On a recent Sunday our congregation sat down
to a discussion during the Sunday School hour.
We usually do something like this every year in February as we
commemorate Black History Month. This
year our discussion leader (Dr. Carl Ellis, Jr.) led us through some thoughts
on Black Lives Matter, the difference between the concept and the organization.
The continuing discussion brought up
questions about protest, the use of protest, and various efforts to bring about
justice and righteousness in the community and the nation.
One of my observations about Evangelicals,
especially those of us in the PCA, is our hesitation to take public stands, or
to become involved in protests or demonstrations. We are reticent to make or do anything which
might be construed as a political statement.
At one and the same time of course the whole country pretty much knows
where we stand on political issues, both by our statements, our sermons, our
social media discourse, and our votes.
I read and hear criticism of pastors who
write or speak very much about social or political issues. I also read or hear comments that tend to
spiritualize any approach to issues, such as calling to prayer, and a negative
opinion about going outside the doors of the church to march, or demonstrate in
some way.
While many in our churches see any
discussion or mention of social or political issues as straying from the Gospel
I tend to see our reticence as a dogged maintaining of an often unjust status
quo and a refusal to make our faith known concerning issues of justice. We have in our church used prayer as social
protest. We have used protests at abortion
clinics as evangelism.
This last year we had a very public prayer
walk and march, with seasons of prayer as we began and when we finished, in
protest against recent gang shootings and killings in our neighborhood. Was it spiritual to pray? Of course, blessedly so! Was it political to march? I think so, but it probably didn’t seem that
way to most people who are against murder.
Gang leaders might have taken it another way and as soon as you have two
sides to an issue, whether they be right or wrong, you have politics.
What often comes across during a “spiritual”
rebuke to any public demonstration by Christians is that often the “issue” is what
really matters, and this is the underlying offense, and not usually so much the
behavior of demonstration or protest. I
think we always need to be discerning about both, not only to how a protest or
demonstration is conducted but also as to what the issue might be.
As believers we must be non-violent, we must
be loving, even to our enemies. We have
to follow the example of Jesus who when he was reviled did not answer in the
same way. Another problem some have with
protests is that good guys and bad guys might come to the same rally for the
same reason, and conduct it in the same way.
So, if an anarchist, or a socialist, or a Muslim, or a Catholic, or a
Democrat, or a Tea Party member shows up at a rally in which I am standing for
something righteous, or just, then I welcome them to the event. However, not everyone shares our values as to
being loving, meek, non-violent, and seeking conciliation.
There are times when we cannot stand with
those who will take actions, or use strategies, that are antithetical to our
faith. For me there are uniforms that
would be so antithetical to my faith that I couldn’t stand with them even if
they were against the same things I am against.
I don’t think I could stand with a Klansman, or a Nazi. A nudist would bother me as well.
I believe we have to always be angry at
evil. There is no other godly way to
feel about it. This does not make us
angry people. I think we always have to
be angry at oppression and injustice, but this does not mean we are called to
slander, belittle, misuse, hurt, malign, or commit violence against those who
practice it. One of the problems with
social media protest is that we often assume we know someone’s motives and mock
them for a motive we actually have no honest or accurate way to discern. To articulate
and describe their behavior is accusation enough. To call for penalty within the law is
legitimate and does not make us vicious.
Civil disobedience calls for a lot more
thought and justification. Sometimes
there is absolutely no other way to protest an unjust and evil law except to
disobey it, and be willing to go to jail for violating it, until such laws are
changed.
Churches
as churches have to be very discerning about what moral or justice issues they
will speak about or against, but if they will not speak up against clear and
sustained injustice or abuse then they are being disobedient to the Scriptures,
hypocritical, and protectors and partners with oppression. One of our problems
in Evangelicalism is that we won’t even discuss these issues in the church, so
how are we ever going to have discernment about them?
Pastors especially have to know where their
place of leadership should be, and when and where they must curtail their
political or social involvement for the sake of maintaining a pastoral and
shepherding role for everyone to whom they must minister. They must never let
their pulpit ministry be consumed with anything but the Glory of God, the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, the grace of God, and the call of the Kingdom of God.
This
is why pastors are subject to their brethren and have to be humble enough to
listen to their Elders. It is easy
to become self-righteous when inflamed with the issues of social righteousness
and justice. It is also too easy to be
passive and negligent in standing for the rights of the poor, the widow, the
fatherless, and the immigrant. I personally
don’t want to sin either way but I think the much more frequent sin, and easier
and often taken road is to do nothing; and I don’t believe this is acceptable
to God. Lord, give us humility, wisdom,
good counsel, strong Scriptural understanding and conviction, sensitivity to
the Holy Spirit, faith, and courage!
END
