I did a presentation yesterday in Wayne, PA, and after I was done a woman came up to me and told me about the church she grew up in. She was 13 in the late 1950s, and in a confirmation class, the topic of race came up. She asked her pastor why their church wasn’t saying or doing anything to help fight racism. She told me he was visibly uncomfortable, and she never got an answer. Like so many Mainline Protestant churches, they remained silent in the midst of one of the most important movements in our history. This story has been told countless times over the years; important issues rise up – people are being morally and physically injured – and the church said nothing. We are, too often, cowards in the face of injustice. The church needs to be braver.
On the other hand, many churches have become bullies; they have forced their hateful theology on politicians with threats of lost votes and donations. Instead of thoughtfully discussing their concerns, they have found candidates who would do their dirty work, regardless of that candidate’s faith practices or life choices. When the Moral Majority couldn’t force Pres. Carter to do their bidding, they got behind Pres. Reagan. When mega-Evangelical churches couldn’t find politicians of faith to do their will, they supported Pres. Trump. Bullies don’t care who they hurt along the way; outcomes, power, and money matter more than people.
Our churches need to be braver. We should never support or denigrate a politician or political party in our worship, but we need to tell the truth. We need to stand with the Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks of the world, not the Bull Conners and Jesse Helms. We have spent so much time ducking and running for cover that we are seen as siding with the oppressors. Our faith tells us to do the opposite. When someone is under attack, we should be with them, not their attackers. Bravery doesn’t mean we aren’t afraid; in fact, fearless people are dangerous and reckless. Don’t you think Rosa Parks was afraid when she refused to leave her seat? Don’t you think Martin Luther King, Jr. knew he was in danger every time he spoke in public? The church is so worried about respectability or losing money that it stays silent when it needs to be speaking up. The church needs to be braver.
The world doesn’t need more cowards – it needs people of courage to stand against the growing tide of hate that seems to be everywhere. The world doesn’t need more silence – it needs words of truth and reason and compassion. Bullies succeed when the rest of us back off. Tyrants win when good people do nothing. The world doesn’t need our platitudes and empty thoughts and prayers – it needs the church to be braver. Cowards divide and conquer, but together, we can be braver. United, we can stand against those who would divide us. Being courageous isn’t easy, but it is necessary for freedom. The church needs to be braver.
Prayer – Encourage us, O God, to do what is right for all of Your creation, and not just for ourselves. Amen.
Today’s art is “Ruby Bridges” by Jay Luiz.