“The illusion is thinking that, by changing a system, an ideology, or our external circumstances, things will change. No; freedom is . . . realizing that…Love is not a symbol or an ideal; it is a living power. . . . “*

As a young, wet-behind-the-ears campus minister at a state school with a religion/ philosophy department, he visited a white, evangelical professor one day and got a dressing down. As he entered the small office, he noticed the shelves upon shelves of books crowding in upon the professor.  He was invited to sit in the claustrophobic space.

Not having all the degrees as the professor, he sat intimidated as the professor, who knew the chaplain’s social action agenda, set out to correct the chaplain’s erroneous, theological perspective.

The professor stated simply that changing the world started with changing hearts, one heart at a time.

The upstart chaplain said, “Well, that will take more time than anyone has. As a white, highly educated person are you not grateful for the social systems that allowed you and your family to move freely and take advantage of life’s opportunities? Have you not sought to provide your family with the best possible circumstances so that they might take advantage of the possibilities life has to offer and haven’t you done that out of love?”

“Of course. What does that have to do with faith?”

“Faith is doing unto others what we would like to have done to ourselves, right? Life is lived within systems. Isn’t providing systems promoting justice, mercy and peace living out the command to love others as you love yourself? Changing systems to reflect the love of God is not an illusion. Within just systems, people experience the dignity of being valued and move more freely to make decisions for themselves and their loved ones.”

“Well, how is that bringing people to Jesus? ”

“Well, that’s not my job. I’m just called to love them in the name of Jesus as you love your family because we are all God’s family. I guess the rest is up to the Holy Spirit.”

The professor then could just as well have said, “Class dismissed!”

And the chaplain could just as well have responded, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think I had signed up for one of your classes, professor.”

As it is, the chaplain rose, scanned the shelf upon shelf of books crowding in
on the professor, said thank you and stepped out into the fresh air.

*from something I read and with which I disagree

She walks every morning staying
away from close quarters, practic-
ing appropriate distancing. She’s
recovering. When she returns home
she lovingly looks at her yard, turns
to look ahead and then back at the
yard. She is proud of her yard, mani-
cured so precisely. The shrubs are
all in order, trimmed just so. The
grass is cut by a topnotch landscap-
ing company twice a week, nary a
blade out of place. The pesticides
and herbicides are doing exactly
what they are intended to do, and,
of course, more so. The neighbor
wants to call after her, “Hold your
breath till you get inside.”

Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Where there is no leader, there is no vision.
Where is the leader; where is the vision?
On a golf course, of course, while the people perish.

He doesn’t listen to podcasts
but this one caught his attention.
A megachurch, white, evangelical,
male pastor, nice pompadour

according to the photo, was on
to talk about how he made a
bad decision regarding staffing
at his church, was furloughed for

awhile and then got the pulpit
back and a new book to promote.
The podcast was at a site of a de-
ceased, iconically humble priest

who wrote often about being wound-
ed. So, the wounding for the mega-
church man was an unfortunate
decision which sidelined his mom-

entum for a short period of time,
and this when a black man had his
windpipe smashed, his life taken
followed by a collective cry, “No

more,” and the shaking of the found-
ations of America. Are white, evan-
gelical, male pastors ever going to
get it? The world does not rotate

around their white, evangelical,
male behinds let alone their nicely
quaffed pompadours. Maybe they
should start by canning their

“individual salvation in Jesus
Christ, I’m going to heaven while
you can go to hell” heretical,
catchphrase, schtick which exempts

all adherents from any social,
communal effort for social justice
for all — i.e. the essential Jesus
work.

In some cases, it is bad to follow the law, and it is good to set aside the letter of the law and to follow the dictates of justice and the common good. To follow the letter of the law when it ought not to be followed is sinful. Human law cannot repeal any part of divine law or natural law. All law is directed to the common well-being. For this it draws its force and meaning, and to the extent that it falls short of this it does not oblige in conscience. — St. Thomas Aquinas

An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.  To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just.  And law that degrades human personality is unjust.  — Martin Luther King, Jr.

…my [kindergarten aged] son and I discussed the civil rights movement, and I reminded him that not all rules are good rules and that unjust rules must be broken. — Eula Biss

a course change —
let’s rearrange
the priorities
for all minorities
to get long-overdue justice
and with reciprocity,
freedom, too, for all of us,
from bias, hate,
guilt and shame;
oh, my, isn’t it great?
there is no longer anyone to blame.

*quotes from a Matthew Fox meditation and a NY Times article by Eula Biss reprinted at On Being

reciprocity
is a necessity
for a democracy
to function
courteously,
productively,
positively,
meaningfully,
constructively,
justly,
peacefully.

Really, we know so little,
Some sayings, some healings,
Words of comfort, words of judgment,
Getting into trouble, remaining silent

Before the authorities and then the
Excuse for a trial, humiliation and
An excruciating death followed by
A movement that transformed the

World. Probably, if we knew more
We would be nitpicky and dismissive
As we so often are when we find
Out the details. It’s better this way,

Kind of like the brutal deaths of
Blacks. If we knew a lot more about
Their lives we would dismiss their
Deaths and the way they died to

Get out from under the cloud of
Shame, kind of like what was just
Attempted with the black man
Who had his windpipe closed with

A knee. They tried to discredit him
As a criminal, but what we know is
That that doesn’t matter. What we know
Is that he was brutally murdered and a

Seismic shift took place. George, Jorge,
“Hey-sus,” Jesus, Breonna died and live so
Others won’t have to die — even us and our
Ample, white butts are handed an un-

Deserving get-out-of-jail-free card, and
A voice says, “You better make good on it
At long last. Listen, listen, listen and
Act .”

Messiness
pervades,
invades,
Pig-Pen
heaven,
dust cloud,
bug cloud,
shouting
out loud,
protests
here,
there,
every-
where —
democracy
in Pig-Pen
heaven.

If we called upon people’s better angels
do you think the people would
change their minds
or do you think they would
just stiffen their spines
as they usually do?
I’m not bettin’ the mine,
‘cause I’m thinkin’ the devils
will show up in time,
on the dime,
every time,
(as they always do)
but let’s keep cheering
for the angels,
for the angels, our betters,
who cry, “Black Lives Matter,”
all the time;
this is our history —
yours and mine.
Let’s make it count —
this time,
on the dime,
every time,                                                                     
all the time.

The political strategist
said that 30% of Americans
have always been crazy.

So, that’s good news?
Yes, he would say,
and that’s not a maybe.

America has survived the
30% in previous times,
so the voters need to be ready.

Be prepared for high-jinks;
get out the vote
to outnumber the 30%.
Just stay steady.