Mending Our Union: Healing Our Communities Through Courageous Conversations

Every four years in America, presidential candidates make grand promises to heal the divisions that threaten to tear our country apart. Yet the divisions persist-and deepen. How can this be? The answer is clear. Our government is a reflection of ourselves; it would not be divided if we-the people-were not so polarized. In response to this toxic culture of division, J. Christopher Collins founded the Different Together project at the legendary Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, California. Collins has created opportunities for courageous conversations among people who don't share the same views about politics, religion, or race. And it's making a difference. Participants say, "Different Together calms me." "I'm less dismissive of others' opinions." "This restores my faith in humanity." In this book you will discover how to be a healer of division in your community. Based on real-world experience from the frontlines of this domestic peacebuilding movement, Collins equips the reader with tools to face our differences head-on, persevere through discomfort, and embrace the peace and joy that results from doing this critical work. Together, Collins argues, we can mend our union and heal our divisions before they irrevocably tear us apart.