I remember well when, on a July 4th weekend in 1994, during my first campaign for the Tennessee Senate, I sat in the balcony of the church now known as Abba’s House for its patriotic service and quietly wept for the condition of my country. Twenty-seven years later, I look at the situation far differently.

As I head into the new year, a friend’s response to one of my recent post-election commentaries weighs on me. My friend asked, “David, is the republic lost? What can we do?” Sentiments like this have been expressed to me before, but I sense it is more widespread than ever and the earnestness by which it is expressed is greater. After the year we have all had, I think the start of a new year calls for an answer to these questions. If we can’t or won’t answer them, there may not be much that will be “new” in 2021.