Witness for Justice

When I had the honor of serving as pastor at First Congregational UCC in Red Oak, Iowa, we reshaped our new member liturgy to reflect some of the breadth and depth of our collective theology. One of the questions we asked of new members was, “Will you help us live into the things we say we believe?” It was an invitation for us to grow together in faith, to lovingly hold each other accountable for our professions of faith, and give grace to one another in the process. It is also an opportunity to examine what it is we say we believe, and whether we actually do believe them or merely profess them because we think we should.

I think about this new member question almost every week. What is it we say we believe? How do we live into those beliefs every day? And who is the “we” included here? Is it my family, my home church, the United Church of Christ, the United States?

In the United States, we say we believe in freedom, but assaults on First Amendment rights continue week after week, including limitations on press freedoms, the right to peaceably assemble, and even access to diverse reading material. In our country, we say we believe in equality, but racism, sexism, and bias against one’s religion and nation of origin are given free rein. We say we are a Christian nation, but we deny Christ’s way of peace and call to be peacemakers when we recently bombed Iran, and we deny the gift of healing that Jesus so freely offered when we cut access to Medicaid, Medicare, and necessary medical procedures.

When our actions make a mockery of our professions of belief, we are challenged to do one of two things. First, we can undertake a fearless examination of our behavior and make changes so that we are acting in alignment with our beliefs. To be sure, we cannot do this alone, but must do so with the help of others and the strength of the Holy Spirit. Or, we can undertake a fearless examination of our beliefs and begin to profess what our actions say about what we truly believe. This is no less difficult, because it may mean admitting that we don’t actually believe some things that we think we should. Either path, however, leads to greater integrity.

I am not invested in the United States being a Christian nation. (In fact, given the multitudes of faiths practiced my so many of us who live here, and the fact that many Americans are not religious at all, I’d prefer we stop saying that we are.) But I am invested in the United States being a place of truth, where our actions conform to the things we say we believe. So I call upon all of us who live in the United States to ask our elected leaders to live into the things they say they believe. If they believe in freedom, then let that freedom extend to all. If they say they believe in equality, then let that equality be made real in law and fact. If they say they believe in Jesus Christ, then let them be peacemakers and healers. And if they will not do these things, then let them tell the truth—that they do not believe in freedom, in equality, in Christ.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The Rev. Elizabeth Dilley serves as the Minister and Team Leader for the Ministerial Excellence, Support, and Authorization (MESA) and Research teams in the National Setting of the United Church of Christ.

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