At the beginning of 2024, I made two New Year wishes: (1) End the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and (2) Encourage people to reject intolerance. Neither of those wishes came true. I’m hoping to do better in 2025.
The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have escalated, with other countries joining the conflict. North Korea sent troops to aid Russia in its attacks on Ukraine, while Ukrainian allies increased their financial and weapons support.
According to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, more than 43,000 Ukrainians have been killed in attacks. In that same report, Zelensky said 198,000 Russian soldiers had been killed. The BBC could not verify those numbers.
In the Middle East, a ceasefire was enacted between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but Israel’s killing of Palestinians continues. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 17,000 children. Israel reported that 1,139 Israelis have been killed since the Hamas attacks in addition to more than 100 Jewish hostages remaining in captive.
With Syria recently having a regime change and Iranian concerns escalating, the future of the Middle East remains volatile. With the situation remaining in flux, Israel looks to capture more land and establish more settlements.
The once hopeful two-state plan between Israel and Palestine is currently in shambles. There seems to be no path forward, with Israel outright rejecting any talk of such a plan.
The hope that Americans would finally reject intolerance also collapsed as the country re-elected Donald Trump as president. Running on exclusionary policies, Trump seized on America’s love affair with “othering” people different from them.
From anti-migrant deportations to infringing on the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, Americans once again decided they are more concerned with socioeconomic privilege than equal rights for everyone.
The dismantling of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the country is already underway, as white privilege and economic prowess will be reinstated as the accepted norm for advancement in America.
Any mention of America’s past sins will not be considered when leveling the economic and social playing fields. Invasion, genocide, and economic injustices of the Native American peoples will be ignored at best and forgotten at worst.
Descendants of enslaved people and generational victims of Jim Crow will be further subjected to white supremacy, ignoring historical moments when any possibility of generational wealth was eliminated through racist policies and actions.
Therefore, with my 2024 New Year’s wishes still in peril as America regresses, I’ve decided to set my sights on 2025. While I will continue hoping for the end of wars and the rejection of intolerance, my attention turns to an even more challenging goal rooted in the notion of advancing an ethical standard based upon the life and teachings of Jesus.
As part of the fringe within the Christian church, my greatest concern remains its abandonment of Jesus as its theological and ethical criterion for faith and practice. Many Christians mention Jesus as a savior figure, but when it comes to following his example, they fall short.
Evangelical Christians often neglect to take the words and actions of their namesake seriously. When Jesus declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), he demonstrated the ethical commitment required to follow Yahweh’s righteousness and justice.
For many within the Evangelical movement, Jesus has become a secondary figure. Evangelicals have become enthralled by figures such as King David and the Apostle Paul, whose narrative arcs appear more authoritative to them.
Evangelicals have abandoned the prophetic tradition of Micah, who declared, “What is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8)?
Leaders within the evangelical movement have decided to replace Micah’s words with their own: “Ignore Jesus and the prophets, then speak loudly and carry a big gun.”
My 2025 New Year’s goal is to better connect Jesus’ ethics with current affairs. I wish Christians would give more attention to Jesus and measure their attitudes and actions against the one they call Lord.
And, just so you know, I will also do my very best to follow my own advice. Happy New Year!
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