I don’t want to be political, but Donald Trump seems to
want to at least appear religious. He had peaceful protesters removed using
tear gas so that he could walk from the White House to St John’s Church and
have his photo taken holding a large black Bible. This is a very unusual pose
for a political leader. It isn’t entirely clear what point he was making – and
the New York Tribune suggested that he had held the Bible upside down for some
of the picture – but presumably it appeals to certain voters. Or is it the idea
that he feels he has some form of Divine authority? Could he have intended it to
suggest that everyone brings the love of God to the troubled situation in the
USA? As I write, he is seeking to call the army in.
There is much protest in the States about police
brutality and murder, and the sight and sound of the murder of George Floyd is
so horrendous that people are understandably incensed. Most people. Human
rights and equality had seemed to come a long way in recent decades, but this
is an outstandingly callous example of the ongoing mistreatment of black people
in the States. I want to assert that #Black Lives Matter. Of course they do. We
are all created equal, it says so in the Bible.
In Atlanta, Georgia there is a museum to Martin Luther King
Jr. who championed non-violent resistance in the 1960s. He was a minister, and
his classic speech “I have a dream” was delivered to a vast crowd in Washington
D.C. very near the White House and St John’s Church. The museum has a case with
King’s ministerial gown and his Bible, the same book as held aloft by the
President. King based his preaching on the Scriptures, saying that they will
not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a
mighty stream”. The speech can be read on the internet, (link below) and it
names segregation and police brutality.
Martin Luther King would not have approved of rioting and
looting, but he would understand the utter frustration that half a century
later black people are still treated in an inhuman manner. He would have been
deeply concerned too about the violence meted out to protesters. And I think
there would be an intense spiritual dialogue about the meaning of the words in
the black book which the President held up at a time of national crisis, and
how the God of all humanity calls leaders and citizens to live.
Holy God, we remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s
struggle for equality, justice, and dignity for African Americans that inspired
so many other reform movements that seek to highlight the plight of the
oppressed in society.
We pray that all of those in civil and religious
authority be reminded that we all have been created in your image, and that
there is an intrinsic dignity in each of us that calls for uplifting every man
and woman, young and old.
We pray that your Holy Spirit remind us all that you show
no partiality with regards to nationality, race, ethnicity, or gender, and to
do so is to go against your great commandment of love toward one another.
We pray that the church will not be complicit of
injustice by being silent, but that it can rise up with a prophetic voice that
speaks truth to power and advances the values of your Kingdom.
We pray these things in the name of our blessed redeemer,
Jesus Christ. Amen.
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/speech/dream.htm
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