The critic/opponents of Black Lives Matter seem identical to the opposition to MLK and the Civil Rights movement. Yet another example of a generation that has completely forgotten history, and repeating it. Really rankles that so many “Christians” are caught up in this.
Much of this blame falls squarely on the churches, for ignoring this festering sore (and deeper infection) on the body. I blame myself, being in Youth Ministry in the late 70’s and early 80s. I talked about it, but not nearly enough, as it turns out. Kind of like the ecological mess we have now. Talked about it, but , as it turns out, not nearly enough.
On the topic of ecological sin, I mentioned that I talked about it (sparingly at first, still rarely as it became known, and not nearly enough concern had been generated up until that point in September 2014 when it hit me like “a ton of bricks”). This also has to be a serious confronting question for the church and its preparation of ministers, and its failure to seriously explore Biblical narratives on Creation and the Interdependence of all life.
Science knew about this with quite enough certainty that we had a big problem, as far back as into the 50’s (some even before this). That something so potentially catastrophic was underway , and the church largely said NOTHING, is a serious charge. The “Progressives” and “Liberals” were no better. John Cobb was in a very small group of those who were speaking of it as far back as 1972 (I have a small book of his, “Is it Too Late? A Theology of Ecology”, published in that year). I still had my entire seminary education ahead of me, and 43 years of “Christian”, theological reading (I didn’t really begin until 1974). It took 40 years before there was , in my experience, enough of a “slam-dunk” ethical dilemma here to awaken me.
To be sure, I had “floated” along, “agreeing” with and being “somewhat concerned” about what I was reading and hearing, since the 90’s. But, that was a part of this problem I am attempting to identify here. The church was not on this, for the large part. People could read and specialize in all manner of theological departmentalization and specialties, and not really confront the ecological ethical issues at all. A full-fledged denial seems to have taken hold and held sway.
It feels related to the passage in I John 4:19-21, which asks “How can you say you love God, whom you have NOT seen, and not love people, whom you HAVE seen?” The ecological crisis is one , for many, which is “unseen”, and therefore we think we have no stake, or responsibility. And yet, here we are. Things coming apart, out of our attention deficit to something that has obviously mattered a great deal to all the inhabitants of the earth. Everyone and every thing.
How did we miss this connection between the science of ecology and the responsibilities of humanity? Could it be that we we were , all this time, determined to keep in place that which has allowed us to be comfortably complacent? And , as with most “complacencies”, we deny that state of affairs as well. Our minds and hearts work together to push it away.
This is a crucial issue for “Pastoral Care” and our own mental health as people of God. We HAVE to attend to this. Our calling to address this cannot ignore our propensities to perpetuate this, out of fear; out of our resistance to changing some things that we have come to accept and confirm as vital, and it’s actually killing us.
