Let's have a different conversation about justice...

I grow weary - and bored - when old-line liberals blather on about how local congregations do not seem to be committed to justice. To be sure, most churches have been trained for generations to "do" acts of compassion if they take the presence of Christ seriously: "When did we see thee, Lord and feed, clothe, visit and care for thee?  Whenever you did so unto one of the least of these, my sisters and brothers, you did it unto me." The need to feed and clothe people is immediate - and necessary - so most churches do what we can to ease the pain and trust that the rest is up to God.

Rarely, however, do local congregations join social justice movements and become front line outposts for social change. The obvious exceptions include the radical reformers of the Social Gospel movement prior to WWI, parts of the Civil Rights struggle in the 40-60s, the anti-war movement during the Vietnam years and our current concern for eco-justice.  And I think there are three natural reasons why local churches rarely move beyond the very demanding level of sharing compassion:

+ The first has to do the fact that most social justice activity in the United States is related to legislation - not consciousness raising - and religious denominations have found it more effective and efficient to work directly with politicians and their staff. This is a functional reality tied to time and resources. To be sure, there are periodic grassroots campaigns - letters, phone calls and sometime human bodies directed towards our elected representatives - but usually the push for a change in legislation takes place through educational events, lobbying and small meetings. Local congregations can choose to keep abreast of the lobbying work their national offices are pursuing - and there are very insightful websites and church publications available - still the real work generally takes place at a macro level.

+ The second reason why local churches are not more justice oriented is equally functional: local churches are at the front lines of mercy and compassion work. People in need are not directed to Washington, DC - they knock on our doors and ring our bells - because this is where hunger centers, hospice and emergency services are located. In some sense, each local congregation acts like a medieval monastery by recognizing and caring for the presence of Christ in those who are lonely and in need.  We act locally and support the national church as it addresses the bigger picture. 

+ And the third reason that keeps local congregations more connected to compassion than social justice is relational:  pastors and active church members have been charged to build up the body of Christ.  We have not been called to change the world nor have we been empowered to give most of our energies to those beyond the faith community, right?  There are some who have been ordained to do that - and they ofter do that with courage and deep conviction - but that is not the calling of those who serve God in a local church.  We are to find ways of being faithful in community - and communities of faith are complex and nuanced. We rarely speak with one voice. We cherish being on the journey of faith together but know that this means differing levels of maturity and commitment.  And we try to cultivate a way of living with others that honors different insights, too.  The metaphor of the body is rich and asks us not to try to make everyone a tongue - or a heart - or a head.  Rather, the body celebrates different gifts so that we might all move together in Christ.

This was all brought to mind this morning while eating breakfast and reading the NYTimes where three different stories about local churches caught my attention:

+ Occupy Group Faults Church, a Onetime Ally (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/nyregion/church-that-aided-wall-st-protesters-is-now-their-target.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper) Here you can see how the very different perspectives collide in a local church that is being called to move beyond its comfort zone. I think Trinity Wall Street is missing the mark and should let the OWS set up camp on their vacant lot.  Yes, this church is very used to being a source of doing the works of mercy; yes, it has been modestly supportive of the Occupy group when asked to help with gentle acts of compassion; but now they have an organic and immediate opportunity to link themselves with the most important grassroots social justice movement in America and... their vision is too narrow. 

No wonder Archbishop Desmond Tutu - a man who helped his church move into action when the time was right to engage justice - wrote the following:

Sisters and Brothers, I greet you in the Name of Our Lord and in the bonds of common friendship and struggle from my homeland of South Africa. I know of your own challenges and of this appeal to Trinity Church for the shelter of a new home and I am with you! May God bless this appeal of yours and may the good people of that noble parish heed your plea, if not for ease of access, then at least for a stay on any violence or arrests.

Yours is a voice for the world not just the neighborhood of Duarte Park. Injustice, unfairness, and the strangle hold of greed which has beset humanity in our times must be answered with a resounding, "No!" You are that answer. I write this to you not many miles away from the houses of the poor in my country. It pains me despite all the progress we have made. You see, the heartbeat of what you are asking for--that those who have too much must wake up to the cries of their brothers and sisters who have so little--beats in me and all South Africans who believe in justice.

Trinity Church is an esteemed and valued old friend of mine; from the earliest days when I was a young Deacon. Theirs was the consistent and supportive voice I heard when no one else supported me or our beloved brother Nelson Mandela. That is why it is especially painful for me to hear of the impasse you are experiencing with the parish. I appeal to them to find a way to help you. I appeal to them to embrace the higher calling of Our Lord Jesus Christ--which they live so well in all other ways--but now to do so in this instance...can we not rearrange our affairs for justice sake? Just as history watched as South Africa was reborn in promise and fairness so it is watching you now.

In closing, be assured of my thoughts and prayers, they are with you at this very hour.
God bless you,
+Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town

+ A New Kind of Catholic (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/us/politics/newt-gingrich-represents-new-political-era-for-catholics.html?ref=todayspaper) This is a fascinating story that explores the spiritual journey of Newt Gingrich from Lutheran to Southern Baptist to Roman Catholic. 

Let me say at the outset that it is not my place to question his sincerity here: as the article makes clear, his theological evolution rings true. Besides, that is something that only God will sort out at a time and place of the Lord's choosing. No, what grabbed my attention was that Gingrich was rebaptized in his new church - and his marriage is considered valid - and he can receive the sacraments, too. 

And herein lies the problem:  if the direction of Newt's spiritual life had gone in the other direction - from Catholicism to the Southern Baptists - and the Baptists had insisted on rebaptizing him as a convert, my Roman Catholic sisters and brothers would be waving the bloody shirt screaming:  there is only ONE baptism, ONE faith and ONE Lord our God, yes? What's more, if Newt had requested the rebaptism, why didn't the local priest and/or bishop explain that since the beginning of the church ALL baptisms are considered true and pure? (I won't even try to sort out how a twice married and divorced man is acceptable at the communion table and invited to a special audience with Pope Benedict, while Senator John Kerry or VP Joe Biden are officially prohibited from sharing Christ's grace at Holy Communion.)

Here is a whole other level of justice that rarely is discussed in any local church - respecting and honoring one an other's traditions - while engaged in honest theological debate. I have profound concerns about the unholy alliance crafted in the 1980s between the Roman Catholic bishops and the Right to Life evangelicals that are both theological and political. This cabal continues to generate social policy that weakens the common good. And given the directives of Rome, there is no place for people like me to explore these concerns with like minded Catholics. Consequently, in my town, ecumenical cooperation between Protestants and Catholics has atrophied.

+ So how do very different people of faith find a way to do justice together when we come up against something like this?  A One Man War Against American Islam (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/us/on-religion-a-one-man-war-on-american-muslims.html?ref=todayspaper) Let's just say that our current polarization nearly immobilizes us from seeking religious allies of different traditions to combat this injustice.  I know allies exist - in our music-making for peace - we found hundreds of them.  But our churches seem curiously inept when it comes to solidarity around religious intolerance.

So I have come to see "doing justice" work in the local church in a very different way: today I sense that the most effective way of doing justice is to help the local congregation come to embrace and trust the counter-cultural vision of Jesus.  This is slow and deliberate work. As Peterson has noted, it is subversive work. It trusts God more than self and affirms that the Spirit is leading us in ways we cannot even imagine. 

Three things are implicit in subversion: One, the status quo is wrong and must be overthrown if the world is going to be livable. It is so deeply wrong that repair work is futile... Two, there is another world aborning that is livable... And three, the usual means by which one kind is thrown out and another put in its place - military force or democratic elections - are not available... Consequently, prayer and parable are the tools of the subversive pastor...

For these are tools that trust the imagination and trust the Lord, too.  The Occupy people have some sense that social inequality will not be changed at this moment in time by tinkering with little laws on the national level.  Our souls must be healed and challenged - our vision must be cleared from addiction and fear - and the common good must be restored to its rightful place in our national conversations.  And so they, like the subversive pastor, start small - and quietly - and trust that the Spirit is stronger and wiser than all of us put together.

For a clear articulation of WHY the OWS folk are the guiding heart of this generation's quest for justice, check out Bill Moyer's work @ http://www.alternet.org/story/153349/Moyers:_Why_'We_The_People'_Must_Triumph_Over_Corporate_Power/

And that is how I see justice work being done in the local church in the 21st century.  Tomorrow we are blessed to welcome Amy-Jill Levine to our local church - one of the leading Jewish scholars of the New Testament - and co-editor of the brilliant Jewish Annotated New Testament.  Her presence - and shared wisdom - is another aspect of having a new conversation about doing justice, too.  If you are in town, please join us at 9:15 am.

This new/old conversation is grounded in community - not lone rangers or ideology - and requires a patience and commitment that is revolutionary. It has changed - and continues to change - my understanding of ministry.