The United States has been under constant turmoil for the last three years. From the battle over COVID to the protests following the death of George Floyd, the sense of division just keeps deepening.
And then this fall, out of the Middle East comes a conflict that is spilling out into American streets. Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian supporters are egregiously at odds. From protests on college campuses to major metropolitan areas around the country.
Is it even possible to get the two sides to talk with one another? Better yet, to listen to one another? It seems like a crazy, fever dream.
Hitting Reset Button
James Ward burst onto the scene in 2020 challenging America to look beyond race, politics, ethnicity, and gender to an identity as people created in the image of God.
While most people, if they believe in God, would say that is true, they may still land on, “But I’m still right, and you’re wrong.”
Ward, who leads TLN Media and INSIGHT Church in Chicago with his wife, Sharon, thinks America needs to hit the reset button. It is possible to stand on a life-changing truth while holding out a hand of compassion.
“The Jewish people are the covenant people of God,” Ward said. “But even while affirming this truth, we must affirm the common ground we all stand on as those created in the image of a loving creator.”
But How?
Ward is the author of Zero Victim: Overcoming Injustice With A New Attitude. He is highly sought after by corporate, government, and thought leaders and on mainstream media outlets to mitigate the complex racial, cultural, and socio-political challenges of our day.
His Zero Victim message has been recognized as a viable resource to help calm the ongoing tension between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian supporters.
At the root of much modern conflict is a sense of victimhood, Ward explained.
“Victimization is real and needs to be addressed,” Ward said. “It should never be dismissed. But it also cannot define us as human beings.”
A Zero Victim mindset does not deny that some people are true victims but refuses victimization the power to control their lives for the rest of their lives.
“Jesus was victimized, but He was not a victim,” Ward said. “Who better than the one who said, ‘Father, forgive them,’ to teach us peace. Who better than the one who set the captives free to teach us how to live as free people.”
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To learn more about James and Sharon Ward, visit TLNMedia.com.