Ethics.
Christian ethics is not primarily an individualistic, one-on-one-with-God brand of personal holiness; rather it has to do with living the life of the Spirit in Christian community and in the world.
~ Gordon Fee
If evangelical gatekeepers can swallow keeping children in cages, mocking the Sermon on the Mount, and following leaders in thrall to Trumpist bigotry, why would anyone respect their discernment, value their praise, or fear their critique?
~ David Gushee
The second in a series on Jesus and social justice.
As you know, Kellie and I are in our second year of doctoral studies at Portland Seminary, and our class topic this week was on Leadership and Ethics, so it occurs to me that the theme of justice and activism really belongs within the conversation on ethics. We are pretty wired to take topics like gun violence, healthcare, and immigration immediately to political categories—and they do eventually arrive there, but long before they do, they deserve consideration from an ethical and spiritual viewpoint. This allows us to consider these and other pressing matters of justice through the lens of Jesus. Even though we have various political perspectives on these matters, we stand together in prioritizing the life and message of Jesus. What might he have to say here?
Before we get to that vital question, I’d like to share a personal quandary I face. Our lead professor describes ethics as the tension between competing values, and eventually transitioned the conversation, wisely, from conceptual to personal. “In your sphere of leadership,” she asked, “where are you feeling the rub between competing values?” My answer came pretty quickly: Right here! In my blog. On the one hand, I want to appeal to the broadest cross-section of spiritually-hungry readers in order to offer as many resources for the life of spiritual contemplation and action as possible. I don’t want to needlessly offend anyone; I want to build relationships, not break them.
On the other hand, I don’t want to be afraid to speak up for those who have less power or are suffering at the hands of those with more power. Leadership has everything to do with how we handle power, and I want to be willing to challenge those structures that feel oppressive or disconnected from the ethic of Christ. This aspect of leadership sometimes calls us to be bold and say things that aren’t necessarily welcome… but hopefully it is essentially loving. Even if it costs us something.
Once again, Jesus is our guide. He was both inexpressibly gentle with one audience and then startlingly confrontational with another. With those who were getting the short end of the stick—financially and socially—he was invariably kind, comforting, and winsome. Yet with those who were benefitting financially and socially from their position of power, Jesus was relentless. And of course, Jesus’ aggression wasn’t because he hated his “church”; it was because he loved it and couldn’t bear to watch it get hijacked from God’s intentions. The Old Testament prophets too only had the authority to challenge misdirected leadership because they were part of this community they loved. If love doesn’t prompt the challenge, then all we’re left with is ego.
And while I have a bit of ego left (just a teensy, tiny wee bit :) my earnest endeavor to to be fueled and guided by love in all I do and say. So I hope that, when I fall short or do it unskillfully, you’ll give me grace and will trust my heart toward you, my fellow sojourner! And I hope that you’ll also respond to my very human attempts to be a trustworthy leader, with love and compassion. We are all desperate for grace, and grace is the crux of the way of Jesus.
Next week we’ll venture into some of these specific facets of social justice through the lens of the Jesus Way.
growing the soul
I wonder how my professor’s question lands in your context: “Where are you feeling the rub in your world between competing values?” And how is Jesus inviting you toward clarity and growth amidst that tension?
serving the world
What facet of social injustice moves you most deeply? What place of suffering and inequity makes you angry? And is it okay to be angry about that?
takeaway
Jesus shows us the way.