“Because of their artistic complexity, [rituals] mirror the messiness of our humanity, and thus address our individual and collective identities….”
Rituals are vast and complicated. They communicate overlapping and even contradicting layers of meaning. Often, through art, architecture, music, garb, choreography, tradition, poetry, and, in the case of religion, theology, the combined aesthetics are more powerful than any speech or public statement. Because of their artistic complexity, they mirror the messiness of our humanity, and thus rituals address our individual and collective identities. They can uplift us and they can heal us, which is why after national tragedies, sanctuaries everywhere are full. Everyone needs a ritual to make sense of the moment.
As a country, we also need ritual because our foundational ethos is one of covenant. Our social, cultural and political relationship is not only legal or even constitutional, but it is also spiritual. As former Chief Rabbi of the UK, Lord Jonathan Sacks, has taught, “. . . a contract is about interests, whereas a covenant is about identity. It is about you and me coming together to form an ‘Us.’ That is why contracts benefit, but covenants transform.”
If we are going to hold together as a country, we need ways to maintain the terms of our national covenant. These are the “moral sentiments, many vague” John Dewey once spoke about, or as Frederick Jackson Turner put it in 1893, “Behind institutions, behind constitutional forms and modifications, lie the vital forces that call these organs into life and shape them to meet changing conditions.”
These things do not sustain themselves. That is why Steve Bannon was right to say that culture is upstream of politics. And as any cleric knows, ritual may be the most powerful way to shape culture.
The public ritual element of faith250 is the culmination of a year of fellowship and relationship-building between congregations, as well as deep conversations about the big ideas found in some of America’s most profound texts. This is a chance to communicate what your community cares about. The ritual need not be ideologically monolithic or linear. The assembled community can tolerate a ritual with diverse views.
However it should be good ritual. Over the course of the year we will provide tips and practices to write and shape your cluster’s ritual. See the Resource Library section of this website for guidance. For now, some preliminary tips:
This will be an event open to all area residents, planned and hosted by those who have attended the sessions.
Planning should begin in March 2026.
There is no template or requirements except that it is a locally developed celebration of democracy.
It should be held in a spiritual place and could include music, food, storytelling, candle lighting, readings, creation of a wall/mural, etc. We highly recommend hosting the ritual in one of the participating houses of worship and resisting the urge to use a public, civic space (like a public park).
While local political and civic leaders should be invited to attend the event or even have a reading from the written liturgy, we strongly recommend not including civic leaders in the planning team or allowing open time for public comments.