I have had some wonderful and amazing conversations, both in person and online,
in relation to my recent article on Gun Control, Militias, and the Second Amendment. I can always tell when I’m doing “good work” when people respond passionately and personally to an article, some in favor of what I have proposed, and some adamantly opposed. I take that to mean that I am touch something that is on the forming edge of our national and personal consciences.
One of the things those conversations has done for me is to highlight an aspect of my theory of religious social justice that I had not articulated before. It came out in the article on gun control in my position, but only if you knew to look for it. It comes out in much of my writing on social justice and societal issues, be they articles here at Celestial Lands or be they sermons. It comes out in how I approach social justice issues in my ministry and in what I try to inspire in congregations.
In order to lay out this theory, I first have to share some of the assessment where the majority of social justice work, both in and beyond the liberal church, rests today. I believe that our work to transform the world as Liberals and Progressives (not just in the Liberal Church, but beyond) is too easily tied to issues, and therefore does not effectively (or at all) engage the core aspects of our societal identity and assumptions from which those issues arise.
Let me give some examples. I believe we become focused on passing gun control legislation, and lose sight of the desperate need to transform the fear that is at the root of the need for guns, or to work on changing our human relationship to violence and conflict. I believe we become focused on holding corporations accountable for pollution, and lose sight of transforming our human relationship to the environment from which we have come. I believe we want to expend our effort lobbying in congress for higher taxes on the richest Americans, and lose sight of asking people to re-evaluate whether capitalism is how we want to order our economic society.
Now, I’m not saying that gun control legislation is not important, and should not be passed. I’m not saying that corporations should not be held accountable for the environmental damage they do. I’m not saying that we should not have tax reform that shifts the burden to a more equitable pattern. Our nation certainly should pass gun control legislation. Our nation certainly should hold corporations accountable. Our nation certainly should shift our tax structure off the backs of the poor and the middle class.
And these things are not the role of the Liberal Church. It is the role of the Liberal Church, on these large, national, international, macro level to speak and work for the transformation not of a single piece of legislation… but for the transformation of human society. For the transformation of the human soul. It is the role of the Liberal Church to be questioning the role of capitalism in our society, and asking people and leaders to transform their understanding of how we create a society that is just and equitable for all. It is the role of the liberal church to challenge our human conception of ourselves as the masters of the earth, and instead shift our relationship to one of protection, co-operation, and harmony. It is the role of the liberal church to challenge our society’s relationship to violence and power, and to explore what is the basis for the fear that many feel, that they “cling to guns” to relieve?
The social justice purpose of the Liberal Church is, has always been, and should always be to be the voice seeking the transformation of society. The social justice purpose of the Liberal Church is to challenge some of our most deeply held assumptions, and inspire the development of a new cultural identity among all of us. The social justice purpose of the Liberal Church is to shift our cultural perspectives, and require us to continually see ourselves and the communities we create in new and different ways.
This is a very heady, high in the clouds theory, as far as I have taken it so far… but this is only one half of the theory. I believe there is a second part to the social justice ministry of the liberal church. Along with the prophetic work of inspiring broad social and cultural transformation, the Liberal Church is called to conduct a ministry of radical hospitality and justice on the local level… the more local the better. Rather than seeking to lobby the U.S. Congress to pass gun control legislation, the Liberal Church should perhaps sponsor a gun buy-back program in their local community… or work with the local school board to integrate an anti-violence campaign in the school curriculum. Rather than write letters to major corporations who are polluting, the Liberal Church might partner with a local company to find a way to be more “green” and remain economically sound. Rather than lobby the U.S. Senate for a more equitable tax structure, the Liberal Church should focus on convincing the local County Commission to do so.
So, my theory is that the Liberal Church should focus on inspiring societal and cultural transformation of our identity and assumptions on the State, National, and International levels, and focus on acting in the world on the local community levels. The catchphrase “Think Global, Act Local” comes to mind… although I want more than thinking… I want prophetic transformation.
There are a lot of reasons why I’m working with this theory, on this basis. First, I believe it would be the most effective use of the energy and purpose of the Liberal Church. In my experience, congregational actions of social justice have the most effect the more locally they are focused. The Liberal Church is (or should be) and integrated part of the community it is working in, and can affect amazing work and transformation. The second reason, however, is the more important one for me. There are many people seeking to lobby congress, and pass legislation, and hold corporations accountable. I believe that the voice of the Liberal Church, when it focuses on these kind of practical applications at the MACRO, or State, National, International Level… I believe the voice of the Liberal Church (even acting as a denomination) gets lost in the multiplicity of voices on these issues.
And, I see a distinct lack in our national and international discourse around challenging the core assumptions of the societies we have built. I see a lack of anyone asking the questions about our identity, about what and who we value, and about what our purpose is as human beings on the liberal and progressive side of the spectrum. This lack is because, I believe (and my opinion) we of the Liberal Church have allowed ourselves to become distracted from our prophetic purpose… the spiritual, social, and cultural transformation of the world.
These are, for me, the practices and purposes of Social Justice in the Liberal Church, to work in our communities, and to transform the world. It is when we lose sight of this that we lose the power of what it means to be a religion, and become another activist organization.
Yours in Faith,
Rev. David