"Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people…" — Isaiah 10:1–2
Like many of you, I've been trying to figure out what is my work to do to live into my baptismal vows of resisting evil and injustice in whatever forms they present themselves.
As a student of the Bible, a follower of the Way of Jesus, and a United Methodist devoted to social holiness, I can see no option for silence in the face of inequality and oppressive powers. The popular saying from Rabbi Tarfon says: "It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it."
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: "We must stop treating poverty as a consequence of individual failures and start recognizing it as a result of policy violence." He also wrote to white clergy and church people that "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."
We each have a responsibility to find our way to serve the kin-dom of God Jesus initiated. Jesus' call to love one's enemies (Matthew 5:44) and to turn the other cheek in the face of violence (Matthew 5:39) were not just moral imperatives, but political acts that challenged the use of force and violence as a means of control.
For my part, much of my life under appointment has been studying and working for equal opportunity, to overcome discrimination and long patterns of systemic oppression. Below is a video offering a quick blast through our nation's history.
The video is the beginning step of the Long-Talk Anti-racism activization experience that the NEAConference leaders have been participating in. Lisa and I have completed the course and invite you to join us. It provides such a helpful framework for understanding how each of us has a role in creating more equality in our own corner of the world.
Here's a starter guide that the CPR protocol chatbot helped me create for those seeking resources on how Jesus resisted the empire and calls us to do the same.
I'll be happy to discuss the video and resources and tell you more about The Long Talk and how you can get connected to the work for the common good.
RevKelly
CLICK BELOW PICTURE FOR VIDEO
