PHOTO/CHRIS ERNESTO, ST. PETE FOR PEACE
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Actions are the Gospel and in my words I have always tried to back them up by actions. I do not buy the Spiritual immaturity argument as an excuse for not telling the truth as ministers. What Jesus did was revolutionary; he challenged Imperial and religious power. To call Jesus Lord was to challenge Caesar, the lord of the Roman Empire.
It is not immature to challenge power or your congregation to action; it is the height of maturity to do so. I have always tried to speak truth to power as an experienced denominational clergy person. Challenging your congregation to join in resistance is the call of the Gospel, and the prophets.
Dr. King did this and without the Churches participation actively, not passively, the Civil Rights movement could not have moved forward. Jesus was not a reformist. Why do we imply that revolution is violent? It can become that only because of the violence of the government and the police brutally oppressing African people, Latino people, Indigenous people, and the poor and homeless.
The community of believers can talk all they want about justice, but action must follow to truly represent the Gospel. Reread Matthew 22, Isaiah 10, Isaiah 58. God has a preferential option for the Poor clearly throughout the scriptures.
Most preachers are cowardly because they do not want to lose or offend donors, especially those with money. “It is easier for the Camel to go through the eye of a needle, then for a rich man to enter heaven…” “You cannot Serve two masters . . . God and Mammon . . . ” “Take up your cross and follow me . . . ” — all said by Jesus.
Why must we always be apologists for cowardly preachers, and Christians in general? The police in Ferguson, under the cloak of prayer, at every press conference, spin falsehoods. Where are the preachers challenging this misuse of prayer?
I have witnessed and been a victim of excessive police aggression. They routinely brutalize, harass, beat, mistreat the poor. Unfortunately until you have experienced it you will not see. More people have been killed by the cops then American troops in Iraq during the same time period.
Police brutality is real! They have assault rifles, machine guns, tear gas, rubber bullets, tanks, armored vehicles, and helicopters! This is a war on the poor, and courage must be had to speak the truth. Cops who cover up for other cops and don’t speak out are just as guilty.
And, I know no one likes the analogy between the US and Nazi Germany, but the Germans were supposedly amongst the most enlightened and they let it happen to not only Jews, but other minorities, political dissenters, people of color, the gypsies (homeless of that day), mentally ill, and the Gay community. Certain Nazis weren’t allegedly cruel, but watched others commit murder and stood by. In a court of law they would not be considered innocent bystanders. They would be held accountable too. Can we do no less than what the prophets, Jesus, and even decent humanism have called all of us to do?
