Powerful essay. I would say, though, it's not God who is deaf. It is those politicians cloaked in religiosity who are deaf to God. We hear God. That's why we are angry and outraged, it's why we demand and fight for gun reform, equal justice, civil rights, women's rights, LGBTQ equality, and so much more.

There was an ancient ideal of representatives sent from rulers who spoke with the voice of the king. They were to be honored and obeyed as if the king himself was the one speaking and commanding. That is what the ancient text originally meant when it said we are created in the image of God. It never meant in God's likeness. It meant representing or reflecting God in creation, with all the responsibility that carries of stewarding God's creation.

Fighting for a just and equitable society is being living reflections of the image of God. It is being God's hands and voice in this world. Every single person fighting for a more just and equitable society has heard God – and we must be God's hands and voice in this fight.