“…The law was not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient.” (1 Tim. 1:9)
America is burning! Fueled not only from a sense of deferred hope and endless frustration, but through a spirit of rebellion, as demonstrated by acts of lawlessness and wanton destruction. Nevertheless, a social order derived solely through the enforcement of law will never be sufficient to impose the self-restraint needed for peaceful coexistence. Although justification exists for challenging governing authorities concerning their failure to institute meaningful reform, democracy still remains central to its effectual resolution, yet democracy itself is still dependent upon individual responsibility for its collective viability. But, whether the problem lies in the failure of our institutions, or in ourselves alone, it is perhaps the de-moralization of society itself, with its growing emphasis on entitlement, which is at the root of the decay in this post-modern society.
Although the impetus for social activism has always been to right the wrong of injustice, historical attempts at reform have repeatedly fallen victim to competing interests, which in turn have either been better organized or better funded. And, if we can let history be our guide, we might do well to remember the French Revolution of 1793 and the people’s revolt over the price of — bread! Yet, their initial justification was eventually coopted by the charismatic figure of Robespierre, the guillotine and The Reign of Terror. And in retrospect, the outcome was nearly the same for the Russian Revolution of 1917, which provided the opportunity for Bolshevism. In turn, the Chinese Cultural Revolution soon followed, but it too succumbed to a counterrevolution orchestrated by Chairman Mao and the Red Guard, with their hollow promises, followed by social purges and mass famine. The point being, that after all this time society has yet to bring about a structured reform that’s commensurate with a state of elevated consciousness in the individual, a prerequisite for any kind of lasting change reflective of an equitable and just society.
While the American Revolution is often viewed as one of those few exceptions, it also has fallen well short of its democratic aspirations and precepts of founding as a government — “…of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Although it willingly accepting Indians, as well as Blacks, as voluntarily conscripts during the Revolutionary War, the recognition of their separate “inalienable rights” routinely met with derision from the public sector and “lawful” resistance from the top. And, if it hadn’t been for the personal sacrifice of a few of their number, freedom’s march would never have been anything more than a hallelujah in a hailstorm. Yet, when we consider the progress they did make, it was simply due in large part to those individuals who found the moral courage to rise above the fray.
And, while the majority of these notables were motivated by reason of basic survival, human dignity, or the simple injustice of it all , there were others who saw in their abridged rights an inequity which could only be remedied by appealing to scripture in the light of the U.S. Constitution, thereby serving to convict White Christian Americans of their complicity in the prevailing sentiment of “Manifest Destiny.” Foremost among these was William Apess (1798-1838-?), a Pequot, Methodist Minister, who successfully argued on behalf of God in light of the enshrined principles of the U.S. Constitution. “While Christianity was a faith that could be offered to Indians because it confirmed their equality with all other humans…, it could not come at the expense of an unrelieved deprivation of native liberty and the deliberate destruction of their cultural and physical beings. To that end, his need was not to convert Native Americans to Christianity, but to controvert Euro-Americans’ historical exclusion of his people from the making of America.” (O’Connell, 1992) What can be further said of Apess can be summed up in these few words: “With thinking men, those whose sentiments are worthy of regard, there is but one opinion, and that is the soul of the Indian is immortal.”
Best remembered standing at the front of the strengthening concourse in Washington D.C., saying “I have a dream…” Martin Luther King Jr. also challenged entrenched interests, but through non-violent, direct-action. Although King proposed a means of social equality through integration, his contemporary Malcolm X was more pragmatic and forthright, identifying the system itself as the source of the problem. Yet, like Apess, they both seized upon the principles of the nation’s own founding to secure the higher ground, and in doing so awakened Americans from their self-imposed slumber to reengage this nation’s true purpose. Addressing the people directly, while at the same time arguing from a superior position of religious ethics they succeeded where others had failed. By stirring up a spirit of conviction, while underscoring the original “social contract” of unity and shared destiny, they in turn reminded the people of their collective responsibility in promoting and protecting their promised freedoms. And central to that concept of American liberty, they emphasized the prerequisites of responsibility, sacrifice and self-restraint as a preliminary requirement for all those who would desired to live within a nation of free people .
While contending for the greater good is a requisite for progress toward a more perfect union, its realization will remain forever distant without a complimentary regeneration of our ethical acuity and moral proclivity. But, even as our collective conscience cannot survive in a spiritual vacuum, any appeal to a higher authority will remain forever vacant without a corresponding belief in its heavenly origin. In that regard, we then might consider the early English reformer, John Wycliffe (1328-1384), who said: “This Bible is for the Government of the People, by the People, and for the People”. And, in spite of modern sensibilities, the Bible still serves as the only extant blueprint for the formation of a truly civil society.
As a country of mixed races, religious pluralism, and secular idealism, America’s unifying and compelling vision, as articulated in our own Constitution and Bill of Rights, has always been our common cause. But when our consumptive tendencies serve to subvert our higher calling, political misdirection, and chaos are soon to follow. And, sowing into the wind our indifference we will then reap the whirlwind of own indiscretion. Change may come, but let it not be at the cost of our deepest convictions. And, while I would argue that the only thing keeping us from the flames at this point may be a collective repentance, we are for certain approaching precipice from which there will be no turning back. But whether we are consumed from below, or in the end, lifted on high, “…repentance must first come to the house of the Lord” (1 Pet. 4:17). The sepulcher must first be opened and the dead raised, as only those alive in Christ will live to inherit his Kingdom.
CoupStick Chaplain 