Tag: faith

Living Woke

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday (March 9), was the First Sunday of Lent and the first in our “Living Woke” Lenten Compact series. A lot of people are triggered by that word, “WOKE.” For many, being “woke” is a terrible thing–even antithetical to Christian faith. A March 2023 USA TODAY/Ipsos poll found that roughly 39% of those surveyed believed the word meant “to be overly politically correct and police others’ words.” Many people associate “wokeness” with left-wing politics, DEI hiring policies, and boys playing in girls’ sports. For them, “wokeism” is a threat to our way of life and they wish it would go away. It seems their wish has been granted. Last week, in his address to Congress, Donald Trump announced an end of “the tyranny of so-called Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies” adding, “Our country will be woke no longer.” Republicans in Congress responded with a standing ovation and shouts of approval.

So, is “Wokeness” really a bad thing that is going to destroy America? I say, “getting woke” isn’t just a good thing; it’s a necessary thing. For me, it isn’t so much a political ideology as an ongoing spiritual practice that is founded on Scripture. Yes, you heard me right. “Woke” is Biblical. In both the Prophets and the Apostles, we are urged multiple times to “Wake Up!” Or “Stay Awake!” Or “Be Alert!” In the letter to the Church at Sardis (Rev. 3:1-2), the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ says,

“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.”

This is a call to the Church that is asleep–the equivalent of being dead. It is unaware of its own spiritual condition and has disengaged itself from the conditions of the world around them. God calls the church to “get woke” in order to honestly and truthfully assess their relationship to Christ, and then “live woke” by actively pursuing the life-giving mission of Christ as articulated in Luke 4:18-19.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because [God] has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. [God] has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim [God’s year of Jubilee].”

A “woke” church connects with the lived reality of “the least of these” (ie the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the migrant, the incarcerated, and the sick of Jesus’s parable in Matthew 25:35-40). A “woke” church understands that the mission of Jesus is more than just personal salvation, but includes a socio-political aspect that stands against injustice and the systems of oppression. A “woke” church rejects a world where those with power demean, dismiss, dehumanize and destroy those without power. A “woke” church works the works of Christ that result in abundant life (John 10:10) and the year of God’s favor – Jubilee!.

Today, I see a Church that needs to “get woke”. In too many churches, the socio-political mission of Jesus is ignored or seen as secondary or optional (ie “if we have the time or inclination”). As a result, Christians live a bifurcated life that separates the spiritual from the secular and that permits the continuation the status quo. Such a church may preach a gospel, but it’s not Jesus’s gospel. The Bible Jesus read is clear: What does the Lord require? “Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8). The Church–especially the Church in the United States–has some “unfinished deeds” that can only be done when it “gets woke” and repents. The time has come to re-align ourselves to the mission and vision of Christ.

The season of Lent is the right time to reassess and realign and reactivate.. The conditions of our world require our involvement. It’s time to “get woke,” Church. It’s time to return to the words and works of Jesus. The one with ears to hear, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

During Lent,, I’ll be posting thoughts about “Living Woke.” I invite you to join me (along with Kimball Avenue – Nuestra Señora de las Americas) on this journey.

Justice Takes Sides

~ Bruce Ray ~ 1 Comment

My wife has a collection of T-shirts that express a variety of opinions depending on the circumstances. One says, simply, “Ugh!’ (She got that one while running a school during COVID.) Another shouts, “I dissent,” quoting Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (She dissents a lot lately.) Yet another defiantly declares, “We will not go back.” Last week, she announced that she has found her next T-shirt. It says “Justice Takes Sides.”

The T-shirt is available at https://justicetakessides.com, a site developed by Dr. Jemar Tisby, a public historian, author, speaker and a Christian.. I regularly follow his Substack, “Footnotes”. Here’s why he created the T-shirt:

Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor and the recipient of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, included the following statement in his acceptance speech:

We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.

Neutrality has consequences. As Tisby writes: “Neutrality in situations of injustice only supports the status quo. It only aids the empowered and further harms the disempowered.”

The prophets of Hebrew Scripture took sides, calling out and condemning injustice and demanding accountability for the perpetrators of oppression. There was no space for neutrality; no room for fence-sitting. .

Isaiah shouts: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20 – NRSVUE) and “Woe to those who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, to make widows their spoil and to plunder orphans!” (Isaiah 10:1-2 – NRSVUE)

Jeremiah cries out: “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbors work for nothing and does not give them their wages.” (Jeremiah 22:13 – NRSVUE)

Amos calls out: “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the stall…, who drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!” (Amos 6:4, 6 – NRSVUE)

And in the tradition of the prophets, Jesus announces: ““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matthew 23:25 – NRSVUE)

In this precarious time, it is the right time to ask ourselves, “Which side am I on?” The side of justice or the side of oppression? The side of the prophets or the side of the oppressors? The side of truth or the side of disinformation and alternative facts? The side of the marginalized or the side of the powerful? The side of healing or the side of harm?

When the most vulnerable are being sacrificed on the altar of “efficiency” and threatened by the forces of “unbridled greed”, sitting on the fence isn’t an option. Because sitting on the fence is actually taking the side of injustice.

The Lie of Inevitability

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Y’all have heard the quote: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I’ve heard it; I’ve seen it; I’ve affirmed its truth. I’ve also listened to others speak it with a despairing tone. No matter how much we want justice, truth and integrity to thrive, it won’t happen. Those with power will be corrupted. And corruption will ultimately win. It’s too late. There is nothing that can be done about it. It is inevitable.

Psalm 11 is written by David as a response to people who are watching the foundations of the social order crumbling around them. They see what is happening: “The foundations of law and order have collapsed! What can the righteous do?” In their minds, the only option in the face of this inevitable collapse is to find the exit. They say, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!”

But David refuses to flee. He refuses to believe the lie of inevitability and the despair that leads to giving up. He writes: “I trust in the Lord for protection.” David’s not going anywhere. Instead of “flight,” he is going to stick around to “fight”, trusting in the God of justice and righteousness.

Let me go back to the quote ab out corrupting power. When English Catholic historian Lord Dalberg-Acton wrote it in 1887 in a letter to a Bishop , it was not to state the inevitable, but to issue a warning of the dangers of concentrated authority. Power becomes abusive and corrupt when there are no checks, no guardrails, no resistance. Concentrated authority is the problem. Steadfast resistance to autocracy is the solution.

Sherrylin Ifill, a civil rights attorney, writes on her Substack:

Despair and believing that you are powerless is a form of “obeying in advance” which ensures the victory of autocracy. I understand the exhaustion, anger, the feeling of being overwhelmed and the grief that those of us who believe in democracy, equality and justice are experiencing right now. And painful as it is, I have accepted that there are no guarantees that we can overcome all that we are facing. But I do know that unless we fight, we cannot prevail.”

Autocracy wants us to believe that we are powerless. Autocracy thrives on despair. When someone asks, “What can the righteous do?, autocracy is standing behind us, whispering in our ear, “There’s nothing you can do, so do nothing.” But it’s a lie.

What can the righteous do? The are many ways to resist autocracy, but the one way that is available to 100% of us is to raise our voice. Whether it be on the street in non-violent protest or calling our elected representatives and senators to voice our demands as their constituents, our voices can make a difference. Don’t know who represents you? Don’t what to say? 5calls.org is a simple tool to help you speak clearly and simply on issues you care about. I used it today. I encourage you to check it out.

Let’s stand firm in our faith and act for God’s justice. Remember the word of the Psalmist: “The righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see [God’s] face.” (Psalm 11:7)

Is This What You Voted For?

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Every day, there is yet another assault on our faith, our freedom, our constitutional rights, and our democracy. The government is methodically being dismantled by unelected, unaccountable appointees using illegal and unconstitutional means. We are watching an internal coup.

And while some (mostly Democratic) Senators and Representatives have spoken boldly in opposition to the take over the Treasury Department, the closing of USAID, the unconstitutional firing of Inspectors General, the illegal withholding of grants, the elimination of DEI policies and programs, etc.; many more congresspeople have either been silent or are publicly supporting the takeover.

Why are we shocked at what is happening? This is what #47 said he would do, and he’s doing it with a speed that would impress Adolf Hilter (who dismantled the Weimar Republic and its constitution in 53 days)! When he was campaigning for President, #47 made his agenda clear–a policy agenda articulated by Project 2025 (though he strenuously denied knowing anything about it). Mass Deportations. “De-weaponizing” the Department of Justice and the FBI. Scaling back USAID and placing it under the direction of the State Department. Ending DEI programs. Drill, Baby, Drill! It’s all there and the executive orders mirror it–sometimes almost word for word.

Lots of people I know voted for #47 because he was going to secure the southern border and make sure “the worst criminals.” would be taken off our streets, restoring order–especially in our cities. But something different happened. On the day of his inauguration, he signed an executive order to begin the deportation. Six days later, ICE agents descended on Chicago and other “sanctuary cities” and arrested hundreds of undocumented individuals–many with no criminal arrests or convictions. When asked about the arrests on January 28, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that “the Trump administration sees all undocumented immigrants as “criminals” and isn’t just seeking to deport those who commit violent acts.” Families were separated; children were traumatized; non-citizens with and without documents felt fear and anxiety.

And then it got worse. By executive order, #47 rescinded Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans. And announced daily arrest quotas for ICE agents. Could it get worse? Yep.

#47 placed a 90-day freeze on Refugee Resettlement and the funding agencies tasked with helping refugees (including Christians experiencing religious persecution in their home countries) count on. Those agencies (World Relief, Church World Services and many other faith-based agencies) have been forced to furlough staff and end assistance for those in the process of resettlement. The closure of USAID has also shut down humanitarian assistance provided by organizations like World Relief. The innocent will die.

On February 2, billionaire Elon Musk and his unconstitutional “Department of Government Efficiency” called funding of Lutheran Family Services–a faith-based organization with a 150 year history of service in multiple states including Illinois–“illegal payments,” that “must be shut down” citing General Michael Flynn, who posted on X: “Now it’s the “Lutheran” faith (this use of “religion” as a money laundering operation must end): Lutheran Family Services and affiliated organizations receive massive amounts of taxpayer dollars, and the numbers speak for themselves.” The work of the gospel is under direct attack!

Is this what you voted for? Maybe it isn’t, but it is what you got. I’m fighting the temptation to say, “I told you so!” but pointing the finger and blaming isn’t helpful. It only shuts people down, So, instead of heaping guilt on those who voted for this administration but may be having second thoughts, I want to say this:

If the acts and executive orders of the past two weeks are taking this country in a direction that is different than you expected or want, please consider changing your own direction. It is difficult to admit when we’ve been scammed, and we tend to try to hide it because we feel shame and guilt. We’ve all experienced it, but hiding isn’t helpful for our souls. Adam and Eve know something about that. They hid after making a life-altering (bad) decision, afraid of exposure. But, God still sought them out. There were consequences, but God mercifully covered their exposure. Voting for Donald Trump has had real-life consequences–many of them threatening to human flourishing, but God is still seeking us, ready to help us confront our complicity and lead us to transformation.. The apostle John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, [the one] who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It’s time for an altar call!

Will you stand up and speak up for Jesus’s kingdom values of neighbor-love and justice, or will you minimize (or worse–justify) the current crisis and just hope that things will work out? I hope you have the courage to honestly face this existential crisis, turn from the way of destruction, and walk anew in the way of Jesus.

The ‘Real’ Dr. King

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Today, most Americans will enjoy a day off from school and work—not because of the frigid temperatures and not because of the Inauguration, but because the nation will honor America’s greatest advocate of civil and human rights—the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Today, we will share his quotes on social media, lift up his “dream” and maybe even sing freedom songs. Today, we love Dr. King. 

But let’s be clear.  When King was alive, he was a thorn in America’s side and was condemned and vilified for his vision of America. In 1967, King was named “the most hated man in America” because of his condemnation of the evils of racism, materialism and militarism.  

“The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and racism. The problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power.” – Dr. King to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) board. March 30, 1967.  

Throughout his public ministry, King articulated a vision of the Beloved Community in which everyone,“regardless of their race, sex, religion, or creed, is equally valued and has the opportunity to thrive.”  In 1968, he and his trusted advisor, Bayard Rustin, developed a “Freedom Budget” and a plan to eliminate poverty that became known as the Economic Bill of Rights, demanding full employment, a guaranteed annual income and affordable housing.

King’s vision was truly radical—akin to Jesus’s announcement good news for the poor and the upside-down kingdom of heaven. King’s vision was diverse and inclusive—like the radical diversity and inclusion of Jesus’s followers—women as well as men, eunuchs, Samaritans and Gentiles as well as Jews.  And like Jesus’s message, King’s message was too radical for most people—even most Christians—and the response was an assassin’s bullet.  We killed the prophet.

But now, we love Dr. King.  We have erected monuments and statues, named highways and schools and bridges after him and set aside a holiday in his honor, but let’s be honest….we have failed to honor his vision.  It was too radical for Americans in 1967. It is still too radical.  We lift up the “dream”, but, as a nation, we continue to perpetrate the nightmare of racism, materialism and militarism.  We declare that “all people are created equal”; that we are the “land of the free”; that we are “one nation under God;” but we cast our ballots for a leader who promises great privilege for a few and vilifies anyone who protests as “threats to America’s greatness.” Today exposes our hypocrisy.  

Before Rev. King was killed on April 4, 1968, he had prepared his sermon for the following Sunday. It was entitled, “Why America May Go to Hell.”  We are well on our way. 

Link HERE to read the sermon King never preached.