We the Tribal People    
    
   We aren't born with nuance.     

   My first years coincided with World War II. All Americans were good guys; all Germans and "Japs" were bad...with some justification.

   At the Saturday movies, all cowboys and cavalry were good guys; all "Injuns" (except Tonto) were bad. In sports, everyone on our team was good; all opponents were enemies. 

   When we became an adult, not much changed. If we knew about the Lord's command to "love your enemies," would we have heeded?

   Other people draw sharp lines between races and ethnicity. In Dad's house, Republicans were all good; all Democrats wrong. 

   In time, we've learned that in worldly terms good and not-good exist on all sides. If we personally knew the athletes, we might like some opponents better than some of "our guys." 

   Unfortunately, tribal Americans see no nuance in politics. Some liberals have nothing nice to say about the late President Bush. Some on the right see nothing good in former President Obama. He seems to be a faithful husband and devoted father, like former President Carter. 

   Many judged the judge - Brett Kavanaugh - before his hearing even began. Others deplore President Trump's immigration stance, without admitting that border security is a legitimate concern.

   Absent Biblical knowledge, we may not recognize that virtue and vice resides in most of us, including our leaders.
 

"We like our villains without redemption

and our heroes without blemish,

and we frequently assign those roles

in overly strict alignment with our ideology."

   Little Jimmy Donut understood this long before Frank Bruni wrote the above quote in the New York Times.