[Dialogue] 8/06/20, Progressing Spirit, Rev. Irene Monroe: The “Good Trouble” of John Lewis; Spong revisited
Ellie Stock
elliestock at aol.com
Thu Aug 6 08:03:24 PDT 2020
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The “Good Trouble” of John Lewis
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| Essay by Rev. Irene Monroe
August 6, 2020All Votes Matter!Civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who died on July 17th of pancreatic cancer, spent his life advocating for equal access to the ballot for all Americans. Lewis nearly lost his life on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965, when he attempted to lead a nonviolent voting-rights march from Selma to Montgomery. He was beaten at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, resulting in a fractured skull. Fifty-five years later, on July 26th, was Lewis’s final crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge as a horse-drawn carriage carried his flag-draped casket. John Lewis, the 'conscience of Congress', preached a lived theology and activism of "good trouble." Good trouble was the work of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and it was an expression of Lewis's faith. The immediacy of his "good trouble" was heard in his jeremiads, inviting all to action. "If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” Lewis repeatedly said throughout his lifetime.As a theological trained, ordained Baptist minister Lewis' Good Trouble Theology is an early form of activist theology or theological activism. It is rooted in religious activism of the Anti- Slavery Abolitionist movement, the 1960s Black Civil Rights Movement, and the Black Liberation Theology Movement. Activist Theology was demonstrated in the public speeches, sermons, and marches by Martin Luther King, Jr. Activist Theology was also the work of C. T. Vivian. He and Lewis died on the same day, were good friends, and attended seminary together. Vivian participated in Freedom Rides and sit-ins throughout the South. Martin Luther King, Jr. depicts Vivian as "the greatest preacher ever to live, and was MLK's Field General. Vivian, like Lewis, was flogged in Selma, too. He later joined Lewis and others to march across Edmund Pettus Bridge. Vivian was the bridge between MLK's Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Lewis's more direct-action-oriented Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Lewis, who headed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee known as SNCC, was the 1960's version of the Black Lives Matter Movement. For Lewis, C.T. Vivian, MLK, and other foot soldiers of the civil rights era, their theological activism was transformative and lived out amid anti-black violence. I can hear Jesus saying to all three, “Well done, good and faithful servants!""We are made in the image of God, and then there is John Lewis," Joe Biden wrote in a public statement honoring Lewis. “How could someone in flesh and blood be so courageous, so full of hope and love in the face of so much hate, violence, and vengeance?… And may you continue to inspire righteous good trouble down from the Heavens.”Lewis' clarion call for "good trouble" forces us to look at where we are in our democracy. All Americans having access to the ballot is a moral imperative we must address. To honor Lewis's life and legacy and work of “good trouble”, Democratic lawmakers want to pass the 2019 Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) he fought for, and name it the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020. The VRAA would prohibit discrimination against people of color and other marginalized communities by assigning election observers to states or municipalities with repeated problems, especially those with a history of discrimination, and would give the federal government the ability to take action against them if the discrimination continued. These are needed safeguards in this upcoming election. Lewis championed the bill to reverse the deleterious damage done by the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, which invalidated a key portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Regrettably, the Republican-controlled Senate ignored Lewis' request. Since the passing of the 1965 Civil Rights Voting Act, which gave African-Americans access to the ballot, the GOP has had ongoing tactics to suppress minority voting. Such old Jim Crow tactics like literacy tests, poll taxes and Grandfather clauses have given way to these new tactics: random voter roll purging, changing polling locations or hours, eliminating early voting days, reducing the number of polling places, packing majority-minority districts, dividing minority districts, and the notorious voter ID laws, which disproportionately disenfranchise minority voters. They are all part and parcel of the Republican playbook. And they have serious effects on our democracy. Here are just a few recent examples of voter suppression against Black Americans: In 2000, the outcome of the presidential race between Democratic Vice President Al Gore and Republican Texas Gov. George W. Bush was decided in a recount of Florida ballots due to hanging chads. In predominantly Black voting precincts, which are overwhelmingly Democratic, it was reported that piles of ballots were left uncounted. The Florida vote was settled in Bush's favor, winning him the presidency. His brother Jeb was governor at the time. In 2013, by a 5-to-4 Republican majority, the U. S. Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder eviscerated Section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which identified problematic voting precincts with shameful histories of racial discrimination. Not surprisingly, these precincts are predominately GOP strongholds. The Court ruled that the rule, which historically protected African-Americans and other disenfranchised people of color, was outdated. The ruling contests a fictive post-racial premise that racial minorities, especially in the South, no longer confront discriminatory barriers voting, because Obama was president. And while the 1965 VRA applied to nine states in the South, let me disabuse you of any notion that voter suppression doesn't happen in the North. Scores of counties and municipalities in the North, like New York City, the Bronx, and my borough of Brooklyn, were covered in the 1965 VRA, too. In 2018, the Associated Press reported that 53,000 voting applications were put on hold — of which 70% were Black voters — before the epic gubernatorial battle between Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams and Republican candidate Brian Kemp. Kemp, while running for governor, was Georgia's secretary of state, where he oversaw Georgia's elections and was responsible for the "exact match" policy that states that a voter application must "exactly match" their social security or driver's license information. The GOP tactics to dissuade people of color to the polls pose challenges for many transgender voters who have transitioned but do not have a government-issued photo ID reflecting their gender. The Williams Institute at UCLA found that ahead of this November's election, over 378,000 "voter-eligible transgender people do not have IDs that reflect their correct name and/or gender." Last year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell voiced opposition to making Election Day a federal holiday. However, allowing American voters a more relaxed and stress-free trip to their voting precincts should be a no-brainer. The For the People Act of 2019, passed by the House last year, would do just that. McConnell mocked the legislation as the "Democrat Politician Protection Act."The Act would "expand Americans" access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, and strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and other purposes," as well as improve access for voters with disabilities, reform automatic voter registration and felon re-enfranchisement. In other words, the For the People Act would modernize a century-old bankrupt voting system to mirror America today, thus allowing for a participatory democracy. John Lewis said, "Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." To honor him, good trouble this November election would be to vote out our present Republican thugocracy. As voters, we don't have to capitulate to the powers that be, because the power of the people is greater than the people in power. ~ Rev. Irene Monroe
Read online here
About the Author
The Reverend Monroe does a weekly Monday segment, “All Revved Up!” on NPR's WGBH (89.7 FM). She is a weekly Friday commentator on New England Channel NEWS. Monroe is the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, Guided Walking Tour of Beacon Hill: Boston’s Black Women Abolitionists. A Huffington Post blogger and a syndicated religion columnist; her columns appear the Boston LGBTQ newspaper Baywindows, Cambridge Chronicle, and the Boston Globe.
Monroe stated that her “columns are an interdisciplinary approach drawing on critical race theory, African American, queer and religious studies. As a religion columnist I try to inform the public of the role religion plays in discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Because homophobia is both a hatred of the “other” and it’s usually acted upon ‘in the name of religion,” by reporting religion in the news I aim to highlight how religious intolerance and fundamentalism not only shatters the goal of American democracy, but also aids in perpetuating other forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, classism and anti-Semitism.” Her papers are at the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College’s research library on the history of women in America. Click here to visit her website. |
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Question & Answer
Q: By A Reader
People say “rest in peace” after someone has died. But, do people really get to rest after death?
A: By Toni Anne ReynoldsDear One,
There is lots of talk of ancestors, and healing ancestral lines these days. As people become aware of how cyclical oppression and suffering is, there seems to be a collective desire to get to the root of the issue. During my days as a Christian, the closest I got to a sense of realizing the ancestors was when “The Cloud of Witnesses” was talked about. The image that came to mind for me then was one of every great person sitting in the sky looking down. Catching the prayers we sent up and consequently finding ways to help us help ourselves. I even found myself imagining that angels would zip through the ether, diligently protecting God’s Creatures. Somehow, I never questioned whether or not these active agents had peace, and it never occurred to me that they may not be resting…
This question makes me think of the way productivity and work require a kind of rest that is unattainable. In this life, we are often pressured to work ‘til we drop. Living to work instead of working to live. It makes sense, then, that idea of entering a realm where there are no to-do lists or demands to be productive, can be liberating all by itself. A realm where peace and rest are inevitable. I’m sorry that I cannot say for sure if any of us will find rest, even in my own mind the forces that we call on for assistance are doing quite a bit. It makes me wonder if this doubt, this question, could form in a world where we were truly free while alive in these bodies. In other words, I wonder if we say this phrase, we are blessing the deceased with something we don’t feel we have access to ourselves. So, if we are able to access it, what do we start to desire for those who are free of the body? Does the potential for REAL rest become more feasible for us after we’ve known what it means to rest just a little bit before we die? I will join you in pondering this question. Maybe these two sources will help you along the way: linktr.ee/dr.rosalesmeza and https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/
~ Toni Anne Reynolds
Read and share online here
About the Author
Minister Toni Anne Reynolds is committed to singing flesh onto the bones of the Christian tradition by incorporating recently found texts of the ancient world into liturgy, sermons, and poetry. Toni’s Christianity forms a holy trinity with the psychological medicine of Tibetan Buddhism and the eternal Life found in Yoruba traditions. Balanced in an eclectic faith and focused in theology, Toni’s ministry offers a unique perspective on life, theology, and spirituality. |
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Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited
An Evening of Beer and Theology — A Lutheran Experience
Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong
October 8, 2009With this description, the Rev. Dawn Hutchings, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in New Market, Ontario, invited members of her congregation and any interested people in the community at large to join her at this congregation’s regular Monday night feature. This activity would not take place in the church, however, but in the second-floor Upper Room of a local pub known as The Crow’s Nest. This was the place, she announced, where people would be allowed to participate in a free and open discussion about theology over beer. It was, she said, a “Lutheran Experience.” In this discussion no questions would be illegitimate, no challenger would be out of bounds and no attempt to proselytize would occur. This gathering was to be a “come as you are” party, a “come no matter what you believe” occasion. It was one more way this remarkable pastor and this remarkable church sought to engage their community of some 85,000 people.One does not expect to experience one of the most remarkable congregations I have ever met in a rather quiet community less than an hour north of Toronto in the center of Ontario. By most external measures, Holy Cross Church is not especially impressive. Its frame building looks more like a house than a church. This structure was originally built to be a “Kingdom Hall” for the Jehovah’s Witness tradition. When that enterprise folded, it was sold to a Montessori School and only later did the Lutherans buy it and turn it into a church. The entrance level is a large room that serves both as a sanctuary on Sunday and a gathering place for all church activities at other times. One room has been cut into this space to provide a small office for the pastor. On the lower levels are washrooms, a kitchen, additional rooms that house a daycare center and storage space. The maximum numbers of worshipers this church can accommodate at one time is 85. The average Sunday attendance is normally about 55. Yet the smallness of their numbers has not limited the largeness of their vision.The pastor and congregation of Holy Cross Church are self-consciously about the task of reinventing worship and recreating what it means to be the church. “Beer and Theology” on Monday nights throughout the program year in a local pub is only one facet of their corporate life. A series of lectures on “Rethinking Christianity” is another part of their offering to the community. I was there this fall to be the speaker at the first of this year’s series. There was a spirit of anticipation and preparation in the air and I had the sense that my presence was the result of a long period of preparation on the part of the congregation.The format for these lectures included two presentations of about an hour each followed by another hour of questions and discussion. They were held in the church itself on a Saturday. A box lunch divided the four-hour day into two equal halves. With the capacity of their space limited, they refused to exceed the maximum number they could accommodate and so the class was closed when 85 people had signed up. To accommodate more people in their community and surrounding area, however, they also arranged for me to do a third lecture open to the public, held on Sunday night in the auditorium of a local school that could accommodate 500 people. That was a remarkable undertaking for this very small church to offer to its community, but the people in that area have learned to expect big things from these Lutherans.On Sunday morning I was the guest preacher at their regular Sunday service, which gave me a great insight into their understanding of liturgy and worship. True to the traditions of the German Lutheran Church, music plays a large part in this congregation’s worship life. Singing is made easy by the fact that both the words and the music are printed in the bulletin so there is no searching through books to find the correct number. In the congregation there were also two male voices of superior and trained ability that made congregational singing a joy to hear. One of these men studied opera and actually toured with an opera company and has recorded CDs on the market. He is a strong tenor and his CD that I have contains most of the familiar chestnuts that tenors regularly sing to the joy of their audiences. Only “O Danny Boy” is missing from his repertoire. The other man also studied voice and is a trained musician. He actually married his accompanist and she is today the musician who accompanies the congregation’s singing on the piano. An unvested choir of about six people presents an anthem each week. The words of the hymns are remarkably refreshing, filled as they are with hope and affirmation rather than the guilt, sin, fear and references to the cleansing blood of Jesus that seems to mark so much of Christian hymnody. The music with which this congregation’s Sunday worship opened when I was there set a mood of expectation. Beginning the service, we sang:
“Longing for light, we wait in darkness
Looking for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people
Light for the world to see.”
The hymn continued for five verses in which the themes of peace and hope for a troubled world were heard and a desire was expressed that they might become “bread broken for others until all are fed.” The refrain proclaimed the prayer that Christ might shine in their hearts, shine through the darkness, and concluded with the petition that Christ “might shine in this church gathered today.” I thought about other hymns I have endured recently that pronounced me “a wretch” and called me “vile” and spoke of “blood from the veins of Jesus” that might cleanse me of my sins. The contrast was refreshing.Another hymn that we sang defined God, not theistically as a supernatural, miracle-working deity who lived above the sky, but as the “Oneness” we seek, the “life that is part of us,” and as the “love and the joy that makes us whole.” It was a joy to be enveloped in those words.When we came to the “affirmation of faith” it was not the convoluted words of the fourth century Nicene Creed that seeks to build security fences to keep out heresy, but was something the people of the congregation worked on to define their faith in words they could understand. Yet it still contained all of the marks of historic Christianity, including references to God as creator; Christ as the Incarnation of love to whom his disciples responded, “My Lord and my God;” and as the Holy Spirit who was defined quite biblically as breath, the wind of God, the giver of life and as holy wisdom. It was, however, open, affirming and joyously proclaimed. “We are a community of faith,” this affirmation began, and then what their faith meant was spelled out: We share a vision of God, whose spirit is love. We search for the meaning of God in our experience. We share a vision of Jesus, who “forgave those who crucified him,” who in the “mystery of the resurrection continues to live even more profoundly through the ages,” and who calls us to be reconciled with the whole of creation. The congregation acknowledged that the Holy Spirit bids them “to cry out for justice for the powerless and oppressed and to see the presence of God in every created thing.” Their creed concluded with these words: “We reach out to one another for strength beyond our own. This is our community. This is our faith.” I found myself inspired and enfolded as I repeated these words.When the time came for the prayers, the phrase “Lord have mercy” was mercifully absent. That phrase is little more than the petition of a beggar before the righteous judge, and it serves to relate the worshiper to an authoritarian God who does little more than fill worshippers with a sense of guilt and failure. The response of the people in these prayers on that particular Sunday was the ringing affirmation “Let it be so!” They prayed to let the beauty of creation inspire them to walk lightly upon the earth, so that they might be empowered to end to greed, violence and war. They prayed that they might embody the gifts of eternal life and seek justice for all, that wholeness might be their goal and that they might walk in the ways of love. I was almost shouting “Let it be so!” when the prayers ended in the sharing of the peace.The Communion table was open. No external barriers were erected. No one said this sacrament is for the baptized only, the confirmed only, Catholics only, Christians only. It was open to all who were hungry for what God means. The Lord’s Prayer was sung in such a way as the constant refrain was heard, “Let the will of God be done on earth as in heaven.” The communion hymn announced that God is in our questions as well as in our answers and that the sacrament draws those who are many throughout the world into one bread and one body gathered for the sake of the world.The closing hymn was the prayer of St. Francis, “Make me the channel of your peace, where there is hatred, let me sow love.” The traditional God who is so often located above the sky in our liturgies was now located inside the worshipers who were to be the channels through which the love of God engaged history. Obviously the one presiding over the Eucharist faced the people, for that is where God is to be found. God’s dwelling place was not “up there” or “out there,” but in the midst of the people.I left that church elated, refreshed, committed and filled with joy. My life had been affirmed and I had been stretched to a new level of humanity. I was no longer a “miserable offender” who was not worthy “to gather up the crumbs” from the divine altar. It would almost be worth it to commute to Holy Cross Lutheran Church in New Market, Ontario, to attend worship each Sunday. There I got a vision of what a church is supposed to be.– John Shelby SpongNote: Those who wish to know more about this church may visit its Web site at www.holycrosslutheran.ca. Better still, write a note of encouragement and affirmation to the Reverend Dawn Hutchings at dawnhutchings at rogers.com. That can be your positive and life-affirming deed of the day.~ John Shelby Spong |
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