Wouldn't present progressive be "Now we are engaging..."? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Present_continuous https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Present_continuous Ei

Wouldn't present progressive be "Now we are engaging..."? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Present_continuous https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Present_continuous Either way, active can really change the meaning: "Now we fight/pursue/battle in/confront a great civil war..." The passive voice (combined with the weak verb "to be engaged") emphasizes a future without the war ("we" and "endure"), not riling people up to fight it. As you imply, passive voice is a tool humans can use to influence other humans. Of course, any tool can be abused, but that's no reason to yank it out of the box.