As the 2012 campaign rhetoric continues to escalate and tempers flare ever more intensely, I think about Jesus' words towards the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, that, "blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God" (Matthew 5:8).
     Though this verse has been interpreted in a number of ways through the course of theological history, I think that we can at least say this much:  those who promote peace, that is, irenic and "shalomic" activity and deliberations receive unique and special blessing from God.  They enjoy special respect in the eyes of the divine.
     Therefore, at the very least, this verse is telling us that, amidst the often vituperative and prevaricated campaign slogans and commercials and speeches, we owe it to ourselves, as a nation, to focus not so much on what we do or say, but rather on how we do and say it.  We want to preserve the common good and unity on which the nation is built, to sustain the comity upon which a democracy best functions.  We do not want to destroy unity in order to save it.  We want to be at peace with one another, to make decisions about our leaders in a thoughtful, respectful, and openminded way.  We want to honor the basis of who we are, fellow beings and travelers created in the image of a loving and sovereign God.
     Only in this way can America consider itself genuinely blessed.