I believe that clergy who value the Word as inspired and authoritative,
and particularly the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as the revealed will of God in the
New Covenant of Grace, need to stand up, speak out and directly address
injustice, speaking truth to power.
Ezekiel 3:18-21 has always been a powerful passage for me, in informing
me of the seriousness of my prophetic role of speaking God’s Will with God’s
people, especially when addressing injustice.
When you stand with the oppressed, you inevitably stand against
oppression. It may seem “radical” or
even risky to speak out about issues of injustice and oppression, but it is
just as risky to be a pastor of the Word and leave it irrelevant in the face of
injustice, and just as risky to be a prophet and NOT speak the truth of God to
power.
We are called to lend our power to the powerless and voices to the
voiceless. Somebody’s got to stand with
them, for THEIR sake! That is a part of
living Jesus’ commanded Agape Love (active commitment on behalf of the
other)!!!!
It is also for the sake of the oppressors that we speak, in order that
they might find or rediscover God’s Grace and Jesus’ command to live Agape Love
in the world without judgement. It may
be critical for them to hear or hear again of God’s will that the most vulnerable
not be exploited, but necessarily given aid by any who would claim to be people
of God. Somebody’s got to tell them, for
THEIR sake! That is a part of living Jesus’
commanded Agape Love!!!!!
Being commissioned with the sharing of the Good News, and as people who
responsibly value the contexts of language, literary critique, history and
culture in understanding it, it is vital that WE share openly and boldly a
FAITHFUL understanding of what God’s Word says and does not say to us. When
other believers or pastors selectively use God’s Word to hurt others not like
them (i.e. homosexuality, abortion), when they use it to exploit others and get
more for themselves at their expense (i.e. church growth strategies, prosperity
theology) or ignore very numerous and clear admonishments regarding hurtful
behaviors (i.e. Greed, lust for power, hatred), then out of Agape Love,
somebody’s got to speak out!
When government, business or church discriminate against children of
God or hurt them, especially the most vulnerable among us, out of Agape Love,
somebody’s got to speak out!
It is the call of people who follow Jesus to live and share the Good
News in the world around us, in THIS PART of God’s Kingdom, so…
The time for trying to please all of your “constituents” is over, and
the time to speak truth to the people of God is here.
The time for disassociating the Good News of Jesus from political,
economic and ecclesiastical practices is over, and the time to address them
with the Gospel is here!
The time of giving over the Word to those who misuse it for their own
prejudices and personal gains is over, and the time to spread the truth of the
Gospel is here!
The time of “having itching ears” and “being blown by every wind of
doctrine” that pleases us, reflecting the world in the church is over, and the
time for addressing the world with the Gospel of Jesus AS THE CHURCH, is here!
The time for pastors, who are also called to be prophetic, being silent
and compliant is over, and the time to address this part of God’s Kingdom with
the Gospel is here!
