe, and sharpen our outrage. We know how to speak with fire about what is wrong with the world. But too often we have forgotten how to burn with the love of God. Too often we have mistaken suspicion for discernment, hostility for holiness, and public anger for spiritual courage.

Ultimately, the goal of this piece is for us to begin to understand the danger and meaning behind the words we choose to use to describe Islam and Judaism within the world today. Because when we go about this out of ignorance, culture wars, patriotism, or some other faulty theological ideology, we not only cause harm to others, but potentially mock our own faith as well.