October 24, 2025

Hope over Hate

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to attend an event just down the street at the Convention Center focused on confronting and reducing hate speech and hateful actions. It was a very different event than I was expecting. It was broad in its approach and appeal. It was informational and conversational, and at times inspirational. The event was organized primarily by the Anti-Defamation League, which is Jewish. Surprisingly, in tone and scope the program addressed not just antisemitism, but racism and any number of other ‘’-isms.” My table conversations revealed this was an interfaith and interracial gathering, broad in both its approach and its audience.

Here are some takeaways I would like to share.

The threat of the internet. The ADL has a large subgroup which is constantly surveilling the internet. 80% of all hate crimes are posted-online before they happen. This has led to preventing most of them before they are executed. This also means that many people “live” in online communities that see no shame in such attacks. If the perpetrator is “martyred,” they will be lionized by this group when they are gone, which in fact encourages such behavior. Communities like these find conspiracy theories and prejudice to be entertainment. At the same time, in international online gaming communities 85% of participants experience abuse or prejudice at some point. Takeaway: There are places on the internet which normalize hate speech and hate crimes, radicalizing vulnerable people often with false information. While in “typical” online communities, abuse and bullying is very common.

Empathy sells. Former Seahawk wide receiver, Doug Baldwin, has begun a non-profit that aspires to create a culture of empathy. It begins with the premise that there is no person who does not deserve love. It offers resources for healthier more equitable communities. Its numerous ventures are all based on three principals: Be Honest, Be Curious, Be Gracious. It is successful in its work and is attracting a great deal of investment. Takeaway: Baldwin did not hide the Christian basis of this organization whose core principles are truth, humility, and forgiveness. Still, it attracts a broad base of support because of its effectiveness and its unique hope of normalizing empathy.

Community leaders take this seriously and personally. From Seattle’s Mayor Bruce Harrell and former Police Chief Carmen Best, to Washington’s Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos and Supreme Court Justice Steve Gonzalez, civic servant-leaders shared personal stories of racism and sexism and how they have used those experiences to inform and inspire their work. Takeaway: Knowing first-hand what prejudice and even attacks look and feel like heightens the importance of preventing the growth of this hateful culture in our state and local government. In our case, diversity in leadership has the effect of making all people safer by confronting prejudice and hate.

Loving your neighbor. There are intentional groups of people of differing views in the Seattle area seeking to come to better understandings with whom they disagree. Because people who are underrepresented in your life are often overrepresented in your imagination, these people try to diversify the voices in their lives. Being a part of such a group requires some basic training on how to engage people with differing views with civility. Yet those who participate in these groups find the hope they provide are worth the effort. Takeaway: Being trained to be part of such a group and then practicing it, even in a very cursory way, was both enlightening and empowering for me. If you are interested in this training and possibly being a part of such a group, please contact me.

My bottom line is this: In one afternoon I was with people of a variety of faiths and no faith, a variety of races, and a variety of political positions. We were able to have honest helpful conversations about our differences, as well as be unified in our opposition to the increasing divisiveness in our world. Though we were a self-selected group, we represented a variety of perspectives. What held us together was our common pursuit of finding antidotes to the poisons of hate in our world. We were inspired by the sacrificial efforts of numerous and diverse people in their various efforts to confront hate. With all our differences, we all walked away with some information, resources and hope we didn’t have when we came. I hope this brief summary might offer you a glimmer of hope as well.

With confidence in Christ,

~ Pastor Todd