Tag: public square

Truth Stumbles In the Public Square

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

In these past few months, as an American citizen, I have often wondered what God thinks about the current political situation and climate of the United States.

I must say that with a serious reading of the biblical prophets, it’s rather easy to imagine what the Divine stance likely is:

Justice is far from us,
    and deliverance does not reach us;
we wait for light, but there is only darkness;
    and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
We grope like the blind along a wall,
    groping like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
    among the vigorous as though we were dead.
We all growl like bears;
    like doves we moan mournfully.
We wait for justice, but there is none;
    for salvation, but it is far from us.
For our transgressions before you are many,
    and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions indeed are with us,
    and we know our iniquities:
transgressing and denying the Lord
    and turning away from following our God,
talking oppression and revolt,
    conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart.
Justice is turned back,
    and deliverance stands at a distance,
for truth stumbles in the public square,
    and uprightness cannot enter.
Truth is lacking,
    and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
    that there was no justice. (Isaiah 59:9-15, NRSV)

These days, many of my prayers echo the complaint of the ancient prophet Isaiah. I too, have an expectation that God will grant justice and righteousness; and that the Lord will take pity upon us for our ignorance of what is just, right, and good.

And like the prophet Isaiah, I grieve a situation of profuse lying, political malpractice, and socio-economic illiteracy. Many, if not most, Americans and the world community alike, lacks things it needs to live a viable and joyous life. So, I mourn, like a bear growling for a long-awaited meal.

It seems to me that we are failing one another. Our collective vice, and lack of virtue, have led us on a path of injustice. We are a flawed people; we need Divine help.

Perhaps you believe I am being something of a curmudgeon, being too negative – that I’m seeing the glass darkly as only half empty. But no, I’m actually seeing the glass as completely empty, for we are a bereft people.

But just maybe this emptiness can be filled with justice and righteousness, and not shallowness and lack of education, nor gaslighting and manipulative selfishness. Just maybe we can filled to the full in truth.

Our public life together depends upon ethics of accountability.

This insipid business of people stating that they are “being transparent” is nothing but a red flag letting us know that they are doing just the opposite.

We need a new community – a fresh vision of what life can be together. And we are getting anything but that. Instead, in the U.S., we get entrenched yelping from both Republicans and Democrats. And in the face of injustice, we receive an eerie silence from those who ought to know better.

This is not simply a struggle for a political party and its policies. What is happening now transcends each party’s vision of how to live together as a people.

Historically, the Democratic party has generally believed that government ought to raise money through a fair system of taxation. The funds then are to be used to provide basic services that serve the common good of all persons, i.e. ensuring a living wage, protection through laws, maintenance of infrastructure, equal access to healthcare and education, etc.

The Republican party has approached a more individualistic vision of government, believing that each person should manage their own money to make the best use of a market economy. Then, they can create economic growth without reliance upon government regulation of business. Private philanthropy and non-profit organizations are relied upon to provide social services. Private companies are called upon to handle infrastructure needs.

In essence, at the core, Democrats have a vision of community and caring for one another, whereas Republicans have a vision of each person living prosperously under their own fig tree without the interference of others.

This is why things like tax increases and tax cuts become such visceral issues, because they get at the practical outworkings of each party’s vision of how to live together.

But the stakes are even higher than an American two-party system. There is presently leadership in the United States that is openly antagonistic, belligerent, bullying, rude, and frankly, unbiblical and unvirtuous. There is nothing that comes out of the current president’s mouth that reflects the words of Jesus; and there is nothing he does which is consistent with the ways of Jesus.

Many, if not most, “Christian” Republicans are woefully out of touch with their own Bibles; and, at the very least, are complicit in retraumatizing the already traumatized people in the nation (and the world) through supporting unjust leadership.

In the time of the prophet Isaiah, not only was there injustice (common citizens not receiving what they need to build a good life and flourish) but there was no one willing and available, no one engaged and at work to turn around an unjust system so that the government would respect basic human rights for the poor and the needy, the least and the lost in society.

So, the prophet was on the scene to announce that Yahweh, the God of Judah, has noticed. Yahweh has seen that the leadership would not accept responsibility for implementing the Law of God (namely, a set of just, right, and good laws which were to frame all of Jewish society).

Nobody cared. No one bothered to help those without a voice and without hope. And Yahweh knew it. Therefore, a sorry state existed which eventually turned into the people losing their land through an active judgment of God.

Truth matters. And when it is suppressed in the public square, God’s eyebrow is raised.

Lips that speak lies, tongues that mutter wickedness, attitudes which are dishonest, hands that work only for self, and feet which run to violence are all anti-truth practices. (Isaiah 59:3-4)

There is no way on this earth and in this life to get along without government. And because of that, government’s legitimate duty to its people is to provide necessary order, safety, peace, and ensure justice – which means making sure that all citizens have what they need to grow, thrive, and prosper.

Both survival and prosperity must have the glue of truth holding society together – which means that a nation’s government needs to have the basic fundamentals of justice in mind and at heart.

A telltale sign that leaders do not have the best interests of their own people is how they speak to and treat others outside their own nation, people in differing circumstances in different places.

“They did not want to consider their duty. They have distorted their intelligence so as to not understand what ought to be done… They have distanced themselves so far from the truth that they openly combat those who turn away from perversity and choose the good.”

Theodoret (393-457 C.E.)

I cannot think of a better way to describe our current failure of leadership in this world.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Instead of selfishness we need self-discipline. Rather than a personal concern for earthly wealth and profit, we need to seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness.

Instead of simply loving those who love us, we can  love our enemies and seek to do good. We can actively walk alongside beleaguered people who have had quite enough of belligerent bullying and bogus bellicosity in their lives.

To God belongs the ability to save, deliver, redeem, and judge. To you and I belongs the responsibility for treating our fellow humanity with justice, equity, goodness, and humility with a gentle spirit, holding one another accountable for our attitudes and actions. In short, it means living the truth.

That includes every politician and political party.

“Truth is difficult to reach and endure, but it is always the doorway to new freedom and life.”

John O’Donohue

If you yet are looking for some sort of positive outlook, some kind of hope, it is this: Our present suffering of spirit can serve to burn away any illusions (and delusions) that a politician or political process will save us.

Any disillusionment we may have becomes an opportunity to discover both old and new ways living the truth. It often takes suffering to teach us what is truly most important to us.

Our current malaise, national anxiety, and world troubles can become the means of future possibility, if we will let it. Worrisome circumstances can open to us the light of undiscovered truth about ourselves and our world.

We may stumble, yet there is always the chance to catch ourselves and not fall. So, what does God think of this present national and world situation? The prophet Isaiah insisted:

Let the wicked forsake their way
    and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:7-9, NRSV)

No matter what happens on this earth, Isaiah’s perspective insists upon the truth and reality of God’s ultimate authority. We shall not always understand divine authority, yet at its core, is full of justice and righteousness. And nothing can stop from it breaking out into the public square.

May it be so, to the glory of God.

Truth Stumbles in the Public Square (Isaiah 59:9-19)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Therefore justice is far from us,
    and deliverance does not reach us;
we wait for light, but there is only darkness;
    and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
We grope like the blind along a wall,
    groping like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
    among the vigorous as though we were dead.
We all growl like bears;
    like doves we moan mournfully.
We wait for justice, but there is none;
    for salvation, but it is far from us.
For our transgressions before you are many,
    and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions indeed are with us,
    and we know our iniquities:
transgressing and denying the Lord
    and turning away from following our God,
talking oppression and revolt,
    conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart.
Justice is turned back,
    and deliverance stands at a distance,
for truth stumbles in the public square,
    and uprightness cannot enter.
Truth is lacking,
    and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
    that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one
    and was appalled that there was no one to intervene,
so his own arm brought him victory,
    and his righteousness upheld him.
He put on righteousness like a breastplate
    and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing
    and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle.
According to their deeds, so will he repay
    wrath to his adversaries, requital to his enemies;
    to the coastlands he will render requital.
So those in the west shall fear the name of the Lord,
    and those in the east, his glory,
for he will come like a pent-up stream
    that the wind of the Lord drives on. (New Revised Standard Version)

We in the United States of America are in a presidential election year. Soon Americans will be voting for their choice of president, as well as an array of federal, state, and local candidates on the ballot.

For many, these four year cycles of elections bring a lot of anxiety, dread, and perhaps most of all, anger. Television commercials and media outlets overflow with the most egregious forms of logical fallacies, and finger pointing, one could imagine.

According to the Pew Research Center, public trust in the U.S. federal government is at 22 percent. That figure is slightly up from 5-10 years ago when it hit an historic low of 15 percent. To put that in perspective, the public trust was at 73 percent in 1960, and 36 percent when Richard Nixon resigned from office due to the Watergate scandal.

In some ways, our contemporary situation is akin to the situation of ancient Judah when Isaiah was prophet. Peace and protection, justice and righteousness, were hard to come by. There was no real trust in government.

The Judeans of the time blamed everyone but themselves for their social and political troubles. They even blamed God. Citizens were not taking responsibility to effect good and right in the land.

It appears that nobody was accepting accountability for their own junk, and blaming God and others for their governmental woes. So, they turned away from each other, and God.

Politics, today as in Isaiah’s day, has become less about the vocation of statecraft and unselfish public servants promoting the welfare of citizens; it has become more about winning elections and possessing power. 

A party spirit rules the day, where, in the Unites States, Republicans and Democrats are more divided than ever with less and less ability to truly listen to one another in order to advance genuine justice, ethical righteousness, and social peace within both the nation and the world.

We, as citizens of both our local regions and of the world, must avoid getting sucked into the vortex of acrimonious speech and hate-filled rhetoric. 

Christians, especially those who desire to live and love like Jesus, need to be at the forefront of forsaking the hypocrisy of saying one thing and doing another; of envying power in order to satisfy personal agendas; and, of believing that malicious talk is justified if it accomplishes my wants and needs. 

We are not to keep looking for politicians, and everyone else whom we disagree with, to change. Rather, we ourselves are to practice repentance and allow the grace of God to transform and renew us. 

If what we speak in the public square is selfish and deceitful, we have no further to look than within, when it comes to turning from evil. A slow, careful, and serious reading of the prophet Isaiah becomes quite necessary. If it does not lead to repentance, we only have God’s displeasure to anticipate.

So, instead of continually insisting that others change or move over, let’s focus on us and seek the following:

  • Seek our better angels of humility, tolerance, and patience to guide our public discourse.
  • Open our eyes to see the image of God in others who are different from us and who see the world differently than we do.
  • Embrace civility and basic human respect for all persons, no matter who they are, as our presuppositions to all conversations.
  • Develop good listening skills so that we aren’t misinterpreting and misrepresenting another’s viewpoint.
  • Be willing, within our own communities of faith, to participate and worship together as the one people of God, without assigning other identities to each other which are not helpful.
  • Enlarge our hearts so that we are big enough people to hold the differing perspectives and politics of others without demonizing them.
  • Default to grace when we aren’t sure what to do say or do.

The Lord will not contend forever with injustice and unrighteousness in the world’s politics, including the extremely local politics of church, family, and neighborhood. Divine intervention cuts both ways, bringing deliverance and freedom, as well as judgment and retribution.

Let us, then, be found to be truthful and honest in all our words and ways; encouraging and helpful in all our public rhetoric and service. Let us seek the peace of everyone, both near and far.

God of truth and justice, you have every right to judge the world. Yet, instead of destroying the earth, you sent your Son to redeem lost humanity to yourself. May I, along with every creature you have made, come to our senses and speak truth with love; and act with integrity so that there is again righteousness throughout the land. Amen.

Amos 5:10-17 – Work It Out In the Public Square

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment

People hate this kind of talk.
    Raw truth is never popular.
But here it is, bluntly spoken:
    Because you run roughshod over the poor
    and take the bread right out of their mouths,
You’re never going to move into
    the luxury homes you have built.
You’re never going to drink wine
    from the expensive vineyards you’ve planted.
I precisely know the extent of your violations,
    the enormity of your sins. Appalling!
You bully right-living people,
    taking bribes right and left and kicking the poor when they’re down.

Justice is a lost cause. Evil is epidemic.
    Decent people throw up their hands.
Protest and rebuke are useless,
    a waste of breath.

Seek good and not evil—
    and live!
You talk about God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
    being your best friend.
Well, live like it,
    and maybe it will happen.

Hate evil and love good,
    then work it out in the public square.
Maybe God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
    will notice your remnant and be gracious.

Now again, my Master’s Message, God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Go out into the streets and lament loudly!
    Fill the malls and shops with cries of doom!
Weep loudly, ‘Not me! Not us, Not now!’
    Empty offices, stores, factories, workplaces.
Enlist everyone in the general lament.
    I want to hear it loud and clear when I make my visit.”

God’s Decree. (The Message)

I believe an honest hearing of the prophet Amos would change the world.

I’m not talking about angry ranting which works people into a frenzy of fear and suspicion. I am referring to giving Amos a serious hearing, just like we give the Apostle Paul our focused attention.

Too bad so many people are unfamiliar with this prophet and his message. This unawareness, or even purposeful ignorance, could be one reason why the ancient message of Amos appears as fresh today as it was so long ago.

Poverty has always been with us – but that doesn’t mean we ought to only shrug our shoulders and say, “Meh, what’s a guy to do?” Instead, we can determine to address the issues which create a large class of poor people to begin with. Those issues include malevolence, materialism, and militarism.

Malevolence

The moral compass of many of the earth’s nations is askew, even broken. It needs to be recalibrated to the true north of biblical justice.

Back in the prophet’s day, bullying, bribery, and backstabbing were tools used for malevolent purposes. Those same implements are still being used by some today.

You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort the words of the righteous. (Deuteronomy 16:19, NET)

Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster,
    and their reign of terror will come to an end. (Proverbs 22:8, NLT)

But why would people be so unjust to other people? What would motivate someone to purposefully harm another in this way?…

Materialism

Whenever people have an exorbitant amount of stuff, generosity is typically not their first impulse (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Rather, the extremely rich among us have an equally extreme temptation to hold on tight to their wealth – so much so that money and acquiring more stuff becomes their religion. That’s why Scripture is replete with warnings about money.

Jesus said:

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24, CEB)

“Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15, NRSV)

It’s bad enough when individuals, families, and corporate companies devote themselves to a bloated materialism without regard to the poor; it’s even worse when entire nations, governments, and regions do it. From their perspective, what is the most effective way for them to protect all that stuff and self-interest?

Militarism

Pouring significant amounts of money into maintaining armies to safeguard resources – and the way of life which created those resources – puts the focus off the poor and onto the interests of wealth. It also diverts money which could address problems of poverty and puts it into a massive defense budget.

Throughout the Old Testament, militarism was seen as fundamentally not trusting in God. And the prophets have a well-known term for this: idolatry.

The Lord doesn’t care about
the strength of horses
    or powerful armies.
The Lord is pleased only
with those who worship him
    and trust his love. (Psalm 147:10-11, CEV)

Make sure to not build up a war machine, amassing military horses and chariots. (Deuteronomy 17:16, MSG)

Please don’t hear what I’m not saying. A standing military is a must – I’m just pointing out that we need to know precisely what we’re defending. Are we truly defending the rights of the poor, the disadvantaged, and the needy? Or are we defending someone’s exorbitant wealth?

Work It Out In the Public Square

Policies need to reflect values. Greed can and is legislated as a politic of indifference, whereas generosity can be ensconced with a politic of caring for the common good of all, not just some. This is not namby-pamby liberal drivel – it is paying attention to the biblical text.

Addressing poverty means removing the obstacles of malevolence, materialism, and militarism. And it begins with practicing lament.

The very presence of systemic racism and poverty, ecological devastation, healthcare disparities, economic policies which do not benefit all persons, and distorted notions of nationalism requires not only virtuous policy making, but also demands public lamentation.

Why lament? Because the Lord, the One who observes and sees all the wrong against the most vulnerable of the earth, demands that it be done.

Wherever there is injustice, we need people who will champion the cause of the needy through voicing aloud the deep grief from being squished by the powerful, as well as affirming trust in the Lord.

I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
    the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
    the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember,
    and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
    How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
    He’s all I’ve got left. (Lamentations 3:19-24, MSG)

O Creator of all living things: We are all hungry in a world full of abundance. The possibilities of food for bodies and souls overflow on this earth. We ask for the grace to see the abundance of our world and enough awareness to acknowledge our sins of greed and fear.

Give us openness of soul, courageous spirits, and willing hearts to be with our sisters and brothers who are hungry and in pain, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit are One God, now and forever. Amen.

Isaiah 59:9-19 – (Un)Truth in the Public Square

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Because of all this, justice is far from us,
    and righteousness beyond our reach.
We expect light, and there is darkness;
    we await a gleam of light, but walk about in gloom.
We grope along the wall like the blind;
    like those without eyes we grope.
We stumble at noonday as if it were twilight,
    and among the strong as if we were dying.
All of us growl like bears,
    and like doves we moan.
We expect justice, but there is none;
    we await salvation, but it is far from us.
Our rebellions are numerous in your presence;
    our sins testify against us.
Our rebellions are with us;
    we’re aware of our guilt:
    defying and denying the Lord,
    turning away from our God,
    planning oppression and revolt,
    muttering lying words conceived in our minds.
Justice is pushed aside;
    righteousness stands far off,
    because truth has stumbled in the public square,
    and honesty can’t enter.
Truth is missing;
    anyone turning from evil is plundered.

The Lord looked and was upset at the absence of justice.
Seeing that there was no one,
    and astonished that no one would intervene,
    God’s arm brought victory,
    upheld by righteousness,
    putting on righteousness as armor
    and a helmet of salvation on his head,
    putting on garments of vengeance,
    and wrapping himself in a cloak of zeal.
God will repay according to their actions:
    wrath to his foes, retribution to enemies,
    retribution to the coastlands,
    so those in the west will fear the Lord’s name,
    and those in the east will fear God’s glory.
It will come like a rushing river
    that the Lord’s wind drives on. (Common English Bible)

It is telling that when the word “politics” is used today, we immediately think of other words like, “polarized” “rancorous” and “corrupt.” The word “statecraft,” that is, the positive use of politics as a vocation in serving the common good of all persons, seems now like some anachronistic concept of the past.

Isaiah the prophet may have spoken over two millennia ago, yet his words are eerily relevant today, when he said, “Truth has stumbled in the public square.”

Politics, today as in Isaiah’s day, has become less about unselfish public servants promoting the welfare of citizens, and more about winning elections and possessing power. 

A party spirit rules the day, where, in the Unites States, Republicans and Democrats are more divided than ever with less and less ability to truly listen to one another in order to advance genuine justice, ethical righteousness, and social peace within both the nation and the world.

We, as citizens of both our local regions and of the world, must avoid getting sucked into the vortex of acrimonious speech and hate-filled rhetoric. 

Christians, especially those who desire to live and love like Jesus, need to be at the forefront of forsaking the hypocrisy of saying one thing and doing another; of envying power in order to satisfy personal agendas; and, of believing that malicious talk is justified if it accomplishes my wants and needs. 

We are not to keep looking for politicians, and everyone else whom we disagree with, to change. Rather, we ourselves are to practice repentance and allow the grace of God to transform and renew us. 

If what we speak in the public square is selfish and deceitful, we have no further to look than within, when it comes to turning from evil. A slow, careful, and serious reading of the prophet Isaiah is quite necessary. If it does not lead to repentance, we only have God’s displeasure to anticipate.

So, instead of continually insisting that others change or move over, let’s focus on us and seek the following:

  • Seek our better angels of humility, tolerance, and patience to guide our public discourse.
  • Open our eyes to see the image of God in others who are different from us and who see the world differently than we do.
  • Embrace civility and basic human respect for all persons, no matter who they are, as our presuppositions to all conversations.
  • Develop good listening skills so that we aren’t misinterpreting and misrepresenting another’s viewpoint.
  • Be willing, within our own communities of faith, to participate and worship together as the one people of God, without assigning other identities to each other which are not helpful.
  • Enlarge our hearts so that we are big enough people to hold the differing perspectives and politics of others without demonizing them.
  • Default to grace when we aren’t sure what to do say or do.

The Lord will not contend forever with injustice and unrighteousness in the world’s politics, including the extremely local politics of church, family, and neighborhood. Divine intervention cuts both ways, bringing deliverance and freedom, as well as judgment and retribution.

Let us, then, be found to be truthful and honest in all our words and ways; encouraging and helpful in all our public service; and seeking the peace of everyone in our own relational orbits.

Great God of truth and justice, you have every right to judge the world. Yet, instead of destroying the earth, you sent your Son to redeem lost humanity to yourself. May I, along with every creature you have made, come to our senses and speak truth with grace and act with integrity so that there is again righteousness throughout the land. Amen.