SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Dr. Ronnie Floyd, president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, issues the following statement:
“The past three weeks have been some of the worst many of us have seen in our lifetimes. Hate and vitriol have inundated our social media feeds and invaded our workplaces, churches, homes and even our most intimate relationships. At some point, we lost sight of how to engage with each other in a sincere pursuit of truth. We worked feverishly to prove ourselves right, but we didn’t make an effort to understand each other.
“Whatever your inclination on the whole issue — whether Judge Kavanaugh should or should not have been confirmed to the Supreme Court — our infighting has left America worse off than it was before. Once again, we are more divided, more hurt, more tribalized and more cynical. When our opinions become more important than people, we all lose.
“There’s now one — and only one — way forward for America: we must pray earnestly for unity and work intentionally toward reconciliation. It’s incumbent upon the church of Jesus Christ to be a force of unity, love and civility both within and without. In fact, Scripture teaches us that we ought to love and pray for not only those who agree with us but also those who oppose us.
“Jesus puts it this way: ‘If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?’, and ‘If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?’ (Matt 5:46-47 NLT).
“In the following days and weeks tensions will continue to flare up across America. It’s a crucial time in our nation’s history, and every vote we cast and every decision our leaders make will have repercussions for years to come. Yet regardless of what happens, it’s up to us to determine what country we want for ourselves and our children.”
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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the senior pastor of Cross Church and president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, which each year mobilizes millions of Americans to unified public prayer for the United States of America. He’s the author of “Living Fit: Make Your Life Count by Pursuing a Healthy You.” Follow him on Twitter @ronniefloyd.
