CHURCH INTEGRITY AND GUNS
Recently on Facebook, a clergy colleague announced that he would delete any political and social commentary from his page, that he wanted only comments relating to specific church/faith formation. OK, I can respect his wish.
But his underatnding of the mission of the Church is narrow and un-Isaiah. The OT text for this week comes from Isaiah 1. To quote: “Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me….Hear the word of the Lord….I have had enough of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats….bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me….Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”
I contend the Church, including the pastoral leadership, is doing evil when we focus only on internal matters and relegate ministry “beyond the walls” to a minor role.
I believe gun violence prevention has been relegated to a minor role if at all in our congregations. There is a fear to engage the issue, a fear of losing members and offering receipts. The Church is the moral center of society. Our calling is to do justice, rescue, defend and plead. The internal and the external are one.