Stupefied by Outrage
“‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. And already, Frodo, our time is beginning to look black.'” (LOTR, p51)
We are in an time of upheaval. I believe the furor over things like Cracker Barrel changing their logo and other ideas which seem out of proportion is due to the general upheaval and anxiety created by leaders and our algorithmic media consumption. We live in a time when the very platforms we turn to for news, connection, and communication are driven by algorithms which drive us apart, stoke anger, stoke outrage, and create the atmosphere to hate people not in our algorithmic niche. Maybe as an elder Gen-X I can see outside the algorithm because I still remember a time when our interactions were mostly face to face and we were not connected all the time. Nostalgia aside, that was a very different time in which things were not quite as divided. Yes, there were trends and fads, but not algorithms feeding us a steady diet of reinforcing content, misinformation, or the lies of disinformation. We still had jerks, but jerkery did not drive clicks and views (because we did not have clicks and views).
For the world is changing: I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, and I smell it in the air. - Treebeard, the Ent (LOTR, p. 981)
We once were able as a species to disagree with one another but still share a meal or campfire and common human conversation. Now, any dissent from the algorithmic-soaked newsfeed is seen as an evil which must be snuffed out rather than a beginning point of “what the heck?” Anger and hatred are the norm as is the suspension of common sense recognition of steaming piles of crap heaped upon society. Those of us in the Church catholic were once able to call out injustice regardless who controlled the seat of power in a country. (I speak as a citizen of the United States) Now, if you criticize policy, it is seen as an attack upon voters who voted for a politician. But the policy may not even be something those voters expected. If you dare speak against a policy enacted by a politician voted for by the majority of members of your denomination, you risk all sort of trouble if you are clergy. From simple whataboutism, to attacks on the your fitness for ministry, to dismissal by the church it feels as if the measure of faithfulness could be linked to political platforms rather than living in holiness like Jesus.
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Because the comparison to Nazis has been overdone, it is hard to speak of parallels between the contemporary American Evangelical church and the German Evangelical church of the 1930’s. But there are parallels in the contexts of support for political power that promised a return to a past Christian greatness (a false claim, but powerful nonetheless). The German church aligned with power that it saw as a way to gain cultural power. History has judged that time harshly, and rightfully so, but we see actions similar to what was experienced by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer dared to speak of the dangers and he was ignored and vilified by the larger German church until he wasn’t. While this comparison was greeted by a fellow member of clergy who told me “no one is killing Jews;” I reminded that person that only after years of othering and scapegoating did the killing of Jews become a possibility and then it became the purpose.
But injustice is injustice; and the Church should be faithful in calling out injustice. Especially when that injustice is brought by those claiming to follow Christ or of being protective of Christianity. The Church should also be wary of Caesar when promised a seat at the tables of power. That never comes free of strings. Being narrow, my denomination of Wesleyan-Holiness folk makes a point of speaking of our concerns for an equitable society. Paragraph 31 on human sexuality may be all the rage when it comes to enforcement of our Covenant of Christian Conduct, but that only comes after we describe what holiness folk are to care about and work toward in the paragraphs of 28.
We call our people to proclaim and demonstrate God’s grace and love to the world. Equipping believers for reconciling love as ambassadors for Christ in the world is the shared responsibility of every congregation. God calls us to attitudes, practices of hospitality, and relationships that value all persons. We participate as joyful disciples, engaging with others to create a society that mirrors God’s purposes. Our faith is to work through love. Therefore, the Church is to give herself to the care, feeding, clothing, and shelter of the poor and marginalized. A life of Christian holiness will entail efforts to create a more just and equitable society and world, especially for the poor, the oppressed, and those who cannot speak for themselves. (Manual, p45)
This is who we are and we should be crying out as a people when we witness injustice. Yes, it is hard, but we call people to many hard things because of our desire to see holiness transform the world. The difficulty is compounded when speaking for the marginalized is vilified and silence is rewarded. Or, even worse, we waste our time on frivolous resolutions or attack clergy who dare to speak out against true heresy infiltrating our churches*. You see, the excitement generated by the New Apostolic Reformation generates revenue. Of course, it also exposes a credibility gap, but credibility gaps may be a core identifier of Wesleyan-Holiness folk as strong as prevenient grace and entire sanctification. Our crisis of an aging clergy will only get worse if we continue acting as if injustice is someone else’s concern or we allow our actions to expose credibility gaps.
Getting back to how we might act. Even through the difficulty, faithful clergy and Christians should be able to call out injustice and dark times regardless who is in charge. Even if that makes for hard conversations with those close to us. But we also cannot be frozen by hopelessness and fear. I was recently watching a clip from America’s Got Talent and remembered the testimony of Nightbirde who spoke of happiness not being dependent upon everything being good. She held that hope all the way to her eventual death by cancer. But, she spoke deep truth. We have no control over some things. Even though we can speak against injustice, we still can only feel responsible for the things we have the ability to change or influence.
“‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. And already, Frodo, our time is beginning to look black.'” (LOTR, p51)
*Montanism as expressed through the New Apostolic Reformation
Manual, Church of the Nazarene Copyright 2023 by Nazarene Publishing House
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings. Illustrated edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2021.