Last week, I overheard a conversation in a furniture shop in Ohio, in some town that bordered Pennsylvania. What initially piqued my interest was the statement, “Liberalism is a mental disease.” The registered Republican that I am, I naturally had to hear the rest of the comment and inched closer to this group of White individuals. What I heard saddened me to no end. It went something like this:

“You see, it’s all those refugees and immigrants [at which point, the woman stole a sideways glance at me]. They’re all criminals.”

“Yes,” said the man, “can you imagine our kids having to shower with them [presumably referencing an earlier part of the conversation about showering in PE rooms or something like that]?”

I couldn’t hear any more; all I could think about was getting far, far away. I was sick to my stomach. I couldn’t even bring myself to offer what has become my normal shtick in this part of the country: speaking loudly so they could hear that I didn’t have an accent. I just wanted to get out of there.

A few days later, when I had had some time to reflect, I was reminded of an article I wrote for a newsletter, back when there were no blog spaces. I was reacting to a physical conflict that had occurred on a high school campus in the city where I lived: two groups of students (one Asian, one Latino/a) were yelling insults at each other and getting ready for an outright brawl. My article named America the world’s upset stomach. (I was taking the gastronomic melting-pot-turned-tossed-salad metaphor to its final outcome.) And, reflecting on how the groups had come to this point (I concluded that it was because the number of students in both groups had reached a critical mass on campus and, thus, finally felt they had a voice), I called for a return to an America that was before all talk about race and civil rights, etc., had emerged. This call signified my desire to return to a “simpler” time, and it stemmed from a fear of conflict and future escalation.

So today, trying desperately not to be hypocritical, I suppose I understand the sentiments of certain groups of people who have bought in to the dangerous, fear-based rhetoric and vitriol of this season’s highly charged presidential race.  The threat of loss (of power, of hegemonic norms) is real.  And, while I could write a dozen more blogs on the narcissistic and opportunistic irrationality of the candidate himself, my comments here are meant to frame one particular outcome of his campaign:  the GOP’s candidate has normativized a resistance to change that is unhealthy and, if left unchecked, will be the demise of the U.S.A.  This video provides some examples of the consequences of this now public resistance; near the end, you will hear one man say that all he wants is to “…preserve the culture I grew up in.”

Why demise?  Here is a quick list of some costs of resisting change, and you will think of so many more:

• Everyone moves on without you
• You are no longer relevant, at best, and can bring a precious thing to ruin, at worst
• You are perceived as uncommitted (especially if you change only for show, but not at the core)
• Missed opportunity for the Holy Spirit to move, breathe new life into your being and into your community

Jesus said that new wine must be put in new wineskins (Matthew 9:17).  We are familiar with Jesus’ call for change in this passage.  It was a call for new vessels to do God’s work, and he was responding to critiques by the “establishment” about the kind of work he was engaged in.  What work was that?  Look at the preceding passage to understand:  “When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. ‘What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riff-raff?’ [Remember, the negative labels came first from the critics.]  Jesus, overhearing, shot back, ‘….I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders” (Matthew 9:11-13, The Message).  Jesus’ work was about revolution:  turning power structures upside down!

Of course, blog posts can and will be written about the dangers of change, especially the kind of pivoting that is illustrative of unprincipled opportunists.  But this is not that kind of change; this is righteous change.  And I will be forever grateful to God for turning me on my head with regards to issues of race, diversity, and equity.  The way forward will be messy and difficult, to be sure, but we must not sit idly and wait to get there.  The Bible, and especially Jesus’ teachings, point to the value of diversity and revolutionizing power asymmetries.  All of this will come about when we, the people, ready ourselves for change.

At her father’s memorial, Laila Ali shared his mantra, “The one who views the world at 50 the same as one did at 20 has wasted 30 years of life.”  My prayer is that we do not resist the teachings of Jesus about change; my prayer is that we do not waste our lives.

Dr. Debbie Gin is Director of Faculty Development and Research at The Association of Theological Schools/Commission on Accrediting, the support and accrediting organization of most seminaries in the US and Canada.  She was formerly Associate Professor of Ministry at Azusa Pacific Seminary and Fellow for Faculty Development and Evaluation in the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at Azusa Pacific University.  She and her husband currently live in Pennsylvania.