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I am a United Methodist minister living an authentic, abundant life.  As a skydiver, I am amazed at how my life and ministry have flourished through engaging that discipline.   I offer these reflections with my feet firmly on the ground, and invite you to journey with  me as I share my story.


Tell me how you reach for God!

The Plague in Our Midst

6/22/2015

1 Comment

 
Professions of shock and astonishment notwithstanding, Wednesday’s massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. was predictably inevitable.  The murderer, who I will not dignify here by using his name, held hate in his heart that was fueled by his purported association with a known White supremacist hate group.  As that hate festered, he adorned and wore a jacket with the flags of two White, brutally oppressive governments on the continent of Africa — yet no one who knew him took meaningful notice.  Of late, he had some drunken rants in which he declared that he wanted to begin a race war, the desired outcome of which would be the segregation of Black people (and, presumably, other people of color) from White people — yet no one who knew him took action to stop him.  Then, oblivious to the indicia of hate manifested in his behavior and his speech, his father gave him a gun.   

The killer gladly took the gun and had target practice with it.  He then went to a Bible study at an historically African American church.  He sat with the people there, who reports say showed him love and acceptance.  And after an hour of receiving what they offered in the name of Jesus Christ, he stood up and methodically shot them.  Because they were Black.  And because he hated Black people.  And because no one who knew him took notice of the evidence of his sin.  And because no one who knew him took action to keep him from harming others as a consequence of his sin.  

...And what does it have to do with you and me?   

Only this: Everybody knows somebody who is wont to engage in hate speech — not just ethnically-oriented hate speech but other kinds as well. When the pus of that infection bubbles to the surface at a social gathering or at the family dinner table or at church, how clearly do we decry it to the perpetrator so there is no question of its unacceptability?  When the KKK comes to a Long Island community to spread its message of hate, how clearly do we condemn that behavior to the public so there is no question that those who speak hate do not speak for us?  

My argument is that hate speech + silent acquiescence + inaction by those who were in a position to speak and act before the fact resulted in last Wednesday’s deaths.  My argument is that, therefore, such atrocities can happen anywhere just as readily as they happened in Charleston.  My argument is that, to quote Edmond Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good [people] should do nothing.”   

The Church cannot be complicit in such barbarousness as occurred last week, but all too often it has been and continues to be.  Church people dare not be complicit in the violence perpetrated against sisters and brothers who God made but who are nevertheless uncomfortably unlike us according to our perceptions; but all too often we have been and continue to be. Those who claim the name of Jesus owe God -- and the world -- more than we have rendered.  We have watched the consequences play out in myriad ways.  Last week's atrocity was but one.

Let’s think on these things and remember them the next time we are tempted to look the other way.  

1 Comment
Linda Hees
7/11/2015 08:34:47 am

Very well said.
Yes, we absolutely have responsibility to respond in the situations that you described, but in addition to that we have an opportunity to be proactive in teaching tolerance of others.
There exists within each of our communities a cohort of people who are currently highly susceptible to influence, both good and bad. I'm talking about our children. All of our children. We are the villages that are raising them and more than any other group, they are open to learning better ways, if we will just show them. But we have to be intentional about it.
Children actually need to be taught how to accept those who appear different is some ways, because it is natural to shy away from that which is unfamiliar to us.
We must be aware of what we say in their presence. Do we tell jokes about those who are different? Do we stereotype? Do we make assumptions about people based on their "group"? The kids are listening. Do we complain about a cross-cultural appointment at church? Or a teacher who is differently-abled? Or a co-worker with different clothes, customs or accent? The kids are listening.
But they are also listening to the positive messages that we send, even when they appear indifferent.
We need to replace words and actions that divide with those that teach acceptance of all children of God.
We can actively teach children good communication and negotiation skills, and they may be less tempted to use labels instead of honest discourse.
We can avail our children of a wide variety of cultural activities, not just not just those those that reinforce our own heritage.
We can encourage them to speak up when they see injustice and maybe they will take action to stop a bully.
We can show them that they have a voice and that their opinions matter and maybe they will feel empowered to work for peace.
We can talk about current events with our young people and ask them what they think could be done.
We need to recognize that every interaction that we have with a young person will have a certain degree of influence on who they become and then decide what we want that influence to be - positive or negative.

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