American Values Religious Voices: 100 Days. 100 Letters.

What do kids at a Presbyterian church in Auburn, Alabama have in common with kids at a Reform synagogue in Manhattan? What did it take to reestablish communication between two brothers who stopped talking during the 2016 presidential campaign, one a Republican in Oklahoma and the other a Democrat in New York City? The answer to both questions is “American Values Religious Voices: 100 Days. 100 Letters.”

In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, many questioned how to respond to the deep divisions exposed by the campaign and looked to their religious communities for guidance. In November 2016, I teamed up with a friend, Philadelphia graphic designer Lisa Weinberger, to create a national, nonpartisan campaign that used letters and artwork to highlight core American values connected to our diverse religious traditions.

For the first 100 days of the Trump administration, we sent a letter a day to the President, Vice President, and Members of the 115th Congress through email, our website (valuesandvoices.com), and social media platforms (@ValuesandVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). Written by scholars of religion from different faiths and perspectives, the letters reaffirmed the enduring ideas that grounded our country in the past and should guide us now at this turbulent time in our nation.

From January 20 to April 29, 2017, several thousand people across the country followed the campaign. Readers described the letters as an “anchor,” an “archive of compassion and democracy,” and “living waters of sustenance and courage from deep ancient wells.” The letters connected people around common values and made them feel they were not alone. Early on in the 100 days, the Chief of Staff for a Republican congressman encouraged us: “Keep the letters coming. They help us make sense of the world we live in today and remind us of the world we all want to live in tomorrow.”

Three years later, as we approach the next presidential election, what can we learn from this project? Now published as a book by the University of Cincinnati Press, American Values, Religious Voices: 100 Days, 100 Letters shows how religious texts and teachings can inform pressing contemporary concerns like immigration and the climate crisis. At a time of great division in our country, this project models how people from different backgrounds can listen to and learn from one another. When read and discussed in interfaith gatherings, religious schools, study groups, or around the kitchen table, the letters provide a resource for engaging in conversation about our shared aspirations and values. The experience of the brothers in Oklahoma and Manhattan testifies to the way such conversations can foster dialogue and healing.

American Values, Religious Voices proves how important it is to “raise your voice with power” (Isaiah 40:9) and add a compelling religious voice to our public discourse about political issues and current events. Not only do we need to demand that our elected leaders work to maintain the values and institutions that long have made our nation great, but we each need to do our part to better our world. As Professor Marc Brettler reminds us in Letter 12, “Standing idly by, or arguing that someone else should step up, is not an option. We are each accountable if we do not work to improve our communities.”