Silence Is Consent to the Forces of Fear, Anger, and Division

I did my best to stay quiet during the election. I believed that my job was to vote, live and work intentionally for justice in my Central Detroit neighborhood, and volunteer to turn out the vote. I avoided raising my voice.

Unfortunately, that does not appear to be an option anymore.

The reality is that a xenophobic, sexist demagogue with dictatorial tendencies whose primary platform was a white nationalist agenda was elected by the evangelical church. 80% of evangelicals voted for Trump. In the face of this, one thing shifts into dramatic clarity:

We cannot be quiet anymore. We can't be quiet when white supremacy has been elevated to become the dominant political force in America, and in the American church (side-note: It always has been). We can't be quiet when our Muslim brothers and sisters are deliberately targeted by our federal government. We can't be quiet while walls are built and immigrants demonized. We can't be quiet when refugees are referred to as terrorists, and black Americans labeled as criminals. We can't be quiet when women are reduced to their anatomy and sexuality.

We cannot be quiet because our silence is consent to the forces of fear, anger, and division which seek to rule in this world. We must claim and proclaim the Kingdom of God, here, now, in the moment of history God has placed us. We must advocate without fear for one another, knowing that we stand together or fall alone. We must become the multi-faceted body of Christ God calls us to be, or risk letting white supremacy throttle what is left of American Christianity.

Above all we must recognize, realize, and remember that the most repeated command of the Bible is to not be afraid. Fear put this man in office, and we cannot afford to let fear cripple us any longer. Silence is no longer an option. Speak the truth, and pray to God for the grace to let his truth be heard.