Prophets
rarely fare well in their own historical setting. Their clarity of vision disturbs the
nonchalance with which most people engage their personal context. Prophets scrutinize those policies and
practices that most of us blithely ignore, and they shine the light of justice
into the dark corners.
I
visited the New Millennium Baptist Church in Little Rock on Sunday, and I saw
prophetic witness in action. This
gathered community welcomes everyone and relishes the diversity that comprises
the congregation. They have boldly
decided that they would reject prejudice in every form and that their community
would be free of patriarchy, racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and
fundamentalism. People can bring the whole
of themselves into that community and find acceptance. As the final preacher in the Martha Stearns
Marshall emphasis on women preaching, that was indeed my experience.
It
is not surprising that it is a small congregation; many folks are just plain scared
of that much grace and of finding common humanity with radical otherness. We too often scurry into our little tribes
and presume that our culture is the normative one. This congregation describes itself as
“inclusive, progressive, welcoming followers of Jesus Christ.” This requires mature cultural competency.
The
founding visionary of this church is Wendell Griffen, distinguished jurist and
gospel preacher. Recently he published The Fierce Urgency of Prophetic Hope, a
call to followers of Jesus to ponder what discipleship looks like during and
after the presidency of Donald J. Trump.
The Rev. Dr. Griffen’s distressing conundrum is this: “how President
Trump’s political support by people who self-identify as evangelical followers
of Jesus can be reconciled with the love and justice imperatives of the
religion of Jesus.” He calls us beyond “moral
and ethical dwarfism” to prophetic hope, which Scripture richly funds.
Long
a critic of the prison-industrialist-capitalist complex, Griffen warns of the
ethos of expendability fueled by the American empire. Immigrants, sexual minorities, persons of
color, the poor, women, faith traditions other than Christian, and persons
suffering chronic illness are all at risk in the new political reality. The
resurgence of white supremacy and white nationalism are evident; emboldened
hatred of others is part of the social landscape. Prophetic witness calls this out and refuses
to let it go unanswered.
Returning
to the city where I lived from 1976-1979 surfaced many feelings. I had served an all-white church, lived in an
all-white neighborhood, and knew too little about the rich black culture of the
city. Being a part of an upper-middle
class church, I was oblivious to the abyss of poverty many endured. As beneficiary of educational privilege, I
was insulated from the limited vocational options afforded the under-educated. Thankfully, I see more clearly now.
Prophetic
witness requires us to be awake to the real circumstances we inhabit. As followers of Jesus, there is a fierce
urgency for us to work for the common good.
Our time summons us out of Christian quietism to public advocacy for
justice.
Molly T. Marshall
Central prepares creative
leaders to make an impact for good in diverse ministry contexts.
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