Tag: faith

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.

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.

Honest Abe & the Logic of Equality

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Thanks to historian Carter G. Woodson, we celebrate Black History in February to coincide with the birthday of President Abraham Lincoln, born today, February 12, and the birthday of abolitionist and freed slave, Fredrick Douglass, born on February 14.

While this administration is intent on erasing Black history, controlling content at African-American cultural museums, rejecting the values of diversity, equity and inclusion, and even promoting a narrative that slavery wasn’t so bad for slaves, historians (both black and white) are intent on telling the truth.

One historian that I follow is Heather Cox Richardson. Today, she wrote about Abraham Lincoln’s logic for opposing enslavement and enslavers like South Carolina SenatorJames Henry Hammond, who adamantly rejected the “ridiculously absurd…dogma of Mr. (Thomas) Jefferson that ‘all men are born equal.'”

In response to Hammond’s renunciation of equality, Lincoln made the following argument:

“If A. can prove, however conclusively, that he may, of right, enslave B.–why may not B. snatch the same argument and prove equally that he may enslave A? You say ,’A. is white and B. is black.’ It is color, then; the lighter, having the right to enslave the darker? Take care. By this rule, you are to be the slave to the first man you men with a fairer skin than your own., You do not mean color exactly? You mean the whites are intellectually the superiors of the blacks, and, therefore, have the right to enslave them? Take care again. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet with an intellect superior to your own. But, say you, ‘It is a question of interest; and if you can make it your interest, you have the right to enslave another.’ Very well. And if he can make it his interest, he has the right to enslave you.”

Richardson concludes, “Lincoln saw clearly that if we give up the principle of equality before the law, we have given up the whole game…. Once we have replaced the principle of equality with the idea that humans are unequal, we have granted approval to the idea of ruler and ruled. At that point, all any of us can do is to hope that no one in power decides that we belong in one of the lesser groups.”

At creation, God made human beings–both male and female–in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) You either believe that or you don’t. Either all humans are born equal or they are not. You can’t have it both ways.

The world of Jesus was as stratified as our own, but Jesus continually crossed the lines of hierarchy, giving every social group equal access to the blessings of God. But even after walking with Jesus and listening to his teaching for 3 years, his followers struggled to live out the equality he modeled. Old patterns persisted and only changed when challenged through the movement of the Holy Spirit and the words of the prophets and apostles of the nascent church.

The apostle Peter struggled with racism until he was confronted through a vision (see Acts 10). He came away with a new understanding, entering the home of Gentile and announcing, ““I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.” (Acts 10:34) 

The apostle Paul confronted the hierarchy he saw in the church at Galatia, declaring, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) This was both a theological and a sociological statement of equality.

The apostle James rebuked those who discriminated between those who were rich and those who were poor, naming their classist favoritism “sin” that was antithetical to God’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (James 2:8-9)

While we have abolished chattel slavery and made progress toward equality–even electing a Black president–we are watching that progress erode. The demon of social hierarchy is reasserting itself as human beings are divided into classes and hierarchies of value based on skin tone, national origin, gender, intellect, gender identity and orientation, documentation, wealth and other arbitrary characteristics. Sadly, the demon is taking up residence in the church as well.

We would do well to hear the word of the prophets and apostles and heed the warning embedded in Abraham Lincoln’s logic. Equality isn’t optional. It is essential to our faith and our freedom.

When Disruption is Necessary

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On Sunday, January 18, a group of about 30 people joined the worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, MN. The church is a member congregation of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) with close ties to Christ Church DC, the congregation Pete Hegseth attends when in Washington.

Midway through the service, the group, led by Nekima Levy Armstrong, an ordained minister and community activist, interrupted the service with chants of “Justice for Renee Good” and “ICE Out.” In an interview with the Washington Post, Levy Armstrong said that the disruption was aimed at David Easterwood, who is listed on the church’s website as a Pastor of the church. Easterwood is also the acting director of the local field office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a court filing submitted on January 5, he wrote that federal agents were experiencing increased threats and aggression and crowd control devices like flashbang grenades were important to protect against violent attacks. He also defended ICE’s tactics in Minnesota such as swapping license plates and spraying protesters with chemical irritants. (source)

In an interview with Democracy Now, Levy Armstrong stated: “I believe that if someone professes to represent the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to preach it, that they should not be allowing ICE agents to drag people out of their homes, cut women out of seat belts in their cars and drag them out, bust down doors, bust out car windows, bring people out half-naked in the freezing cold to detain them, taking trophy pictures with Black men and others that they’ve apprehended in their homes, scaring children, tear-gassing children and families, almost killing a 6-month-old through the use of high-powered, military-grade weapons such as flashbang grenades and very strong tear gas…. It’s delusional to pretend that there [isn’t] a significant problem with David Easterwood serving as a pastor and as the overseer of ICE and defending their conduct….”

The response to the incident has been swift and loud–and overwhelmingly supportive of the Cities Church and its lead pastor, Jonathan Parnell.

The Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention, of which Cities Church is a member, issued a statement calling the disruption ”an unacceptable trauma,”

Kevin Ezell, president of the SBC’s North American Mission Board, wrote: “No cause — political or otherwise — justifies the desecration of a sacred space or the intimidation and trauma inflicted on families gathered peacefully in the house of God, What occurred was not protest; it was lawless harassment.”

Albert Mohler, the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, weighed in on his podcast. “For Christians, the precedent of invading a congregation at worship should be unthinkable,” He also cited Romans 13 to defend ICE, saying the agents should “be recognized for their authority and for the legitimacy of their mission.”

The US Government also took action in defense of the church. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted: “President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship.” Then, on Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that Levy Armstrong and two other protesters had been arrested, jailed and charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which prohibits interference or intimidation of “any person by force, threat of force, or physical obstruction exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship. (Note: on Friday, all three people were released from jail by order of a federal judge.)

When Vice-president JD Vance visited Minneapolis on that same day, he delivered a stern warning to the people of Minnesota:“Respect people’s rights, respect people’s rights to worship, respect people’s rights to do their job without being assaulted. If you follow that basic principle, the Trump administration is going to do everything that we can to protect your rights. But if you go after somebody, if you assault somebody, if you make a 9-year-old girl cry because you walked into her church and harassed her, we’re going to go after you with every single tool that we have.” .While he said that mistakes may have been made by individual officers, he offered no apologies and said nothing about ICE agents shooting protesters, harassing schools, using chemical irritants on young people or traumatizing a 5-year-old boy.

And that’s my issue. Why haven’t church leaders demanded accountability for ICE brutality? Where were the church leaders when the government announced in January 2025 that federal immigration agencies could make arrests in churches, schools and hospitals–locations that had always been considered protected? Where was the outrage when ICE agents detained Tampa, FL, pastor Maurilio Ambrocio in April 2025 when he appeared for a routine check-in with ICE or when pastor’s wife Maria Isidro was deported to Mexico on June 11, 2025. And where will church leaders be today following the fatal shooting of a second US citizen in Minneapolis by ICE agents under the direction of Pastor David Easterwood. Silence is complicity. Outright support of ICE’s indiscriminate cruelty is morally and theologically indefensible.

Disruption becomes necessary when the Church colludes with cruelty and lawlessness while sanctimoniously claiming that it is being persecuted for righteousness and is in need of legal protection. Disruption is necessary when the church perpetuates injustice. As historian (and a person of Christian faith) Jamar Tisby pointed out on his Footnotes podcast, there is a long history of church disruptors..

Imagine the prophet Isaiah standing at the temple gates and saying, “Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!” (Isaiah 1:13-15 [NIV])

Imagine the reaction when the Prophet Amos stood up and said, “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!“

We know the reaction of the temple leaders when Jesus disrupted “religious business as usual,” turning over tables of the money changers and driving out the vendors of sacrificial animals.”

Tisby also recounts the church disruptions known as “Kneel-ins” used by civil rights activists from 1960 – 1965. One of the most significant “kneel-ins” occurred on Palm Sunday 1964, when an integrated group of students entered the Sunday worship service at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis to protest the church’s policy of segregation. They didn’t chant; they didn’t rant; but they did disrupt just by entering the church. The group returned for 8 Sundays, forcing the church to reconsider its policy and allow the integration of its service. This led to a church- split in 1965 over the issue with those wanting to maintain segregation forming the Independent Presbyterian Church, but change ultimately happened. Forty-five years later, a new generation of church leaders at Independent Presbyterian Church, made the decision to address its past and entered a time of reckoning through prayer and corporate repentance. You can read more about the history of the”Kneel-ins” HERE.

Disruption is uncomfortable–even traumatic–because it challenges the status quo.. But as we have learned from history, church disruption can result in either steadfast resistance against change or humble reflection and reformation. Sadly, what we’ve seen in the initial reactions to the disruption in St. Paul, MN, is resistance. While we may disagree with the tactics used to challenge church complicity with ICE and participation in the harm done to families and communities throughout Minnesota though one of its leaders, we should not–WE MUST NOT–vilify those who have been bold enough to raise the issue. And we must not conflate disruption with violence or lawlessness.

“The question isn’t whether disruption belongs in church. The question is whether the Church still belongs to a God who overturns tables. The church more offended by disruption than suffering has already chosen its God.” –Jemar Tisby.

Dream On

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

“Let us never grow weary in doing what is right, for if we do not give up, we will reap our harvest in due time.” Galatians 6:9 (New Catholic Bible)

Today, I honor the life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I am spotlighting this day because there are efforts to diminish and ultimately dismiss King’s work for equality, civil rights and justice. And we thought we had come so far toward fulfilling Dr. King’s dream. We elected Barack Obama, we confronted our racist past following the murder of George Floyd by initiating and promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, and we affirmed civil rights for other marginalized groups. But all of that seems another galaxy so long ago and so far away.

We have been slipping back into the pit of the past, thanks to an administration intent on destroying “improper ideologies” that challenge its MAGA message. Rev. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, points to the continued efforts to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and the removal of content that does not properly reflect the greatness of America from government websites and Smithsonian museums as examples of today’s “troubling climate.” We also see it in the attempts to control the curriculum and staffing of Universities, punish school districts that promote Critical Race Theory, threaten sanctuary cities and states with loss of funds, and manipulate the press (and TV networks) through lawsuits claiming defamation. Recently, the president signed an Executive Order to remove Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth from the list of National Park free days. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is. The executive order replaced those days with a new free day–June 14, Donald Trump’s birthday.

The administration’s war on anything deemed “woke” has been empowered with the aid of sycophants happily lip-synching the “MAGA” song–people like the late Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA–who said publicly that Martin Luther King was ““awful” and “not a good person,” who was “not worthy of a national holiday.” He also claimed that the passage of the Civil Rights Act–the law that ended segregation and prohibited workplace discrimination on the basis of race –was “a huge mistake” and “created a beast, and that beast has now turned into an anti-white weapon.”

In light of the attacks on Martin Luther King and the “beloved community” he dreamt of, we need Martin Luther King Day more than ever. In an interview with the Associated Press, Bernice King said that this year’s observance is “somewhat of a saving grace” for the nation because “it inserts a sense of sanity and morality into our very troubling climate right now,” “Dr. King reminds people of… the ability to challenge injustice and inhumanity,” she concluded.

Dr. King’s dream was aspirational. It awoke us to the possible. It pointed us to the work ahead to shape vision into reality. Like gardening, it is slow, steady, hard work that requires patience and perseverance. It is the work of breaking up the hard soil of individualism, pulling the weeds of mistrust and fear, and planting and tending the seedlings of justice and righteousness so that we will ultimately harvest the fruit of communal love and collective liberation. So, on this day, let’s renew our commitment to the “kin-dom” work. The harvest will come…unless we give up.

“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)

Wicked Songs

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Spoiler alert: This post has nothing to do with the book, musical or movie, “Wicked.” However, I hope you’ll still take a few minutes to read it.

“Sin lurks deep in the hearts of the wicked, forever urging them on to evil deeds. They have no fear of God to hold them back. Instead, in their conceit, they think they can hide their evil deeds and not get caught. Everything they say is crooked and deceitful…. They lie awake at night to hatch their evil plots…. — Psalm 36:1-4a (The Living Bible)

The Hebrew word ‘rasha’ (an adjective) is used 263 throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, and often is translated like a noun–“the wicked.” The Psalmist David identified this class of people as those who live in rebellion against God’s morals (having no fear of God), and who are corrupt, arrogant, lawless, deceitful, calculating, conniving, self-serving, lying, godless doers of evil. They go about their business as if they are above the law and assume they will never be held accountable for their actions. They slander “the righteous” who live by God’s truth and seek God’s justice, and they oppose any constraints to their unbridled greed. David’s song is honest about the current state of things.

This past year, we have watched “the wicked” hatch their plots, legislate their policies, pilot their projects and post their plans in the middle of night. We have witnessed their cruelty and acts of violence against the innocent. They have enriched themselves at the expense of the poor, the hungry, the infirm and the unhoused. They have done it without any concern for the damage in their wake, and they’ve done it with impunity. Now, a new year has begun, and the wicked seem just as empowered, just as enabled, just as emboldened to continue their brutal assault on anyone and anything that stands in the way of their power play.

Are “the wicked” destined to succeed in their scheming? David also wrote Psalm 37–a song that compares the destiny of “the wicked” with the destiny of “the righteous.” It is a song to sing while “the wicked” appear to be flourishing. “A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.” –Psalm 37:10-11 (NIV)

Mary sang a similar song when she announced, “[God] has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.[God] has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” Luke 1:52-53 (NIV)

Then Jesus took up the song of David, quoting Psalm 37:11 on the mountain (Matthew 5) to a weary people, suffering under the oppression of the wicked. The song reminded his followers that “the wicked” have a shelf life and an expiration date. “In a little while” the world will shift, the order of things will be shaken and the “first shall be last” and the “last shall be first.” God’s kingdom will come, and God’s will WILL be done, and earth and heaven will be one.

Now it’s our turn to sing of God’s great day when the world will be turned right side up.. We frequently sing “We are Called.” by David Haas. The final verse calls us to, “Sing! Sing a new song! Sing of that great day when all will be one! God will reign and we’ll walk with each other as sisters and brothers united in love!

. So sing. LOUD! And keep singing. That great day is coming.

“Christmas Fear”

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“We love Chicago. Chicago-ho-ho! It’s going to be a merry Christmas in Chicago.” –Gregory “The Grinch” Bovino *

They’re baaaack! Two hundred Customs and Border Patrol officers, led by Greg Bovino, returned to the Little Village neighborhood in Chicago on Tuesday, December 16, intimidating businesses, arresting people, dropping more tear gas, and interrupting a church food drive in the predominantly Latine community. At one point, according to Block Club Chicago, Bovino and his gang approached the front doors of Enlace Chicago, an immigrant rights center, and waved at workers inside. “They waved to our staff, a clear intimidation tactic,” Enlace’s co-director, Marcela Rodriguez, said. Today, there were reports of Border Patrol activity in Wicker Park and Logan Square.

Bovino and his crew had left Chicago in November following several months of detaining hundreds of “illegal” migrants using military-style tactics–including the use of tear gas and pepper balls, raiding an apartment building in the middle of the night, zip-tying children, and using lethal weapons (two people were shot by CBP officers, one fatally). Upon their departure, there was a collective sigh of relief. Life began to feel a little more normal. But today, everyone returned to a state of high alert. Christmas cheer has been replaced with Christmas fear.

We are living in threatening times. DHS claims that no US citizens have been detained. It’s a lie. DHS claims that no veterans have been deported. It’s a big fat lie. DHS claims that only criminals have been arrested. It’s a bigger, fatter lie. The truth is that DHS lies, and their lies cover up the fact that everyone is at risk of being targeted for detention. Who will be next? Anyone who delivers food to a migrant family? Anyone who protests ICE or CBP tactics? Anyone who contributes money to a mutual aid fund? Anyone who provides migrant children transportation to and from school?

Jesus and his followers in the early church knew a lot about living under the threats and intimidation of ruling authorities. The apostles were threatened with flogging and prison sentences for healing people in the name of Jesus. Paul was beaten and imprisoned for disrupting the economy of Ephesus. Persecution was an ongoing reality, but they resisted through prayer and persisted through bold proclamation–an act of holy disobedience (see Acts 4:24-31).

During this season of Advent, I’ve been repeating the phrase from the Lord’s Prayer, “Deliver us from evil.” I’ve also been praying, “Come, Jesus, come!” My prayer echos that of the early church recorded in Revelation 22:20: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” The early church also used an Aramaic word, “Maranatha” to express their desire and hope for Christ’s appearance. Translated either “Our Lord, come.” or “Our Lord has come.” it was both a prayer for deliverance and a declaration of defiant resistance.

Bovino and his thugs may try to rob me of my Christmas cheer and attempt to drive me into isolated Christmas fear, but I will resist, proclaiming the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again bring salvation to those who are waiting for him and deliverance for those who seek justice. Mr. Bovino doesn’t have the power to stop our Christmas cheer because, “Maranatha!”

Let’s get our whistles and dance in the streets, drink egg nog with neighbors and sing defiantly, “Joy to the World, the Lord has come!” Amen.

* For more information about Tuesday’s Border Patrol activity in Little Village, see the Block Club Chicago article.

The Question God is Asking

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“Can a corrupt throne be allied with You—a throne that brings on misery by its decrees? The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. Psalm 94:20-21 (New International Version)

Whoever says that the Bible isn’t political hasn’t read the Bible. Read the prophets. It is impossible to avoid their words of condemnation for the unjust policies, abuses of power and evil practices of the “princes” and their powerful allies. Their corruption, their schemes, and their lies and their cover-ups are named and exposed. Here are a few examples:

Isaiah 10:1 “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees.

Jeremiah 22:13 “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.”

Ezekiel 34:2 “Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves!”

Micah 2:1 “Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.”

Habakkuk 2:12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice!”

Zephaniah 3:1 “Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!”

Zechariah 11:17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock!”

The unknown writer of Psalm 94 is also aware of the corruption around him. But instead of exposing the corruption (“Woe to those who…”), he calls out to God, “Rise up, Judge of the earth!” and lists all the atrocities committed by the powerful. He knows that God sees what is happening and has faith that God will turn it all around. But still, there is the question: “How long will God wait?”

I can relate. I know the corruption of our leaders. I see the direct impact of their policies–hunger, fear, detainment, death. I know God must see it too, and I’m confident that God will turn it around…but when? “How long?” I want God to intervene to correct the injustices and hold the perpetrators accountable sooner than later because we may not survive their abuse.

But then, God asks a question of the Psalmist: “Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?” (Psalm 94:16) God is looking for those on the ground who are willing to step up to participate in the resistance. God is asking for someone to say “Woe to those who…” and announce, “We see you. We are holding you accountable. And God, Judge of the earth, sees you too and will restore justice for those you have harmed.”

Who will answer God’s question? Who will stand up and speak up? Who will demand accountability? This is THE question for God’s people now. It is God’s call to prophetic action in the face of corrupt leaders and their death-dealing, oppressive policies that target the most vulnerable. The role is not easy. Even the Psalmist felt anxious, but he found courage in God’s unfailing love and promise of protection. We can too. So answer God’s question. “I will rise for righteousness. I will take a stand for God’s justice.”

Priorities

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

The government shutdown has shut me down. Though I wanted to post something online every day, there was always something new to deal with–not the least, the constant notifications of ICE presence in our community wrestling people to the ground and dropping tear gas canisters to disperse crowds that are protesting their use of excessive force. Obviously, a government shutdown has not impacted ICE agents paychecks or activities, but it has impacted everything else. Today, 42.5 million low-income seniors, children, unhoused, and veterans who depend on SNAP woke up to the reality that feeding themselves this month will be a challenge.

And what is our President doing? Posting on social media, of course. But he’s not posting about ending the shutdown or opening the SNAP contingency fund so that children will not go to bed hungry in the richest nation on the planet. No. He’s posting about how he has remodeled the Lincoln Bathroom at the White House in exquisite black and white marble with resplendent gold fixtures..

I was reminded of God’s displeasure (expressed through the prophet Haggai) about the peoples’ priorities. God asks, “Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses while this house (God’s temple) lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4 – Common English Bible)

After returning to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon and rebuilding the walls of the city, the people prioritized renovating their homes. Meanwhile, the temple was a pile of rubble and there was no sense of urgency about restoring it.

I sense the same misplaced priorities today–not just from the president, but from so many others in leadership. The temple of God, made up of the living stones of God’s holy people, is neglected and in ruins. And there is seemingly no interest in addressing the distress. No concern. No urgency. No regard.

Building a ballroom, renovating the Kennedy Center and paneling the Lincoln bathroom in marble while people suffer exposes the heart of this administration. Leaders may talk about restoring faith and promoting morals, but their actions (and inaction) reveal the truth: Their thoughts are not God’s thoughts; their priorities are not God’s priorities; their agenda is not God’s agenda.

God’s word to the people through Haggai was, ““Give careful thought to your ways.” (Haggai 1:7) It’s time to rebuild the living temple of God–not maintain the façades of success and glory because, in the end, the marble will crumble.

Political Violence Is Not Blue or Red

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Fear begets mistrust. Mistrust begets divisiveness. Divisiveness begets tribalism. Tribalism begets hatred. Hatred begets violence. Violence begets more violence until we are completely destroyed. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, spoke frequently about the cycles of violence, but the quote that most resonated with me today in the wake of Wednesday’s assassination of Charlie Kirk was this:

Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.” – MLK, Jr.

Wednesday’s horrific event is not the first act of political violence this year; it is a continuation of the ongoing “descending spiral” of violent self-destruction that can be traced back centuries. South Carolina Senator David Ramsay was killed by an assassin on May 6, 1815. Every decade since, Presidents, members of congress, governors, state legislators, judges, and political leaders have been killed. The years leading up to and the decade after the Civil War were particularly violent. The 1960s were also extremely violent including the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King. The past 15 years, we have seen a similar uptick in violence. Over the years, victims of violence have been Republicans AND Democrats and the perpetrators of violence have also represented the full spectrum of political parties and ideologies. Analysis of the data suggests that political polarization increases political violence. We are living in polarizing and dangerous times. And political violence will plunge us into what Martin Luther King called “the dark abyss of annihilation” unless…

  • . …unless, we move the needle the opposite direction through honest self-reflection, deep contrition and real repentance.
  • …unless we set our feet on the path of mutual confession and mutual healing.
  • …unless we shift toward humility and away from arrogant certainty, finger-pointing, and speculation that leads to escalation.
  • …unless we recognize our shared humanity and choose mercy and love over pursuit of power.
  • …unless we who claim to “love God” and “love our neighbor” (including our perceived and real ‘enemies’) actually model it through acts of justice, solidarity, compassion and service.

The climb up from the descending spiral begins today with unified outrage that a 31-year-old husband and father was killed while exercising his right to free speech. This should be a time for all of us to grieve with those who grieve–especially with his widow and children–and express our rejection of violent acts and vitriolic speech and our commitment to civil discourse and common decency.

We stand at a precipice. We must turn away from violence or we will destroy one another. Choose love today.