You’ve heard the poem by Martin Niemöller:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me-
and there was no one left to speak for me.
Let me offer an alternative contemporary reading: First they came for the Muslims, but I wasn’t a Muslim; they came for the Dreamers, but I wasn’t a Dreamer; they came for the refugee, but I wasn’t a refugee; they came for the Temporarily Protected, but I wasn’t Temporarily Protected; then they came for the children and no one was left to speak for the children.
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| Photo: Red Letter Christians; taken from Shane Claiborne’s Facebook page |
It’s not a perfect analogy, but I do think you can draw a straight line through these policy decisions over the past year. The reasoning behind each of these can be rationally debated, despite how clumsily they’ve been carried out. But that doesn’t necessarily make them right. As the saying goes, just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. So I wonder, at which of those steps above should Christians have stood up in opposition- the Muslim ban, DACA, TPS? Some did early. Some did late. Some have for all, and some not at all. Meanwhile, does outrage at one step require outrage at the others? And this discussion so far has only been limited to people trying to enter the United States, to say nothing about other flashpoints in the current culture wars.
If we are outraged at the separation of children from their parents entering the country illegally, should we be equally outraged about the permanent separation of aborted children from their mothers? On a recent trip I came across a group protesting abortion with the most graphic of placards accompanied with scripture. Is it hypocritical to speak out against one practice, but not the other? What makes a particular practice inhumane, personal political leanings?
We in the United States are fortunate for our right to protest, to assemble, and to effect policy through financial contribution, volunteerism, and our individual vote. We can speak out, we can march, and we can protest without fear of political or legal retribution. So when is it appropriate to? I admit I feel torn speaking up for immigrant children when I’ve been relatively silent with regards to abortion. But while abortion is symptomatic of what Pope John Paul II called a “culture of death”, these latest actions are more a sign of a culture of hostility and hatred. Is one worse than the other? I honestly don’t know.
I need to study Bonhoeffer. I admit it’s been years since I’ve read The Cost of Discipleship and I have two biographies on my shelf waiting to be read. Every time lately that I’ve started Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus, I am distracted by other studies. And the length of Metaxas’ biography has been too intimidating to tackle. But I want to get into Bonhoeffer’s mindset. What was the line the Nazi party crossed that was too far for him? At what specific point did he become disillusioned from the German Church and found a home in the Confessing Church? Like most of us I would suspect his changing convictions were progressive, but at some point I’m sure he had to throw up his hands and say “enough is enough!”
I look at what is happening in this country and it grieves my heart. Christians can’t even agree that separating infant and toddler children from their parents as a punitive and deterrent measure is inhumane. We can’t agree that saying Black Lives Matter is not the same thing as saying Blue Lives don’t. We suffer chronic ‘whataboutism’, pointing fingers in every other direction other than where they should. And we have a win-at-all-costs mentality towards politics that divides more than it advances God’s kingdom.
I’m also struggling to determine what form “speaking out” should take. On this blog I have spent most of my time trying to impart right-conviction, but how do I translate that conviction to appropriate action? Do I donate? Do I march? If I march, do I do so as just another voice or do I wave my Jesus banner because that self-identification is more important than political party, citizenship, or the color of my skin?
On Tuesday, nearly a couple dozen clergy, ministers, and religious leaders were arrested protesting this Administration on both coasts. Red Letter Christians and the Poor People’s Campaign led a protest in front of the White House in Washington, DC while several different groups and congregations gathered to protest Attorney General Jeff Sessions in Los Angeles. Do I follow their example and the example of Martin Luther King or the Apostle Paul who both did their best writing from prison? Or do I continue to express scriptural convictions in the hopes of creating waves to spur others to action?
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.”
-Isaiah 59:9-10
It’s time to do away with the pointing finger and to spend myself on the behalf of the oppressed.