Seeking God's Righteousness
Isaiah 1:16c-17: “Stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
Matthew 6:33: “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well.”
In the opening chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah, we hear a clarion call from God to take up the cause of the most vulnerable among the people. The majority, including religious leaders, had become content with simply following all of the rituals of the law, but they seemingly had lost touch with God’s heart. Rituals alone could no longer mask the decadent, self-serving lifestyles, and God took notice of how they were ignoring and mistreating those in need. It was time for a change, and the prophet was being called to spread the word!
Well over a year ago now, my heart was stirred to action, along with countless others in the country, at the tragic and cruel death of George Floyd. That incident, and the subsequent local incident of the death of Daniel Prude, awakened within me and many of you a desire for change. For far too long, black, indigenous, and other people of color have not been treated with the fairness, dignity, and respect required as being people made in the image of God. I believed then, and I believe now that God is calling the Church to account and it’s long past time for a change.
Before that, however, another movement had gained momentum; the #METOO movement. Sadly, while it raised in me irritation and even frustration, I was not stirred to action in the same way. While I knew that people like Harvey Weinstein deserved to be held accountable for their abuse of power and grossly inappropriate (i.e. illegal and immoral) actions toward women, there were others I still wanted to defend; like Ravi Zacharias. I decided to stand more on the sidelines and let the movement carry on with only my passive involvement. As a cis-gendered white male, I still had blind spots and could still pick and choose how to engage because of certain privileges afforded to me because of my color and gender.
That all changed as I enrolled in a course taught by Dr. Elizabeth Gerhardt at Northeastern Seminary. The class was called, simply, Violence Against Women. It was through her teaching, my four female classmates, and the countless books, videos, and other testimonials that I became “undone,” as Isaiah says, with my complicity and blindness to the realities women face daily. Add in layers related to color, economics, and culture and I became increasingly aware I simply had no clue. And, it was time for a change!
No longer could I stand on the sidelines while countless of my sister’s in this world silently live in fear. No longer could I not preach about the abuse that happens in staggering numbers each day. No longer could the church be ignorant of the issues, and worse, of how to help. No longer would it be acceptable to only provide support to victims/survivors and not also hold perpetrators accountable.
The statistic that contributed most to my undoing is this: One in Three (1 in 3) women worldwide have experienced some form of violence or abuse: And that is considered low due to under-reporting of incidents. Most women simply live in fear or have to think about things that I take for granted. As I related that stat to thinking about our congregation, it became obvious to me that it must be happening right in the church. Countless studies confirm that, I would learn, with the church in some cases being no safer than other places in the community. And, again, almost worse is that the Church often doesn’t know how to intervene. Too often the church has discounted what women say, prioritized men and saving marriages over keeping women and children safe, and generally tried to force women into submissive reconciliatory roles assuming they were following the dictates of scripture.
Of course, even more personally, there is a world in which my daughter must navigate as a single female. What must she be subjected to as she considers how to live a life for Christ in the marketplace and traveling the globe in missionary service? And what about my wife, and all those late nights she has to leave the hospital and worry about who might be lurking in parking lots. And there are also concerns I’ve had about some of the young women in our church who I have suspected of being in vulnerable situations both at home and at school, but for whom I’ve not taken any specific stand to intervene and help (though thankfully, some within our church have.)
All of this led me to develop a plan of action for our church. As with the systemic injustices of racism, the systemic realities of patriarchy, and the privileged, powerful positions granted to men in this society must be confronted if we are going to experience change for women in our society. The Church must lead, and not follow. The Bible is a powerful model and guide and offers a consistent and clarion call to live out a life of justice and service to others. We cannot simply raise awareness. Thankfully, Professor Gerhardt helped make it clear that this is not “an initiative or program” but must be built into culture change. It will take time. It must be consistent. It must be comprehensive.
Beginning this month we kick off this plan in earnest. Maybe some of you have noticed some of the small things we have done already to address our blind spots. We’ve only scratched the surface. I’ll begin preaching about this on Sunday, and we’ll continue with this preaching emphasis until Thanksgiving. We’ll begin talking about it together on Wednesday evenings, including a kickoff conversation lead by Dr. Gerhardt this coming Wednesday (October 6, 6:30p). We’ll have a chance to hear from courageous victims/survivors as they share their stories. We’ll have opportunities for men to discuss their roles. Through a combination of education, addressing our physical space, building partnerships within the community, and offering ongoing dialogue and learning opportunities over time, I hope and pray we can make our church a safer place. I also hope we can be contributors to our community in making it a safer place for women and girls as well.
Not coincidentally, this month is domestic violence awareness month. The numbers in Monroe County alone are staggering. Nearly 46K calls to the Monroe County hotline for domestic disputes in 2018. Over 5,500 reports of domestic violence in the same year, up 12% from the previous year. Research makes clear that women are more at risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) than any other person in society. It is not acceptable; not supported biblically, and we cannot be idle.
I’m quite sure by now you know that our church is committed to matters of justice. I do not personally hold matters of justice on a pendulum or scale with matters of holiness, or with salvation. I see no separation in any of these matters in the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Salvation is demonstrated, not solely in a declaration of belief, but in living out the life-giving love of Jesus and rooting out fear and injustice all around us. Jesus makes this clear in his clarion call to “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). It’s not either/or, but both/and. By God’s grace, we will model that as a church. The beauty of our diversity comes into play when we commit to working together and each bringing our perspectives and gifts into the journey.
To help us achieve our goals on both the systemic injustices of racism and that of patriarchy and violence against women, we have access to two unique groups. The first group is at the Conference level and is called the Genesis Justice Network. Four New Hopers comprise the five board positions for the network. This group is dedicated to education and advocacy on matters of systemic racism. The second group recently formed and is internal to New Hope. It is a task force on Violence Against Women. They will help us make connections in the community, and be eyes and ears for our church, and be resources for you as we navigate turning this effort into culture change.
I believe I am being called to account. I believe that the Church is being called to account. I am leading New Hope to become more accountable in addressing these challenging issues. Change is required, and change can happen, but it will require ongoing, consistent commitment and growth on all of our parts. I invite you to walk with me on the journey. I have a long way to go. I can learn from many of you. I humble myself to that part of the journey. And I pray that God will be our source of strength, light, and inspiration every step of the way. May we all grow to know His heart and capture His love for His people.
Pastor Scott