A Story
I sat once in the visitors gallery of the United States Senate. While visiting relatives in DC, my father and I thought, “Here’s a chance to listen to the Farm Bill debate in person!” Ignoring my uncle’s advice to not take the Metro downtown after dark, we emerged on the National Mall, walked to the Capitol, and after a small security check, were soon listening to Senator Bob Dole talk about price supports! I was surprised by all the empty seats in the balcony but it quickly became apparent that “watching Congress” is not very exciting. Still, visiting the Capitol on a whim and witnessing our democracy in action was an experience I will always remember.
So when I watched an angry mob force their way into that same chamber on Jan 6th, smashing windows, assaulting Capitol Police and threatening duly elected representatives, I experienced both a civic and personal… gut punch. Seeing it unfold live, I felt a similar despair and despondency to September 11th, another day the nation was attacked by people who thought any means justified their ends. Although very different tragedies, both days beg for a conversation more consequential than whom to punish and how. As human beings, and especially as people of faith, the larger question needs to be, “Why?” followed closely by “Now what?” That’s the obligation of agape.
The Scope of the issue
Now I’m not a politician nor a partisan. If you are thinking this is going to be one more political commentary on recent events, I pray you are sorely disappointed. Instead, I hope to engage conservatives, liberals, moderates and “indifferents” in a conversation because, “our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh” (Eph 6:12) The enemy is not “those Republicans” or “those Democrats”. It’s not one President or even the few hundred people who attacked the Capitol. Rather our struggle, Paul goes on to say, is “against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” In other words, our struggle is against sin… the brokenness involved with being human. Sin is everywhere and in everyone. That theological conviction, however, is actually a powerful tool to confront those very forces and it’s one of the reasons I want to have this conversation.
So this is the first part of a series of posts where we work through some of the theological implications of faith, power, and politics. These are the concepts behind the title: The Cross, the Gallows, and the Capitol. That title came to me after seeing this picture of gallows constructed during the riot. In his powerful and convicting book, “The Cross and the Lynching Tree” theologian James H. Cone connects the lynching of black Americans in the Jim Crow South with the crucifixion of Jesus by the Romans. Both served not simply as a means of death, but as demonstrations of power.
The events of Jan 6th (Epiphany 2021) similarly evoked symbols of power, religion, and politics, sometimes overtly and sometimes with a more hidden theological thread to justify violence and racism under the veil of patriotism. It is to this matrix that we must apply the Christian gospel, where power is found not in violence but in service. Not in the ability to kill but in the ability to give life. God was not the one doing the lynching. God was the innocent victim hung on the tree.
A way of seeing
Over the next few weeks, I invite you into this journey with me. I don’t have all the answers or even very many of them. The goal is conversation, so comment. My role is to apply theological concepts to the events of the day and pray the Spirit helps us in our weakness. I do this because I firmly believe that the division and brokenness we feel in our society is as much a result of bad theology as it is bad politics. Here is what’s coming up:
Sinner and Saint: Does that help us discern ‘truth’?
Freedom of a Christian: What’s the interplay between freedom and responsibility?
Two Kingdoms: Can faith be separated from politics?
Law and Gospel: How do we pray for God’s kingdom to come in a broken world?
Upfront about me
Now in a show of good faith, I’m going to lay out my own political leanings and tendencies since no one approaches a conversation from neutral ground. I take this risk of being honest and upfront because I believe it also opens the door to a more fruitful conversation. Don’t be scared. There aren’t THAT many skeletons to reveal! ? In my youth, I couldn’t tell you if my parents were Democrats or Republicans. I think they voted for candidates who cared about farmers and whom they thought helped the “little guy.” My first political memory is voting for Jimmy Carter in 5th grade because he was a farmer and I liked peanuts. It was as simple as that. I discovered I was in the minority, though, and experienced the sneer of the majority. I remained a fan of President Carter throughout my life and have many of his books. I had the opportunity to listen to him speak in person while I was in seminary and greatly admire his life after office. I went to college at UNL in 1984, which coincided with the farm crisis. Through the Agronomy Club and other connections on East Campus, I became involved in the first collegiate farm advocacy group in the nation. We named it FACTS, Farm Action Concerns Tomorrows Society. We went to hearings at the state capital, wrote editorials, helped bring Farm Aid to Memorial Stadium, and tried to provide support for students whose families were under severe strain. I suppose that was the extent of my ‘college radicalism.’
As an adult, I would classify myself as a moderate, who oscillates between ‘right’ leaning and ‘left’ leaning. I’ve voted for both Republican and Democratic candidates. I have a pretty strong conservative streak, especially when it comes to money. On social issues, I probably lean left, although the extreme left makes me as uncomfortable as the extreme right. Former Texas Ag commissioner Jim Hightower once said, “Ain’t nothin’ in the middle of the road but yellow lines and dead armadillos.” My response is that yellow lines are rather important, since they keep opposing traffic from crashing into one another. Some think being a moderate, who likes the middle ground, is cop-out…an easy alternative to actually taking a stand. The dead armadillos are a reminder that middle ground is dangerous. You get hit both coming and going, from both the right and the left. Being a moderate is how I’m wired. In his landmark book, “The Righteous Mind” psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out a theory of moral, religious and political interaction that changed how I think of myself and others. I highly recommend his book! I like being a moderate yet I’m aware there are pitfalls and weaknesses. It is easy sometimes to sit on the sidelines and practice “quietism”.
In his letter from a Birmingham jail, MLK wrote: I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice;
That’s hard for me to hear yet it is true. If we can each hear hard things about ourselves, perhaps that will lessen the hard things we say to others. On the question still unanswered, I did not vote for Donald Trump in either election but I bear no judgment against those who did. I have many friends and family whom I admire and respect, whose judgment I would trust with my life, who did vote for him. But as we will see in the coming conversation, one man is not the issue. How we see one another and the world in which we live is the real issue and that is the conversation I hope to begin…with God’s help. Because without God’s help, the mess we are in is hopeless and I won’t for a second believe that is true!
The letter from Dr. King was a hard truth. I tend to lean left. Sometimes, I find myself wanting to lean far to the left, but the dread of extremism usually helps me straighten up. In my conferences with black groups, this year, I have learned that most blacks are in agreement with Dr. King’s missive. The intentionally silent moderate is harder to reach and educate than the blatant racist. I look forward to reading your blog.
Thanks Cork for your words. If we were together, this would make a great series of adult forums. As it is, my hope is that the conversation starts here and makes it’s way out into the little huddles and interactions we have when no one is looking.
I agree about the quiet, moderate middle. Not just outside our walls – in the public – but rather inside our Church walls. I imagine the quiet Lutheran Church members, in Germany, during WWII, in the pews, and listening to the sermon. While outside, just outside of town, the smoke rose unmistakable, the Stalag workers were citizens of the town and members of many congregations. So quiet.
I imagine members of our congregation processing the events that unfolded just two weeks ago. Some of our members in support of the actions and some against them. But some just hold quiet, unfathomable. Just another day, just another scene on TV. Is it fear that sustains this quiet?
Our preaching professor from Wartburg recommended reading Karl Barth’s “Emergency Homoletic” a while back out of concern for certain parallels between that time and ours. Thanks for you comments Rick. Let’s keep the conversation going. I miss our forums!
Good morning. I have admit I lean towards the democrat side of the spectrum. Having said that, I unfortunately had not spent time watching, observing and or commenting on the political happenings around me. since I retired early in 2016, I have had more time to observe, read and reflect on events around me. The rhetoric of the last four years and the happenings on Jan 6 will be forever etched in my mind. I don’t believe it was anyone person’s fault but all of our faults in not recognizing and admitting to possibly the inconsistences in all of our beliefs. I currently spend a great amount of time advocating for the Developmentally Disabled. If it wasn’t for our son who we adopted in 1991, I am not sure I would have the passion to educate myself in this area. Let alone spend the hours to try to help people understand the need in this area. Having said all that, I need to do better at understanding the positions of all people and then determine how I and we can all work better together.
Thanks Joe for your thoughts. It truly is amazing how a personal connection can inspire us to learn and grow in ways we never imagined. I believe the word for that personal connection is “love”! When Jesus said “Love one another as I have loved you” it brings a whole new dimension not only to our personal relationships, but I believe our communal ones as well! Looking forward to more conversation.
Thanks for this Pastor Tim! I look forward to the rest of this series.
I think we too often rush to judgement on ones character simply based on their political party. I don’t like conflict and tend to avoid controversy . That middle lane is a safe zone for me too, but I probably need to venture out and not be afraid to change lanes, back & forth.
Thanks for being in the conversation Cory. Changing lanes can be tricky but sometimes necessary. Looking forward to traveling together through these issues!
I’ve become very skilled at avoiding stressful situations. Stretching beyond the comfort zone happens reluctantly. Fighting that inertia takes as much force as the event itself. Facing the fear of the unknown most often can only be accomplished by faith. Fortunately, my feeble amount of faith has been sufficient for me to realize to power of God’s gracious Spirit. Trusting in His Power is a daily endeavor.
Exercising my political vocal muscle has been constrained or avoided mostly out of fear. My preference of feeling safe by staying quiet is illusion. Silence has some temporary benefits, but cannot be sustained without severely diminishing my capacity to help others, including myself. So, I appreciate the opportunity to engage in this conversation. Even if it is done awkwardly at first.
I really get don’t care to be classified as Democrat or Republican, Conservative or Progressive, Red or Blue. But for the sake of the discussion, I’d say I’m shades of purple. Sometimes a little more red and other times a bit bluer. I guess that would make me a moderate, maybe even a cop-out. Recently, it’s a bluer purple but the painting hasn’t dried yet. I’m still gathering information. Currently, I don’t see either side having the complete answer, especially if taken to the extreme. Accumulating diverse voices and a range large ray of data continues to shape my political model.
The horrific event on January 6, though not completely surprised, evoked anger (I need to work on that) immediately. And then heart break. Heart break for those fearing for their lives and those fearing not being heard except through violence. I’ve been in several grade school brawls because we couldn’t talk it out. Force and violence seemed to be the only option. The skill set of ‘conversation’ and ‘talking it out’ was never exercised, rarely enforced. Looking back, I wonder what it could have been if we had an exercise room building our conversation muscles just as we had squat racks for building our quads.
Though it was hard to see on January 6, the Spirit of Compassion, Peace and Grace couldn’t be silenced even in the face of violence. Examples of Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King has proven this to be true.
Pastor Tim, thank you initiating this series. Let’s keep the conversation going.
Thanks Billy for sharing your thoughts. One thing I’ve always took pride in as a Nebraskan is out unique “nonpartisan” unicameral. Of course it still has partisanship but it is at least diminished somewhat. Looking forward to unpacking more.
I noticed that no women have chimed in yet, so I thought I would be the first to do so. Many of my family members would describe me as a “flaming liberal” because I am very liberal on social issues such as Civil Rights, LBGTQ rights, Women’s rights, and Immigration and they would be right about that. But I also am much more middle of the road on many other issues. I am a registered Democrat, but in the past have voted for both Democrats and many Republicans as well. However, as the Republican party has swung toward the right on such issues as Education funding ( I was a teacher for 44 years) and Women’s rights, I have been unable to support any Republican candidates because of their stands on those issues. The last few years I have been appalled at the hypocrisy of many of our legislators, both state and federal, who claim to be Christians, but then act in ways which are very un-Christlike. I always try to see both sides of an issue and usually can, but I was especially troubled about the separation of immigrant children torn from the arms of their parents, even nursing mothers, and then have no plan or ability to reunite them. I look forward to reading others’ comments and continuing the discussion.
Thanks Gail for taking that “first step”. This week we will be going deeper into that first concept of sinfulness and our ability to know (or not know) the truth.
Thanks for starting this blog, Pastor Tim. I am proudly liberal so I will find this dialogue very interesting. I had never seen that excerpt from MLK, but it struck me as so heartbreaking.
Thanks Kathryn for your comment. This week we will be confronting the truth of our “untruthfulness”. I’m looking forward to the conversation as well.