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The Reunited States with Erin Leaverton

S4 E6 | The Reunited States: Love Big Enough to Heal with Erin Leaverton


Erin and David Leaverton sold their house, loaded their three, young children into an RV, and traveled the country for a year. Their family’s journey is part of the documentary The Reunited States. Erin Leaverton talks with Amy Julia about their search for what divides our nation, the false hierarchy of human value, and the durable power of God’s love to heal division.

TRANSCRIPT

SHOW NOTES

Erin Leaverton is a wife, a mom to three children, an interior designer, and a blogger. Her family’s “life-altering adventure, traveling across America by RV for one year to learn about why the fabric of our nation is fraying,” is part of The Reunited States documentary. Connect with Erin online:

On the Podcast: 

The Reunited States: Love Big Enough to Heal episode quotes | Erin Leaverton

“Our divisions are rooted in a belief system we have about human value.”

“[We’re] Rooted in our belief in a false hierarchy of human value. There’s a whole lot of bullet points on that hierarchy: socioeconomic status, education, skin color, religion, sexual orientation. These are all sort of marks that are either going to work for you or work against you in how valuable your life is. And the flaw in this entire scheme is [the audacious idea that] any life could be measured in value – you can’t measure human life. It’s infinite.”

“We bear the image of an eternal God. That’s incredible. Each one of us. It’s infinitely beautiful and infinitely valuable.” 

“The things that I will look for to define my own value is the exact same set of principles I’ll apply on every other person.”

“We do have permission to mourn things that we discover. And we need to. I think that that’s healthy. But we can’t stay there. We have to move through it.”

“Dr. King said, ‘Love is the most durable power in the world.’ And when I heard that quote, what I literally saw was like an actual structure to hold the weight of disagreement. And I think agreement is what we’re building on right now. And it’s so cheap and so flimsy. It cannot hold any dissonance, whereas love can.”

“Respect is earned over time. Honor is something we can give freely, just like love. Everyone is deserving of honor because everyone bears God’s image. Even if they’re committing atrocities—and I know this is a hard thing to say, a hard thing to believe—but even in the act of committing horrible atrocities, no human being is outside the realm of redemption and honor.”

Thank you to Breaking Ground, the co-host for this podcast.

Head, Heart, Hands, Season 4 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast, is based on my e-book Head, Heart, Hands, which accompanies White Picket Fences. Check out free RESOURCES that are designed to help you respond to the harm of privilege and join in the work of healing. Learn more about my writing and speaking at amyjuliabecker.com.

To learn more with Amy Julia:

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  1. Paddy January 6, 2022 Reply

    I do not use media platforms but wish to contact Erin Leaverton after watching reunited states on PBS tonight.
    I love you. I’m proud to know you listening now for the first time as you acknowledged your error.
    Your husband saying he has no home to return to and felt irresponsible that is the daily shame the poor and the colored community experience. Welcome to the real world. Me too! I lost my church my family my children but I gained them to as I found and secured myself in the truth of my shamefulness. I am not worthy. Thank you Lord for our discovery. Help us in our recovery and restoration of all like zacchaeus we too stole.

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