Issue 020: Which Way Forward?

Which way forward? I heard David McCullough speak twice at the Library of Congress as a Hill staffer, and the title of this series is taken from a commencement address he gave in 1994. (The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For, p. 33)

With Volume One behind us, and as we enter another presidential election cycle, the question he asked three decades ago is ours to consider again today.

The journal series also marks a return to weekly publishing, thanks in part to donors who contributed during the email campaign which is now the basis for this series.

As an organization, we have the bigger goal of biannual publication—to create inspiration for American unity so that we have a creative home to build up leaders for American unity.

The content of the illustrated journals we produce will focus on long-form stories to offer inspiration, and the digital content will be focused on leadership.

As we think about the next 40 years, it’s critical that we take up the challenge of our time—in the words of President Kennedy, not because it is easy but because it is hard.

We believe that the American idea is this: we make our country more just and free when we collaborate, build trust, and build endurance. The illustrated journals that we create are not only a way to inspire those actions—they are a way to live them as a community of stakeholders committed to the challenge to unite the country again in our day, so that we can leave the next generation more just and free. The pages of Volume One—as future journals will be—are filled with additional research and a contemplative faith view to help inform and guide American self-governance. And 20% of the $55 donation for each copy funds partner organizations doing the work of justice and freedom.

When we take up the mission to inspire American unity, we reject exhaustion, burnout, chaos, division, apathy, and indifference. Collaborate, build trust, and build endurance are the solution to each of these. For our stakeholders who are followers of Christ, we choose to use the power we already have as American citizens—not to force our views on the country, but rather to restore the political process to show that our hope is Christ and the kingdom of God, and to create new solutions with the time we have here.

Finally, this journal series is a call to raise a small percentage of the funds necessary to reach the bigger objective of biannual publication. As a next step towards that goal, we need to reach $2,000 in monthly commitments. As of this writing, nine donors are giving a combined $210 a month. Thank you!

In the nine years Liberatus has operated, we have never reached this critical threshold, which has made the mission turbulent. And yet, since 2015, 30 donors have made monthly or annual donations at separate times—if a pool of 30 donors were to give those prior amounts ranging from $5 to $500 a month now, all at the same time, we would surpass the $2,000 monthly goal.

A basic level of consistent funding will create the consistency necessary to collaborate and create—as such, our Liberatus Advocates truly are co-creators of the mission. In case you are well-off financially, think of co-creating Liberatus as part of your lifestyle: there’s quality coffee, craft beer and kombucha, trips to Europe, concerts, restaurants, subscriptions like Amazon Prime or Netflix, and the creation of Liberatus.

In case you are not well-off, we hear you and appreciate your solidarity. American workers should be paid for the wealth they create—and they are not. Creating a culture of American unity is about functional government so that we can make our country more just and free for those who have been marginalized.

Monthly giving to Liberatus is not about us though; it’s about leadership. Some of the feedback I’ve received from our writers over the years includes asks for a bigger writer pool for more community, faster turnaround times for publishing, and greater availability to connect one-on-one. All of these require stable funding and funding has been a limitation for each of these areas. Monthly giving serves our writers, Americans across the country who want inspiration for American unity, the partner organizations we fund and will fund in the future, and the leadership team necessary to scale.

Join us again with a monthly recurring donation as we choose to take on the challenge of creating inspiration for American unity.

-Caleb Paxton, Liberatus Founder

weekly action point:

Take a look at the vision overview as we look to produce a biannual publication. Take time to pray in nature about your vocation or calling. Then, you can set up a monthly recurring donation as a Liberatus Advocate at the tab below. You can also write Volume Two with us by responding to a one-question interview. We will compile responses to the question about the future you imagine into a new vision asset to guide the stories that we tell, the research that we include, and the partner organizations that we fund.

Mission: Inspire American Unity

Create a culture of American unity for the next generation by producing content, experiences, and leaders that inspire it today.

Journal Entry #133

ISSUE 020: WHICH WAY FORWARD?