This past Saturday morning, just before I was to join the No Kings protest, I stopped into church and had a conversation with one of our wonderful members. She told me of an interaction she had had with a 7th Day Adventist pastor; she asked him if he was ready for Saturday worship, and he replied that he was heading to a No Kings protest in Philadelphia. It seems that he didn’t know about the one locally, so she shared the information. Now, this man might be a liberal kook, but my experience of people in that denomination is that they are, 1) fairly to very conservative and, 2) not involved in politics. Not the “I don’t want politics in religion unless it’s my politics” kind of person – the 7th Day Adventists I have known over the years are all about the return of Jesus, not election returns.
I took this story and shared it with a number of people at the rally, and they all confirmed that they, too, knew a number of people who were at the rally, yet identified as conservative Christians. The data shows that there is a growing dissatisfaction among conservative Christians with this administration’s approach to immigration and equal rights. That doesn’t mean they don’t like some of what is being done, and I don’t begrudge them their point of view. I have disagreed with some of what every administration has done, and I bet you have too. What this means, I think, is that people of faith are very concerned with the way disenfranchised communities are being mistreated. A recent poll indicates that this is true (New Poll: Trump Favorability Declines Among Republicans, Some Religious Groups – PRRI).
I don’t expect any administration to do my bidding, but I do expect them to attempt to do the right thing when it comes to human rights. I am part of No Kings because I think it makes a difference to let others know that we can – peacefully – protest when wrong is being institutionally practiced. If you want to protest supporting terrorism, count me out. If you want to shout anti-Islam or Jewish chants, I will speak against what you are doing. There is no place in America for this kind of evil. Christian protest must always be about calling for positive change – for lifting people up, not putting people down. Christian protest must always be peaceful and inclusive, and any acts of violence or shaming must be rejected. We should reject the path of destruction and embrace a call to inclusion of all people’s rights. Take the hate someplace else, or, better yet, repent of it. We all can see what hate has done to us, and it isn’t a good look.
Prayer – Holy God, shine a light on the truth and teach us mercy and acceptance, even when we disagree. Amen.
Today’s art is “Peaceful Protests” by Rafael Salazar.