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Not Christian Enough for Protection

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

On February 6, 2026, the President made a promise to those gathered for the National Prayer Breakfast. “While I’m in the White House, we will protect Christians in our schools, in our military, in our government, in our workplaces, hospitals and in our public squares.” The President repeated that commitment in a speech before the “Faith and Freedom Coalition” conference on June 26, 2026.

I guess some Christians just aren’t “Christian enough” to qualify for protection–specifically Iranian Christians.

Christianity is officially recognized by the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, it is against the law to conduct Christian worship in Farsi, and converting to Christianity from Islam or attempting to convert others is punishable by steep fines, lengthy prison sentences, interrogations and even execution. Because of the ongoing persecution of converts, many Iranian Christians have come to the United States, seeking asylum. One of them, Artemis Ghasemzadeh, was able escape on a multi-national journey that began in Dubai and ended at the US border in Tijuana, hoping to apply for asylum. Instead, she was detained at the border for entering the country illegally, and placed in a detention center despite her pleas for asylum. A DHS spokesperson insists that she never expressed fear of returning to her home country. Then she was put on a flight (supposedly to Texas) in March 2025, Upon disembarkation, she discovered that she was in Panama! She was placed in a detention center near the notorious Darian Gap in Panama. She was not alone. On the flight to Panama were other Iranian Christians — also converts from Islam — just like her. Fifteen months later, her condition and location are uncertain.

Since March 2025, more Iranians have been deported, some to Panama, and others to Costa Rica. Most recently, DHS sent 2 dozen people to the Central African Republic — including an Iranian woman who had converted to Christianity — on June 11, 2026. She should count herself lucky. Others have been sent back to Iran. Yes. BACK TO IRAN!

On September 29, 2025, 120 Iranians were flown from the US to Tehran, the capital of Iran, under a deal between the State Department and Iran. Included in the group were Christian converts, members of other minority religions and political dissidents. Evangelical pastor, Rev. Ara Torosian — an Iranian-born American — reported on his Facebook page that “when the plane landed in Tehran, Iranian state media was already waiting. Refugees were lined up, searched, and their belongings seized. Particularly alarming was the targeting of 10-15 Christian converts, who were forced to display their Bibles and crosses on camera while being interrogated.” The report continued, “They were then separated into individual rooms where they were coerced into making video confessions, statements discrediting their conversions, claiming they were misled by pastors, and admitting they had sought Christianity merely to gain asylum. These staged confessions are expected to be broadcast soon by Iranian state television as part of propaganda against both Christianity and the United States.”

A second flight in December 2025 returned 54 Iranians to Tehran, and a third flight on January 26, 2026, returned 14 more.

About 200 Iranians remain in detention awaiting deportation. Ironically, the only thing delaying their deportation to Iran is a war. But flights to other countries will likely continue and ICE will target more of our Iranian brothers and sisters in Christ. Obviously, they just aren’t Christian enough to protect.

Project 1956

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

I was born in 1956. Yes, I turn 70 this fall. (According to age groupings, I’m ‘young-old,’ so don’t call me ‘old’ quite yet.) But this post isn’t about my age. It’s about my father’s relationship with the Republican Party that year.

My father, who served in the Pacific in World War II, was a staunch Republican. He believed in the principals of limited government, fiscal responsibility (ie balanced budget), and personal integrity. He held civil servants and political candidates to high moral and ethical standards. For him, the Republican Party embodied those principals, and he voted in every election–straight ticket for Republican candidates.

In 1956, the Republican Party officially turned 100 years old. The Grand Old Party of Abraham Lincoln had experienced a resurgence following the end of World War II. In 1952, General Dwight D. Eisenhower had been elected to the Presidency in a landslide victory, and, by 1956, the nation was in the midst of its post-war boom. Eisenhower had negotiated a truce with North Korea, had embarked on the “Atoms for Peace” initiative to prevent an arms race, continued the New Deal programs (including expansion of Social Security), raised the minimum wage, and ended racial segregation in the District of Columbia, the Federal government and the military. My father liked ‘Ike.’

Because he liked ‘Ike’, my father supported the Republican Party Platform of 1956–a document adopted at the Republican Convention that outlined the successes of Eisenhower’s first term and the proposals for a second term–think of it as Project 1956. In its “Opening Declaration,” the platform affirmed the very things my father believed in.

  On its Centennial, the Republican Party again calls to the minds of all Americans the great truth first spoken by Abraham Lincoln: “The legitimate object of Government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves in their separate and individual capacities. But in all that people can individually do as well for themselves, Government ought not to interfere.” Our great President Dwights D. Eisenhower has counseled us further: “In all those things which deal with people, be liberal, be human. In all those things which deal with people’s money, or their economy or their form of government, be conservative.  

 ….We believe that basic to governmental integrity are unimpeachable ethical standards and irreproachable personal conduct by all people in government. We shall continue to root out corruption whenever and wherever it appears. We are proud of and shall continue our far-reaching and sound advances in matters of basic human needs—expansion of social security—broadened coverage in unemployment insurance —improved housing—and better health protection for all our people. 

The document then went into detail on the party’s commitments to the following topics:

  • TAXES: The party committed to reducing taxes “with particular consideration for low and middle income families.” Under Eisenhower, the tax bracket for individuals making more than $200,000 [$2.45 million in today’s dollars] was 91%! Today’s top tax bracket is 37% with so many loopholes that millionaires and billionaires pay little in taxes.)
  • LABOR: President Eisenhower said: “Labor is the United States. The men and women, who with their minds, their hearts and hands, create the wealth that is shared in this country—they are America.” The platform went on to commit the party to 1) equal pay for equal work regardless of sex, 2) protections for the right of workers to organize and collective bargaining, 3) elimination of discrimination in employment because of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry or sex, 4) protection of benefit plans (such as pensions and healthcare) so that workers are assured access.
  • CIVIL SERVICE: The GOP committed to promote a non-political career service under the merit system which will attract and retain able servants of the people.
  • EQUAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL RIGHTS: “We recommend to Congress the submission of a constitutional amendment providing equal rights for men and women.” and “We concur in the conclusion of the Supreme Court that its decision directing school desegregation should be accomplished with “all deliberate speed” locally through Federal District Courts.” (In 1957, Eisenhower sent National Guard troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to ensure desegregation of its public schools per “Brown vs. Board of Education”.)
  • IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP: “All native-born and naturalized citizens not only [have] citizenship in the State where the individual resides but citizenship of the United States as well. This is an unqualified right, regardless of race, creed or color.” The document also affirmed support for “an immigration policy which is in keeping with the traditions of America in providing a haven for oppressed peoples, and which is based on equality of treatment, freedom from implications of discrimination between racial, nationality and religious groups.” and “extension of the Refugee Relief Act of 1953” which protected the right of migrants to seek asylum in the United States.
  • FOREIGN POLICY: “We shall continue vigorously to support the United Nations.” and “We reaffirm the principle of freedom for all peoples, and look forward to the eventual end of colonialism.”

Much of the 70-year-old platform sounds almost — almost, but not quite — progressive! The 1956 Republican Party that my father supported is NOT the same Republican Party we have today. Seventy years later, the Grand Old Party is unrecognizable, and it doesn’t even pretend to be “human” with respect to people or “considerate” of low-income families.

I don’t believe my father would support today’s Republican Party, nor do I do believe my father (who did not vote for John F. Kennedy because of his sexual promiscuity and ties to the mob or Bill Clinton because of his dalliances) would have voted for Donald Trump or his MAGA sycophants. I believe he would be horrified by the Religious Right’s unequivocal support of a serial liar, sexual predator and power-monger. If people roll over in their graves, I believe he would be face-down after the passage of the “One Big [Ugly] Bill”, the expansion of ICE detentions and deportations, the decisions of the Supreme Court that end Temporary Protective Status and deny migrants access to asylum, the erosion of voting rights and civil rights, and the systematic destruction of programs and policies that protect people and planet.

I wish he were here so I could “pick his brain.” If he were, I’m sure he would long for the ‘good old days’ of Project 1956 and reject Project 2025 and the “Christian Nationalism” and “White Supremacy” that resides at its heart. He might even say, “I’m a Democrat,” or at least, “I’m a 1956 Republican.” Maybe some current Republicans could consider that shift too.

I want to acknowledge Heather Cox Richardson’s inspiration for this post. She referenced the 1956 Republican Platform on her Substack. Without her, I wouldn’t have known how “liberal” Republicans were the year I was born.

Jesus Need Not Apply

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.‘” Matthew 2:13

Today is World Refugee Day. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, 117.8 million people–1 in 70 people living on the planet!–are forcibly displaced from their homes “as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order.” Like, Mary, Joseph and Jesus, they fear for their lives and seek a place of refuge and safety–often in countries far from their countries of origin. Until 2025, the United States allowed 125,000 refugees to enter the country each year. By an Executive Order by the current administration, the number of refugees allowed to enter the country was drastically cut to a trickle of 7,500 in 2025, and refugee applications that had already been approved were frozen.

The Executive Order not only reduced the number of refugee slots, it also shifted who would be approved for resettlement in the U.S. Prior to 2025, the refugee admissions program prioritize those individuals who had fled their country of origin because of persecution due to their faith, political opinion or race. The new priority focuses on white South Africans who claim they are being persecuted because they are white.

On May 26, 2026, the White House issued an Emergency Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026, that would allow an additional 10,000 refugees to enter the United.States bringing the total to 17,500 for 2026. However, the determination specifies that those additional slots will remain entirely closed to those who meet the traditional legal definition of a refugee. Only white South Africans will be considered for approval.

All others will be rejected. Period. Jesus, a refugee escaping political violence, need not apply.

Matthew Sorens, vice president for advocacy and policy at World Relief, issued the following statement in response to the Presidential Determination: “In his address to the UN in 2019, President Trump declared to those facing religious persecution that ‘no matter where you go, you have a place in the United States of America. We at World Relief still want that sentiment to be true, and we encourage the administration to make good on its repeated promises to offer safe haven, including to those fleeing persecution on account of their faith.” 

We Choose Welcome, a faith-based immigrant and refugee advocacy group, also responded: “The radical change in refugee admissions makes a mockery of what has been a successful humanitarian process and abandons the program’s core purpose: prioritizing those facing the most urgent threats to safety.”

Both organizations encourage us all to advocate for those who are seeking refuge by speaking up on their behalf. Here is a toolkit to help you take concrete action for refugees and asylum seekers.

Jesus said, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Let’s make sure he has a place of refuge in the United States.

A Disturbing Message (follow-up)

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

There has been an unexpected twist in the burning cross incident that occurred 10 days ago in Chicago’s Grant Park. After surveillance photos of “a person of interest” were distributed, Merlin Lu — a 21-year-old college student from Naperville, IL — contacted NBC5 reporter Chuck Goudie and confessed. Lu admitting setting the cross on fire, but said that he had no idea of the history of cross-burning or the connection to racial intimidation. He claimed that he set the cross on fire to protest the Trump administration. As evidence, he pointed out that he had placed a MAGA hat at the top of the cross before setting it ablaze. Lu has since turned himself into the Chicago police. Lu has been charged with a felony hate crime.

If Lu is telling the truth that he didn’t have a clue, I’m still disturbed that he was so ignorant. He graduated in 2022 from Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville–a public high school that has been recognized for its academic excellence and is listed among the top 400 high schools in the nation with a graduation rate of 96%! In 2017, the school received the National Blue Ribbon Award from the US Department of Education in recognition of student achievement. So, I checked out the Social Studies curriculum at Neuqua Valley to get a sense of what Lu probably had been exposed to. According to the current course of study, he would have been required to take a course on US history in his Sophomore year. The curriculum lists Civil Rights as a focus in the second semester. Of course, that does not mean that the history of cross-burning by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is included in the instruction. But even if it was, Lu may not have been in class the day it was taught.

However, there was something else I learned while going down the rabbit hole. On the first day of the 2015-2016 academic year, a student came to Neuqua Valley High School wearing a Confederate Flag T-shirt, igniting a firestorm on social media and setting off a debate about freedom of speech.. While this occurred two years before Mr. Lu entered high school, controversies like the display of a Confederate Flag usually don’t die down quickly or without ramifications. One would think (or at least hope) that the Social Studies department would have been instructed to address Civil Rights more thoroughly so that students would understand the triggering nature and power of symbols.

Maybe the department did address hate symbols and racism. Maybe it didn’t. Either way, let’s be honest: we’ve never done a very good job teaching students US History generally or Civil Rights history specifically. And we are losing ground as we prepare to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States. Museums have been told to “adjust” their displays to reflect only the greatness of American history. The National Park Service has been ordered to remove plaques that portray the founders in a negative light (most of them were enslavers). Web sites have been scrubbed. DEI initiatives have been rolled back. Critical Race Theory has been vilified. New history curriculum has espoused new interpretations of the past–like slavery was beneficial for African-Americans. (That gem comes out of PraegerU, a curriculum that is being used in a growing number of schools across the nation–including elementary schools.)

Was Mr. Lu ignorant of the symbolism of a burning cross? If he was ignorant, there are probably thousands of 21-year-olds (or older) that are equally uninformed. But, in my opinion, even if he was ignorant of the symbolism, charging him with a felony hate crime does not teach him much. He has admitted his offense and recognized its impact.. It would be so much better to sentence him to community service hours with an organization like NAACP (or a similar group) that would help him to understand our national racist past and give him the opportunity to connect to those he triggered when he lit the match.

And let’s be honest: it’s not likely that you will see (or light) a burning cross , but there is plenty of racism all around us (and in too many of us). I find it very disturbing that many of the same people who condemned a burning cross have been silent after Josh Hoykit (age 28), praised Jesus in one breath and in the next declared, “Michelle Obama is a man,” following his victory at #47’s birthday UFC cage fight. He needs community service hours and a re-education too.

Come to think of it, maybe we all need to be re-educated–especially on this Juneteenth holiday. Community service would benefit us all too.

A Disturbing Message

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

“Racism has always been a part of America’s DNA, and this week it has raised its head boldly and loudly.” — Father Michael Pfleger, St. Sabina Catholic Church, Chicago

On Tuesday, June 9, at 2:27 pm, Chicago firefighters responded to reports of a fire at the intersection of Columbus Drive and Balbo Dr. in Grant Park, downtown Chicago’s front yard. When they arrived, they found a burning cross leaning against one of the park’s trees.

A burning cross. Leaning on a tree. Let that sink in for a minute. A burning cross has long been associated with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) who regularly used the symbol to send a message to African Americans, Jews, and other non-white and non-Christian groups. A burning cross is a powerful symbol of white supremacy and racist intimidation. A tree has it’s own symbolism as the place of lynching. Put the two images together, and there is no question about the intention of the person who placed it there and set it ablaze.

The discovery of a burning cross in Grant Park in broad daylight is a disturbing reminder that race-based hatred and violence has been emboldened by the resurgence of White Christian nationalism and this administration’s efforts to marginalize the victims, disenfranchise the votes and silence the voices of of those who threaten the hierarchy of race, class and religion.

If you think I’m over-reacting, consider that in the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision (Virginia v. Black), Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, wrote that cross burning “is a particularly virulent form of intimidation” and “a State, consistent with the First Amendment, may ban cross burning carried out with the intent to intimidate.”

While “intent” can be difficult to prove, the very act of setting a cross on fire in public should give us all pause–especially in the context of a growing number of violent acts targeting racial, ethnic, sexual and religious minorities across the country.

Whether it is a burning cross, a noose, a swastika, or a “rebel flag”, symbols of domination and intimidation set communities on edge — especially those communities who have experienced harm historically and carry the memories of those experiences in their bodies. As followers of Jesus, we must boldly and explicitly condemn both the symbol and the hatred that hides behind the symbol.

“Love does no harm to a neighbor.” Romans 13:10 “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:6-7

If racism has raised its head boldly and loudly in the past week, God’s people must arise even more boldly and loudly. Love living loud must prevail.

My Silence

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Since Ash Wednesday, February 18, I have only posted twice on my Tongue On Fire blog — once about the death of Rev. Jesse Jackson, and once about the theological justification (and eschatological delight) for Trump’s preemptive and unprovoked war against Iran–a war that was supposed to conclude victoriously in four weeks, but has now entered its fourth month.

Part of the reason for my silence was the season of Lent. The church that I serve embarked on a journey of nonviolent resistance–considering the Scriptures that call God’s people to peacemaking, love and prophetic witness in the face of injustice and abuse of power. I wrote daily during Lent on the Kimball Avenue Church blog, reflecting on the Scriptures and sharing resources. I also read the book, The Powers That Be by Walter Wink, which I highly recommend. It was tough to find time to write additional posts for this blog. After the conclusion of Lent, my wife and I enjoyed several weeks of travel. Writing consisted of taking notes on the hundreds of photos we took to remember the details of what we saw and experienced.

But there is another reason for my silence: The endless barrage of “news” coming out of this administration. Every day, I am overwhelmed with social media tirades, behind-the-scenes dickering, backroom deals (ie “settlements” that enrich the first family), the whiplash of on-again/off-again peace agreements, the constant, torturous drip of word vomit and more. There is too much to process, and there is too little time to put together a coherent sentence — let alone a thoughtful post — that addresses the craziness through the lens of my faith before the next “drop” of insanity interrupts my thoughts.

All that said, I realize that silence cannot become a permanent condition. My tongue is still on fire and I am committed to putting my musings into the cloud for my own sanity — and for the encouragement of others. I may not be able to post every day, but I promise you’ll hear something from me on a more regular basis.

Peace, dear friends. But no silence.

Toxic Eschatology & Sanctified War

~ Bruce Ray ~ 1 Comment

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword away! All who use a sword will be killed by a sword.” Matthew 26:52 (God’s Word Translation)

Dozens of newsfeeds from across the political spectrum have reported that military commanders have been telling their troops that “President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.” The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a group that works to ensure that military personnel have religious freedom, has reportedly received over 200 complaints from personnel serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Space force.

One of the complaints from a non-commissioned officer (NCO) received by MRFF said, “This morning our commander opened up the combat readiness status briefing by urging us to not be ‘afraid’ as to what is happening with our combat operations in Iran right now. He urged us to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ.'”

You can read the full text of the complaint at Journalist Jonathan Larson”s Substack. (It was redacted to protect the identity of the NCO.) The Pentagon has not officially commented on the complaints, but referred journalists to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Monday briefing on the bombings of Iran. In that briefing, Hegseth said that “crazy regimes like Iran, hell-bent on prophetic Islamist delusions, cannot have nuclear weapons,” leading many people to assume that the US is hell-bent on a holy war against Islam.

Because no one in authority is commenting on the record, it is impossible to know the veracity of the complaints or the claims in them. However, the story has gone viral. For many people, the story rings true–thanks to Christian Zionists like Franklin Graham, who posted, ““Pray for our military in the operation against Iran, for [President Trump], and that the people of Iran will be set free from the bondage of Islam.” On Sunday, March 1, Pastor John Hagee–another Christian Zionist–delivered a sermon entitled, ““God’s Coming “Operation Epic Fury” Against Iran,” before his 25,000 member congregation in San Antonio, TX. This sounds like a Holy War to me.

I grew up with “end-times” theology and the search for evidence that the prophecies from the book of Revelation were being fulfilled. The war with Iran is putting “end-times” speculation into overdrive. Some people are almost gleeful about what is happening when the bombs fall because they are convinced that the more the war escalates and the more nations are involved, the more likely Jesus will show up to takes us all out of here in the rapture and then usher in the final battle (Armageddon), the end of human history and the start of the 1000 year reign of Christ. (THE Millennium). According to this particular brand of eschatology (study of the end), to be opposed to this war is equivalent to opposing God. And opposing God puts the opposition on the side of evil, which God will destroy. Our only hope of salvation is to be on God’s side–the side of the state of Israel and the United States.

The theological sanctification of this war is dangerous because it will only promote escalation. It is destructive to human life. Christians should never gloat about lethality, ruthlessness or killing our enemies. And we should never celebrate acts that kill and maim children or accept the deaths of civilians as just “collateral damage.” Finally, it is damaging to the Christian faith because it promotes arrogance and hatred of those who are not like “us”–the exact opposite of the love ethic that Jesus embodies; and it distracts us from what Jesus actually calls us to do–announce good news of Jesus’s “already presence” in the world and invite the world to embrace God’s reign of peace.

The only sword we are instructed to carry is the sword of the spirit–the life-giving, love-affirming, grace-filled, liberating Word of God. Any other sword needs to be put away or be turned into a plowshare or a pruning hook.

Push the Rainbow

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

I never met Rev. Jesse Jackson, but I was privileged to hear him speak several times at Rainbow Push headquarters over the past 4 decades. When I first moved to Chicago as pastor of Kimball Avenue Church, I was concerned primarily with my congregation and my local Northside neighborhood. Yet, he was always in the background, and. I was always aware of his impact on Chicago, the nation and the world–an impact that cannot be fully measured.. The death of this civil rights giant this week marks the end of an era, but his legacy will gone on…at least I hope it will.

One of his most enduring legacies is the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The moniker, “Rainbow Coalition,” was first coined by Fred Hampton, leader of the Illinois Chapter Black Panther Party, who built an alliance between the Black Panthers, the Young Lords (a Puerto Rican organization) and the Young Patriots (a southern white organization) in 1968 and 1969. The three groups agreed to work together and support one another in the fight for justice, police accountability, community investment, jobs, better education and an end to racism, poverty and gentrification. Later, other groups advocating for social justice joined the coalition. They provided programs such as breakfasts for children, health clinics, daycare centers, and clothing give-aways in their various communities. Following the assassination of Hampton by Chicago police with the aid of the FBI on December 4, 1969, the coalition began to splinter and dissolved by 1971.

The idea of solidarity across lines of race, ethnicity and class, however, lived on. Rev, Jackson, in particular, organized his own National Rainbow Coalition in 1984 when he campaigned for the presidency. Sara Tenenbaum and  Marissa Perlman of CBS News Chicago, described Jackson’s Coalition as an organization that demanded new “social programs, affirmative action hiring practices and voting rights protections for groups that Jackson saw being left out of President Ronald Reagan’s economic policies.” Just like Fred Hampton, Jackson sought to unite people across the divisions of race, ethnicity and class to fight for economic justice. Forty plus years later, Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition still exists, advocating for civil rights and economic justice in Chicago and major cities throughout the U.S.

New “rainbow coalitions”, inspired by Fred Hampton and Jesse Jackson, continue to spring up in spaces like Rev. William Barber II’s Poor People’s Campaign and Rev. Liz Theoharis’s Kairos Center network. These networks and others like them continue to fight for equal rights, social justice, voter protection and economic parity throughout the country.

The times we live in, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer; where the SAVE Act threatens voting rights; where communities of color are terrorized and families are torn apart by ICE; rainbow coalitions are more important than ever.

Rev. Jesse Jackson has died, but all of us–of every skin tone–cannot let his vision of social justice and civil rights die with him. Keep hope alive!

Ash Wednesday

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Ash Wednesday is a day of confession and contrition; a time when we humble ourselves, do an honest self-assessment, and admit that our hearts and hands are in need of a clean-up. Many of us will receive ashes in the sign of the cross on our foreheads, symbolizing our grief and our need for transformation individually and corporately.

For the next 40 days of the season of Lent, I will be ‘fasting’ from violence–both my own violence and my participation in and complicity with the violence done through militarism, materialism, racism, sexism, classism, and all the other “isms” that bring death and destruction to the world. I don’t want my season of Lent to be marked only by “giving up” something; I want to “practice” nonviolence, following Jesus into the fullness of life and God’s new creation.

Throughout this Lent, I will be following a daily devotional, “40 Days of Nonviolence.” produced by my church, Kimball Avenue United Church of Christ in Chicago. You’re welcome to follow along. (Subscribe to the page to get a daily email reminder.) Together, let’s walk a new path–the path that leads to transformation.

Peace.

A Change of Season

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

I know we are all looking forward to the arrival of Spring. Today, we got a welcome taste of what is coming with temperatures around 50 degrees with full sunshine. Ahhh!

There’s another season quickly approaching–the season of Lent that begins on February 18, Ash Wednesday, and continues for 40 days (not counting Sundays) ending on Easter Sunday. Traditionally, it is the time of year to fast, and many people who observe the season give up chocolate or some other tempting edible or drinkable item. Our church has approached the season a bit differently since 2007 with a Lenten Compact–a communal fast that focuses us not only on our relationship to God, but also on our relationship to one another, our communities, our nation and our world. Using Isaiah 58:6-7, we pursue a “true” fast – one that is not just the act of denying oneself of something – but a fast that creates justice and reconciliation, by breaking the yokes that bind us and the yokes that bind our neighbors.

Fifteen years ago, our Lenten Compact called us to “fast from violence” in its various forms. We are repeating that Compact this year, but our focus is a bit different. Fifteen years ago, we were concerned about street violence, domestic violence, the pervasive violence on TV, in movies and video games and even road rage. This year, we will once again “fast from violence,” but with violent crime in Chicago at a 60-year low, our focus will shift to the state-sponsored violence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol agents who have aggressively arrested migrants and asylum seekers (most without criminal convictions) without judicial warrants, detained individuals and families–including children, tear gassed our streets, shot and killed protesters, and terrorized communities in Chicago, Minneapolis and other US cities. We’ll also look at legislative violence that strips healthcare, food assistance, housing assistance and more from needy families and rescinds regulations that protect the environment and vulnerable communities. Finally, we’ll take up the issues of militarism, the Warrior Ethos, and the new colonialism.

Chicago has been warned that ICE is returning to the city to continue “Operation Midway Blitz.” We don’t know what that will look like or how it will impact our communities, but we need to be equipped with the spiritual tools to resist the violence and protect our communities in a manner consistent with Jesus’s call to nonviolence and peace-making. It will not be easy. Jesus recognized the inherent danger of resisting the powers that be and told his disciples that he was sending them out as sheep among wolves. He also advised them to be wise as snakes, yet harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16)

So, this Lent is our training ground. The ways of “eye for an eye” and “fighting fire with fire” and violence are incompatible with Jesus’s call to love–love of our neighbors and love of our enemies. Nonviolence sounds like complete foolishness in a world that rewards cruelty and domination. Even the idea of nonviolence rubs against our old nature. But we ‘have stripped off the old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds and we have put on the new nature that is being renewed to become like our Creator. (Colossians 3:9-10) So, Let’s train together in the “foolishness” of nonviolence and pursue the likeness of Christ.

If you would like to know more about the Lenten Compact or want to follow the “40 Days of Nonviolence”, devotionals and resources will be posted at the Kimball Church blog.