Whose Side Is God On?

Barack Obama's eulogy, John Lewis' funeral;
Atlanta, Georgia, July 30, 2020

Whose side is God on? 

What ARE the sides?

 

Who defines them?

 

On Thursday President Barack Obama delivered a 45 minute eulogy at the service for Congressman John Lewis, a eulogy structured around James 1:2-4: 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

Obama shared the story of Lewis’ journey into political involvement, his perseverance in the face of violent opposition and repeated arrest, his refusal to fall into hatred or violent response, his maturity, compassion, and determined prophetic, joyful witness.

 

Along the way Obama acknowledged that Lewis’ struggle for a just, beloved community continues:

• Lewis’s journey began in response to mistreatment of his people. That mistreatment continues, as seen in the death of George Floyd.
• Lewis was beaten on Petis Bridge as he engaged in peaceful protest. Men and women continue to be beaten as they engage in peaceful protest.
• Lewis worked to expand the right to vote, to ensure equal access under the law for every person. That work continues, with constant opposition. 

I found the eulogy incredibly moving, and appreciated the thoughtful use of scripture, the honor paid to “a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance.” How much we need leaders like John Lewis: humble, faithful, willing to serve decade after decade at great cost to themselves.

 

And how much we need thoughtful, disciplined leaders like Barack Obama, willing to tell the tell the story in a way that highlights faith, grace and the need for prophetic witness in a difficult, fractured time.   

But of course, the outcry from some corners was immediate.

Sean Hannity called the eulogy a “divisive, politically charged, and frankly, at times, mean-spirited speech filled with statements not based in truth or reality.”

From Fox News host Tucker Carlson:

Barack Obama, one of the sleaziest and most dishonest figures in the history of American politics, used George Floyd's death at a funeral to attack the police.

Imagine if some greasy politician showed up at your loved one's funeral and started throwing around stupid partisan talking points about Senate procedure.

Who decides what's partisan?

I’m reminded of a passage from Joshua 5: 

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or our adversaries? 

He said, “Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped.

We’ve been taught, in this current fractured landscape, to see everything as one side or the other: are you for us or our adversaries?

Are you liberal or conservative? Left or right? Blue or red? Every word, every action, every idea is relegated to one side or the other.

Appropriate oversight of police.

Rules about use of force.

 

Adequate funding of public education.

 

Clean air.

 

Clean water.

 

Fair elections.

 

A functional, adequately funded postal service.

 

Research-driven policy.

 

Fiscal oversight.

 

Competent professionals with experience and expertise. 

How did those become partisan issues?

How did we get to the place where views other than our own are self-righteously dismissed as “partisan” rather than heard and considered?

How did evangelical Christians become aligned with a point of view that labels rather than listens?

 

So Joshua’s questions: Is God for us or our adversaries?

Neither. He is present, active, and the ground where he stands is holy.

 

Some of the critique of Obama’s speech addressed his mention of partisan gerrymandering. He didn’t mention either party, but in recent years Republicans have been most effective in capturing seats through distorted districts. The evidence of this is visible in Republican reports and statements by Republican leaders. Some Republicans have acknowledged that gerrymandering is wrong. Others assume any attempt to ensure fairly drawn districts is a partisan effort to advantage Democrats.

 

In my own work to ensure fair districts in Pennsylvania, I’ve worked with legislators from both sides of the aisle who believe gerrymandering is a blight on our electoral system, as did Ronald Reagan.

But I’ve also attracted my own partisan trolls, who have call me a far-left liberal, a socialist crazy, and gang leader of the criminal enterprise, “Democrat Districts.”  Not to worry: I’ve also been attacked from the other side as naïve and dangerous in my insistence that some Republicans can be trusted.

 

Real problems and real solutions are neither red nor blue. This current pandemic doesn’t care what party we belong to. Death is death, no matter who encounters it.

 

I’ve had friends ask me: how do we navigate this space as followers of Christ? How do we keep from getting labeled, pulled into pointless arguments?

Most important: how do we make clear that as Christians we stand for something other than the Republican party platform? How do we say, with clarity and grace: our God is not defined by those who claim God for their side?

 

Silence is not an effective strategy.

 

When in doubt I have only two defaults: examination of the life of Christ, and constant prayer for wisdom.

 

The example of Jesus is always instructive: he stood, always, on the side of the poor, the accused, the marginalized, the weak. He spoke up on their behalf in ways that offended and confounded the powerful. He upended the narrative of those who claimed to speak for God and insisted on an unexpected alternative.

 

Jesus refused to see people as the enemy, to endorse the divisions of his day: sin is the enemy. Grace and love are the solution. No one group is immune to sin. Anyone who calls out for grace, who turns toward love of God and neighbor, is welcome.

 

So -we navigate this space by refusing to judge people: there are faithful Christians across the political spectrum. There are also hypocrites and pretenders. There are people who want to do right yet are trapped by political systems, snared by partisan media, led by misguided leaders.

There are people of integrity who sometimes fall short. There are people with no integrity at all who sometimes do good because it serves their own ambitions. There are men and women wrestling with their own history, their own heritage, the burdens of their own complicated situations.

 

We can judge actions. We can judge ideas. But Jesus told us again and again: don’t judge people. So listen with love and look for common ground.

 

I memorized James 3: 17-18 years ago, and return to it often:

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

As a parent I learned that what works well with one child may be totally wrong for another. In youth ministry I learned that any seemingly chance conversation can be an occasion for harm or incredible grace. I’ve learned to pray for wisdom as I start my day, as I encounter conflict, as conversations take unexpected turns.

If I’m not sure I should say something, I’ll often leave it unsaid, then go back and pray, think, journal out what I would say if given another chance. Sometimes that chance comes quickly. Sometimes never.

 

Even this blog is part of that ongoing prayer for wisdom.

 

What a different world this would be if we would listen and love, if we would refuse to repeat judgements that label and divide.

 

And what a different world if all who claim to follow Christ would be pure in intention, gentle in response, open to reason, motivated by mercy, willing to listen to all sides before coming to conclusion.

 

And what a different world if those who claim to speak for Christ would speak as agents of the kingdom Jesus asks us to envision: a righteous world where the hungry are fed, the sick are healed, the prisoners released and the powerful stoop to serve the weak.

 

I pray it would be so.