Ok, so I am not surprised but I am once again disappointed in Sojourners and Jim Wallis for their lack of courage and faith. As many of you know Sojourners refused to air an ad depicting lesbian moms and their son entering a new church, supposedly on Mother’s Day. Subsequently a storm of disapproval, disappointment and even outrage has been directed at Jim Wallis, politico at the helm, and the org or Sojo. Jim offers his pasty white response that boils down to “we can’t be distracted by this issue from our real goals of justice” and “not yet”. Wait.
This rings of white, hetero privilege so much that I felt the need to re-read a little letter penned in a Birmingham City Jail.
Now let me first be exceptionally clear – I do not, as a lesbian growing up in the south, for one minute equate my sliver of injustice with the horrendous evil that my African American sisters and brothers lived under for hundreds of years. I do not equate my families rejection nor the church’s continued participation in my oppression to the hoses or dogs or lynchings or beatings or bombings of baby girls at church. Not even close.
But, I do take Dr. King’s words to heart, often. I do listen to his voice and read his words with an ear toward justice for all. And in so doing am reminded both of my own participation in the oppression of others and of my own humanity being squashed at the hands of so called Christians.
Jim Wallis – I am not an “issue” or simply a campaign of controversy. I am a woman, a daughter, a mother, a sister, a friend, a writer, a Christian and a child of God. I will not wait any longer for my rights in this country to equal yours. I should not be afraid to hold my partner’s hand in my own city, neighborhood or church. I should not be afraid to tell the doctors caring for our children that I am ALSO their mom – afraid that my daughter will receive less or no care in moments of critical need. I should not have to worry if someone will take my children from me because I am too controversial right now. I REFUSE to keep watching and reading of children taking their own lives because “good Christians” look the other way while their own children bully babies to death.
We are not an issue Jim, we are not a monolithic “lifestyle” or label. We are Children of God, beloved by our creator and ready to take our rightful place in a society that is groaning toward justice.
This post appeared last month on Darkwood Brew and at Day1 where I am a Key Voice blogger.
“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”
I imagine that those standing in the blood, sweat and tears of Rome’s occupation found this utterance of very little comfort. I image that it was even disgusting to be told by Jesus that meekness was the way to reclaiming their beloved homeland. Was he just another religious leader in collusion with Rome? If so perhaps this man was no messiah. No liberator. How much longer must we wait? How much longer must we feel the boot of Rome on our necks? You claim the Kingdom of God is at hand but want us to believe that meekness is how we will fully realize it? Thanks, but no thanks.
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“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” I imagine that those standing in the blood, sweat and tears of Rome’s occupation found this utterance of very little comfort.
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“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” I imagine that those standing in the blood, sweat and tears of Rome’s occupation found this utterance of very little comfort. I image that it was even disgusting to be told by Jesus that meekness was the way to reclaiming their beloved homeland. Was he just another rabbi in collusion with Rome? If so perhaps this man was no messiah. No liberator. How much longer must we wait? How much longer must we feel the boot of Rome on our necks? You claim the Kingdom of God is at hand but want us to believe that meekness is how we will fully realize it? Thanks, but no thanks.
But rather than a prescription for continued submission to injustice the beatitudes are the foundation of Christian nonviolence. The meek shall inherit the earth, not the Kingdom to come, but the Kingdom of God that is at hand. Here, now.
In The Nonviolent Alternative, Thomas Merton says: “The chief place in which this new mode of life is set forth in detail is the Sermon on the Mount. At the very beginning of this great inaugural discourse, the Lord numbers the beatitudes, which are the theological foundation of Christian nonviolence: Blessed are the poor in spirit…blessed are the meed (Matthew 5:3-4).
This does not mean “blessed are they who are endowed with a tranquil natural temperament, who are not easily move to anger, who are always quiet and obedient, who do not naturally resist.” Still less does it mean “blessed are they who passively submit to unjust oppression.”
Merton rightly asserts that meekness is not a call to submission but rather a call to a deeper, truer way of engaging the powers and transforming the world for everyone. Neither violent conflict nor passive flight, a third way as Walter Wink has named it, but Jesus’ radical new paradigm for overturning the powers that rob us of our full humanity. We have seen the fruits of this spirt in our lifetimes in the words and deeds of Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King brought the practice of active meekness, nonviolent resistance, to life for a generation and forever changed the balance of power in the US. So too can we today engage in practices of nonviolence in our personal and public lives. We need only to unleash the power of love.
A few good reads:
Martin Luther King Jr. – The Power of Nonviolence
Walter Wink: Jesus and Nonviolence
Thomas Merton: The Nonviolent Alternative
Pace e Bene: Daily practices for nonviolent living
What other resources would you recommend regarding this understanding of meekness?
How you’ve seen meekness, nonviolent resistance, flip the script in your own life?
Format
But rather than a prescription for continued submission to injustice the beatitudes are the foundation of Christian nonviolence. The meek shall inherit the earth, not the Kingdom to come, but the Kingdom of God that is at hand. Here, now.
In The Nonviolent Alternative, Thomas Merton says: “The chief place in which this new mode of life is set forth in detail is the Sermon on the Mount. At the very beginning of this great inaugural discourse, the Lord numbers the beatitudes, which are the theological foundation of Christian nonviolence: Blessed are the poor in spirit…blessed are the meed (Matthew 5:3-4).
This does not mean “blessed are they who are endowed with a tranquil natural temperament, who are not easily move to anger, who are always quiet and obedient, who do not naturally resist.” Still less does it mean “blessed are they who passively submit to unjust oppression.”
Merton rightly asserts that meekness is not a call to submission but rather a call to a deeper, truer way of engaging the powers and transforming the world for everyone. Neither violent conflict nor passive flight, a third way as Walter Wink has named it, but Jesus’ radical new paradigm for overturning the powers that rob us of our full humanity. We have seen the fruits of this spirt in our lifetimes in the words and deeds of Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King brought the practice of active meekness, nonviolent resistance, to life for a generation and forever changed the balance of power in the US. So too can we today engage in practices of nonviolence in our personal and public lives. We need only to unleash the power of love.
A few good reads:
Martin Luther King Jr. – The Power of Nonviolence
Walter Wink: Jesus and Nonviolence
Thomas Merton: The Nonviolent Alternative
Pace e Bene: Daily practices for nonviolent living
What other resources would you recommend regarding this understanding of meekness?
How you’ve seen meekness, nonviolent resistance, flip the script in your own life?
Blessed are the peacemakers
Because my daily work is combing the internet for social justice resources, when I hear this beatitude I most often think first of peacemaking on a large scale. Ceasefires in war-torn countries, withdrawal of troops from occupied lands, demolition of land mines and Jimmy Carter intervening in seemingly endless conflicts. But with all the focus on the world out there it is easy to forget the small world behind the door of our craftsman bungalow and the vast world of conflict in my own heart.
If my own heart is not at peace then my efforts to change the world will be haphazard at best. At their worst all my good intentions might end up heaping coal on the fire of conflict.
Parker Palmer says in Let Your Life Speak “The power for authentic leadership, Havel tells us, is found not in external arrangements but in the human heart. Authentic leaders in every setting—from families to nation-states—aim at liberating the heart, their own and others, so that its powers can liberate the world.”
So while as an activist-minded Christian I lean into putting my faith into action in the public square, I know that I need to be intentional about cultivating a peaceful heart and home so that my actions spring from the love of God and not my own agenda. To be intentional I need to have regular practices in place that will help me connect with the peaceful heart that God has created within me. Gardening, a toasty backyard fire, walking, praying, yoga, journaling and even just plain old down-time – are way more than distractions from “getting stuff done” they are my sustenance for the long haul. Even greater than the ways in which I nourish my own heart are the ways I offer peace to those in my life. Forgiveness is the essential ingredient in a world of peace. Love and forgiveness are the building blocks for all peacemaking – in our hearts, homes, nation and world.
There are many ways to create a life steeped in love and forgiveness. Karen Armstrong’s Campaign for Love and Forgiveness offers beautiful, concrete practices for cultivating love and forgiveness.
What practices in your life help create a heart fertile with love and forgiveness? What resources have you found to help you on your journey?
