I came from the same background as you did…except we didn’t own guns (dad couldn’t kill bambi–he tried & failed…those brown eyes & all) and we were Lutheran (who listened to a lot of Christian Radio…Dobson, etc).

I will say another aspect of this is that we have to be willing to get our hands dirty too. That means going outside of our comfort zones and reaching out to those around us who are suffering.

That is what is really hard for people. I notice that in our society it is very much still about me, my & I. I myself struggle with it–after all I was raised like you…to “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” & “rugged individualism”…which does not allow for the community or the church to come together in a cohesive manner.

When I mention the above to my family/dh’s family & friends, I notice people get instantly uptight about it all.

The reason why? You hit the nail on the head…we have to look at ourselves honestly and most people just don’t want to do that because it means that they actually have to “do” something.