Violence erupted
in a staid university town this weekend, and the symbolism of the white
supremacists was startling. A Nazi
swastika alongside the Confederate “stars and bars” was a mash-up, to be sure,
and the US flag was thrown in for good measure, as if all of this was mutually
reinforcing. It is not; it is a hideous conflation
of identities, seemingly for the purpose of protesting the variegated diversity
that comprises America.
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| Getty Images / Used with permission |
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| Getty Images / Used with permission |
As I turned to the lectionary
reading this morning, the first verse of Psalm 133 captured my attention: “How
very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.” Written long ago, this Psalm probably voiced
an exhortation to preserve the family, and a common worship of God at Zion was
a constructive approach to accomplish that.
St. Augustine thought this text was the foundation for monasteries and
their “brotherhood.” The import of the
Psalm calls us beyond the insularity of one’s own bonds of kindship or one’s
spiritual community.
What might it mean for a deeply
fractured nation now? Unity begins in prayer, carefully considering the
perspective of those who oppose us. St. John of the Cross encouraged this
practice: “You might quiet the whole world for a second if you pray. And if you love, if you really love, our guns
will wilt.” So, people of faith begin with prayer, interrogating the prejudice
and blindness within each of us.
While prayer is action, it propels
us beyond the conversation we have with God to enter new conversations with
those with whom we differ. Here
attentive listening and patience is required.
I am reminded of Will Campbell’s unconventional approach to racial
reconciliation. A major civil rights
activist, he was lampooned by the right and left alike for his work with Dr.
King in Birmingham and Selma and for his chaplaincy for KKK members, notably
James Earl Ray, King’s assassin. He listened to both.
He saw himself as a bridge, and
reconciliation was his life’s work. He not only spoke of racial bigotry and
discrimination against black people, he also spoke of “the redneck’s
slavery.” They, too, had a history of
dire poverty as a repressed people.
These were Campbell’s kin, having grown up in rural Mississippi during
the Depression. Many of his critics
thought his attempt to unravel his “knot of contradictions” meant that he could
not take a stand for justice. Far from
it; he simply refused to see only one body of marginalized people.
Arguably, racial minorities have
always borne the disproportionate burden of discrimination; their civil rights
have been trampled, and the geography they occupy often disempowers. The Black Lives Matter movement has not been
given to violence; rather, it has called attentive to policing practices that
reflect racist attitudes and practices.
White persons who have taken offense over this movement have yet to
perceive the privilege they enjoy.
Unity is hard work; it is never
finished; and, it requires repentance and perseverance. It is God’s desire for humanity, and
Christians have an exemplar to follow, Jesus Christ.
Molly T. Marshall
Central prepares
leaders for seeking God, shaping church, and serving the whole world.
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