Tag / Religion and Politics

by Annie Newman

1 Kings 2: A Call to Bridge Building (For Some)

When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ (Read the rest of the chapter, here.)

Let’s stick with Kings this week, and talk about the divide I’ve seen between people calling for reaching out to Trump supporters and people declaring they are done, and not to expect anything but a cold shoulder. At the risk of sounding completely noncommittal, I think both are completely valid decisions, and I will discuss why, after we review what, exactly, is in today’s chapter.

A three-fold example of justice

I was ruminating upon this thought divide while sitting with 1 Kings. As I mentioned last week, Kings is basically one long story of regime change, and can offer us much wisdom when it comes to our own election-years. The chapter we discuss today involves the passing of the crown from David to Solomon. In particular, David gives his final orders to his son Solomon, and the rest of the chapter follows Solomon doling out the judgment for which David called.

It’s an elegant chapter, in its three-fold example of justice. Solomon has to show discretion in deciding how to deal with three problematic individuals. First, Solomon’s conniving older brother, Adonijah, tries to undermine Solomon by requesting one of David’s last consorts, which, according to my NIV study notes, was a blatant power grab. Allowing Adonijah to go unpunished could lead to insurrection, and a firm and swift judgement was needed.

Second comes Joab. He was a thorn in David’s side for much of his reign: a rogue military man who was always for David, but acted out of turn and against David’s wishes on multiple occasions. Joab enjoyed David’s (begrudging) protection, but Solomon had no further reason to continue that protection, and thus removed a potentially problematic officer from his regime. Disposing of Joab reduced the threat of military shenanigans, further securing Solomon’s throne, while also showing a long memory and attention to detail: This is a king who is sharp, he will not let anything – small or large, old or new – escape his notice.

Finally, Solomon shows restraint with Shimei. Shimei basically picked the wrong side in the fight between Absalom and David, and then repented of his acts. David did not punish him at the time of his crime, but clearly had it on his conscious for some time. “You are a man of wisdom,” David says to Solomon in v. 9, “You wil know what to do with him.” Solomon tries mercy, first, basically putting Shimei on a travel restriction, allowing him to remain in Jerusalem – and Jerusalem only. But Shimei ends up leaving Jerusalem to collect runaway slaves, thus violating his agreement with Solomon, and opening the door for a legal execution.

As a small but important foible to all these disposals, Abiathar, a supporter of Adonijah, is simply banished in deference to his previous good service in carrying the ark. Allowing Abiathar to go into banishment showed restraint and kindness while still being firm.

To build a bridge…

Now, killing people is the opposite of bridge building, so let me share with you why it reminded me of contemporary times: Solomon showed discretion and subtlety in handling each of these delicate situations in a tenuous time of regime change, using the right tools and the right people for each job. It’s something our leaders could learn from, but also something we can learn from, as well. Like Solomon, we need to clearly define our own boundaries, fully understand our own strengths, and look outwards beyond ourselves to see what is for the good of our larger communities in how we act.

Or not to build a bridge…

For many, that action may be no action at all, when it comes to conciliatory gestures. If you are confused or frustrated by the anger still coming from some liberal camps, consider this: Trump’s hateful rhetoric in and of itself is enough to be exhausting. But beyond that, he has actively infringed upon the rights of many. There are still kids in cages at the border, as well as a humanitarian crisis in Syria the US has all but washed its hands of. Trump has actively rolled back LGBTQ anti-discrimination policies in HUD, the Department of Education, and elsewhere, directly impacting thousands of individuals’ ability to access healthcare, housing, and education. Finally, he has seriously jeopardized the health and safety of the entire country through his downplaying of the pandemic. Don’t believe me? Ask literally the whole world. The USA’s skyrocketing infection rate is why you and every other traveling American are currently blocked from entering so many countries.

So no, a vote for Trump is not simply a difference in opinion vis-à-vis tax income vs. investment tax rates or how much of a role the federal government should take in supplying rural broadband connections. A vote for Trump, no matter how it was “meant,” is a de facto vote for real and active discrimination against marginalized people of the country and, quite frankly, the entire world. Dismantling the damage done by the dominant policies and attitudes of the past four years is going to take a lot more than a single election of a single Democratic president, so some people are going to keep fighting, hard. And some people are exhausted thinking about that uphill battle. Everyone is different, and this is just a brief overview of a very complicated issue…but I hope that it at least gives readers a frame of conference that may have otherwise been lacking.

Don’t start building bridges if…

Are you exhausted? Let’s pause right here and do a quick self-evaluation. Because if you are exhausted, pushing yourself is going to do more harm than good. Here’s some warning signs that you may need to put yourself on pause:

  • Outsized reactions: Are you crying more? Are you startling easier? Getting angry quicker? All of these are signs of emotional burnout, compassion fatigue, and stress; and are flashing red lights that you need to get some rest.
  • Trouble focusing or remaining objective: If you feel like you’re walking around in a fog, forgetting things, having trouble problem solving or getting emotional over little problems, you may be suffering from fatigue – emotional or physical.
  • Physical symptoms: Stress and exhaustion cause physical symptoms, too. These can include headaches, back pain, nausea and other gut issues, nervous tics or restless arms/legs (both can be caused by an overproduction of adrenaline), and hair loss, to name a few.
  • The big red flags: Depression, emotional numbness, loss of purpose, suicidal thoughts. If you’re experiencing any of these you definitely need to seek help.

It’s normal for everyone to experience any of these symptoms from time to time, but if you were nodding along to multiple symptoms on this list, I’m going to tell you to stop reading right here and go take a bubble bath with your choice of chamomile tea or red wine. Come on back when you feel a little better. Seriously, go.

But back to building those bridges…

So, if you’re not off taking that bubble bath and still interested in building bridges, congratulations, you’ve already taken the first step in exercising your discretion a là King Solomon. Actually, everyone discussed here so far has shown that discretion: those who have already stepped back from conciliatory discussions, those who are newly recognizing their exhaustion and taking care of themselves, and those recognizing they still have the energy to act as God’s good agents. Now, where do we go from here?

  • Pick your battles. Just because you’re committed to repairing the broken trust of this country doesn’t mean you need to take on everything and everybody. You still have the right to walk away from an argument that is getting out of control at any time.
  • Pick a focus. What makes you passionate? There’s no right answer, and you don’t have to feel guilty about picking one thing over the other. All causes, from Black Lives Matter to disability access to immigration reform, need champions.
  • Play to your strengths. I highly recommend taking a skills assessment. There’s plenty online, the one I found particularly helpful, as it was faith based, was the Spiritual Gifts Assessment from the United Methodist Church. I scored highest in Interpretation, and it’s one reason why I write this blog. I’m good at explaining things, and the more I explain how God’s unconditional love is evident throughout the entire the Bible, the more I hope that unconditional love will spread in the world. Other people are good at organizing, others at protesting. Even less “godly” skillsets like lobbying or litigation are just as important in achieving a just and good world. I’ll also mention there’s lots of ways to get involved without actually speaking, let alone arguing, because direct confrontation is definitely not for everybody.

It can be easy to forget this in a time of quarantine and pandemic, but I want to leave you with this thought: We are not alone. We do not have to solve all the world’s problems by ourselves. Look at all the teamwork and delegation that happens in this single chapter about one of the world’s greatest kings: David passed his crown (and attending business) to Solomon. Solomon listened to his mother’s council and requests (though I will admit, in this case, she was being manipulated and Solomon saw through it. But she does council him wisely in other chapters). Solomon leaned heavily on Benaiah in executing justice. He appointed Zadok the priesthood vacated by Abiathar. In short, creating the world we want to see is a team effort, and one that will have constantly changing roles. Perhaps now is your time to rest, perhaps now is your time to step up to the plate. It is going to take the wisdom of Solomon to find our way forward, but we have each other to lean upon, and God to guide us forward. With those odds, how could we not, in the long run, make things better?

by Annie Newman

Hosea 12 – Impeachment is Just an Asterisk

1 Ephraim feeds on the wind;
    he pursues the east wind all day
    and multiplies lies and violence.
He makes a treaty with Assyria
    and sends olive oil to Egypt.

(Read the rest of the chapter here!)

 

Don’t let activism exhaustion set in (aka, don’t confuse winning the battle with winning the war)

This chapter is a political criticism, more than anything. It opens with Hosea bashing Israel’s foreign policy: “chasing the wind” is fruitless because you’ll never catch it, and that is what Israel is doing by bouncing back and forth between treaties with Egypt and Assyria.  Hosea then goes on to give a short recount of Israel’s mythologized national history – not unlike an American evoking the more sensational tales of George Washington – in an effort to contrast the poor moral fiber of Israel’s current political climate.  Unlike today, Hosea (and indeed, all of Israel) mixed religion and politics, claiming a return to God would save not only souls but national policy as well.  This difference aside, I still thought it would be a good time to offer up my own little political criticism, since that’s what this chapter is all about.

The recent impeachment of Donald J. Trump is historic, and I don’t want to take from that. He is only the third president to be impeached in 230 years of US presidents.  But what does impeachment mean?  Right now, not much more than an asterisk beside Trump’s name in future history books, just like Johnson and Clinton.  In truth, this impeachment is small potatoes compared to the more systemic problems facing this country:  voting districts are still gerrymandered, thousands are incarcerated for minor crimes, children are still in cages at the border, and McConnellism (more on that in a minute) is the new norm.

To pull from recent history: I don’t want the impeachment to become another Standing Rock.  Remember Standing Rock and the NoDAPL pipeline?  We all celebrated when, in December 2016, the pipeline’s easement was denied…and then it became a closed matter for most of the country (I’ll admit – myself included).  Barely a word was uttered on national outlets when Trump reversed the easement denial with an executive order and construction began in February 2017.  And guess what: the pipeline leaked five times in six months, exactly the kind of disaster that the Sioux of Standing Rock were worried about.  But the initial fight had already been won, our national liberal conscious assuaged, and as a country we couldn’t be bothered to keep fighting.  Long story short, don’t confuse winning one battle with winning the war.  It’s exhausting to keep fighting.  But it is so, so necessary if you care about your Earth, your fellow humans, your God.

Why progressive Christians need to be politically active

If you want something political to focus upon, it’s McConnellism.  Mitch McConnell has done more to hurt the American Democracy than Trump ever could.  There are multiple articles on this from a myriad of sources: pick which one appeals to you.  But in a nutshell, McConnell has made it his policy to put Republican wins over any other priority: refusing to consider Obama’s Supreme Court nomination (and I’m not even sure how many Federal judge nominations), refused to cooperate with election-tampering investigations (even lifting sanctions on Putin allies under FBI investigation), and now coordinating impeachment strategy with White House lawyers.  McConnell doesn’t care what the American people want, or even what is good for this country.  He just wants the Republican party (and his own self) to hold on to as much power as possible, no matter the cost.

Jostling for power is a normal part of politics.  In fact, the Founding Fathers counted upon it-hence all the checks and balances.  Now, however, the political culture in Washington has changed: it is power for power’s sake – not for advancing the good of the country. I think getting Mitch McConnell out of the Senate would be a great start.  But it’s going to take more than that, because the next Senate leader can simply follow McConnell’s example and keep up the race to the bottom.

I think the only thing that is going to make a real difference is if more – and I mean a lot more – people become politically engaged on a much more regular basis.  And this will take time, too, which is discouraging. We all like fast results, that’s why fad diets continue to be a thing.  But we can’t get discouraged to the point that we stop fighting.  The well-being of too many people (both in this country and out of it) are at stake.  Vote. Call your representatives.  And don’t forget local politics: town halls and city councils are great ways to get your voice heard.  Join marches and demonstrations.  Start fundraisers – it’s so easy to do a small birthday fundraiser on Facebook now for a cause you believe in.  If you feel really moved, you can volunteer for a campaign or polling station.  Here’s a great list of even more ways to become more politically engaged.  It may feel like we don’t have a lot of power because it takes so long for things to change. And I won’t deny there’s a lot of corruption that we’re up against.  But popular uprisings happen all the time through-out history.  And if we are loud enough, we can demand change.

Now why, you might be thinking, is a religious blog getting so political? Aren’t we supposed to have a separation between Church and State?  Yes, we have that separation. But 1.) I’m not in office nor am I running for office. 2.) I’m not trying to dictate anyone’s religious beliefs.  I’m simply saying that, as a Christian (hell, as a decent human being) the hollowing out of American democracy and all the racism/xenophobia/sexism/environmental destruction that goes with it are issues you should care about; AND here is a way that we can make a positive change.  Government is able to make broad policy decisions for the whole country that lead to the most amount of change in the least amount of time.  (Imagine how much plastic pollution would decrease if Styrofoam and plastic bags were outlawed at a national level.) Political change is not the whole fight (think how long it took some school districts to de-segregate after Brown v. Board of Education), but it is a large, large portion of said fight.  Don’t let that fight stop with the impeachment.  Keep fighting for the issues that are important to you.  You can bet your ass that this liberal Christian is going to be active in the political process and use my faith as a sounding board, and you should do so, too.

by Annie Newman

Matthew 5:38-42 – An Eye for an Eye

FYI this is a rather swear-y post with more than one F-bomb. If that isn’t your thing, you may just want to skip this one.

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

This part of the Bible always bothered me.  It bothered me that Jesus would so meekly submit to wrong-doing, and ask us to give away everything, to literally stand naked and helpless, in order to be a good Christian.  Then I heard a different interpretation of the “turn the other cheek” admonition.  I don’t remember where I originally heard it -perhaps on the History Channel years ago, but best I can re-trace it now, it seems to come from the writings of Dr. Walter Wink.  To summarize: In Jesus’ time, it was acceptable and normal to reprimand a subservient person (a wife, a slave) with a backhand slap from your right hand.  This specification is important, because one’s left hand was reserved only for unclean tasks.  So, if your master or husband slapped you across the right cheek with the back of their right hand, and you then offer them your left cheek, they either have to use their left hand to back-slap you, inherently admitting their actions are unclean and wrong, or straight up attack you with an open palmed attack.  Now, this certainly doesn’t get the slap-ee out of trouble, if anything, it invites more pain to come, but it does make the point I’m a person, damn you, pay attention!  In other words, non-violent resistance.

Nonviolent resistance is what these four verses are all about.  Another article I read pointed out the very specific examples used by Jesus are extreme illustrations.  Remember, Jesus does love hyperbole.  Perhaps these exact instances will never happen to you, but you can apply the principles in your own life.  First example: If you are being sued for your clothing, you probably are very poor and lack anything else of value.  By handing over all your clothes, standing naked in the street becomes a non-violent testament to the unfairness of the law and the hard-heartedness of the person suing you.  If you are being forced into service for one mile, walking two with the enforcer allows for one full mile of uncomfortable thought on their part.

Additionally, the translation “do not resist an evil person” is not fully agreed upon, both the literal translation and it’s meaning.  Some, like Dr. Wink, think it simply cautions us against the use of violence.  Others think it should be translated closer to something like “adopt a defensive position.”  Either way, it does not mean meek acceptance of how the world is.

Jesus is asking a lot of us in the passage.  I say that with all sincerity and gravity.  He is asking us to adhere to nonviolence, yes, but definitely not meekness.  He is asking us the very opposite.  He is asking us to put our instinct of self-preservation aside, and to stand up to the wrongs we face.  Look your accuser in the eye, and make them pay some fucking attention.  This is scary, and can result in very real physical harm.  Just think of all the Civil Rights protesters who were water cannoned, attacked by dogs, and harassed by Klansman.  Think of all the women who have had acid thrown on them for their audacity to say no to a suitor or report their rape.

Thank God we haven’t had anything that terrifying happen to us, but recently, Chris and I got a small taste of what it’s like to be the subject of someone’s maleficence.  Someone, we don’t know who, filed a bogus Worker’s Comp claim on us.  There are militant vegans who are opposed to animal husbandry in general with whom Chris has exchanged words.  There are a bunch of Good Old Boys who Chris has pissed off in his writings about race and what it means to be a farmer and black.  And who knows who else we have pissed off being an inter-racial, inter-faith couple with loud opinions.  So take your pick.  Chris had to go to court and prove that we are not a multi-state business employing over two dozen people (we just got our first employee, other than ourselves, last year, and we’re definitely only farming in Virginia).  And it was scary.  We didn’t know what we were up against.  Turns out some jackass just turned in a bunch of pictures of people from our own social media, including a picture of Chris’ grandfather on a tractor taken long before Chris was even born, citing him as an “employee.”  So it got thrown out.  But when I called my mom to tell her about the outcome, she asked if we were going to be more careful about what we put out on social media.  Fuck no, we’re not going to be more careful about what we put out on social media!  Ok, I didn’t swear at my mom, but I just get so angry thinking that someone was trying to scare us into silence.  To whatever fuckface tried to that, guess what: We’re going to keep at it.  You might be able to wound us, you might even find a way to shut down the farm completely, but you’ll never stop us.  We have the safety net of family, careers we could fall back into should farming fail, entrepreneurial spirits and just enough recklessness and faith to keep up our nonviolent resistance to the bitter end.

What injustices do you see in the world that you can stand up to?  That’s a huge question.  But it is one that Jesus asks of us.  If you need to work up your courage, I suggest reading my post about pluralistic ignorance (how more people than you think privately disagree with an idea or situation, but lack the courage to speak up about it). That post also has four ways you can act against injustice without speaking, if confrontation scares you shitless.  But the point is to act.  Do not sit meekly by. Wherever and whenever you are able, it is our duty, if we proclaim to be Christian, to resist the injustices we see in this world.  So get out there.  Resist.