I read a thoughtful commentary this afternoon from a pastor/author whom I respect and find insightful. He was thinking out loud about the Zimmerman verdict in the Trayvon Martin trial. He started out by affirming the legal process we have in place in this country, but he quickly moved to the idea that there is legal justice and a spiritual/moral justice. Sometimes the two are not in sync. Brian McLaren thinks that this is one of those times.
McLaren believes that there are two Americas who are reacting to the single not guilty verdict this week. This is how he puts it.
One America now has more reason to
believe that their sons can be presumed guilty until proven innocent without a
reasonable doubt when they’re walking down the street armed only with Skittles
and an iced tea.
The other America now has more reason
to believe that they can get away with murder, or something close to it, as
long as the victim is young and black and wearing a hoodie.
One America now has less reason to
believe that their sons will have equal protection under the law.
The other America is more secure in
its right to “stand its ground” and will be even more determined to carry
concealed weapons – and use them.
One America is threatened by the
“reasonable doubt” that protects the other.
One America watches as the other
America expands their gun rights while reducing protections for its own voting
rights.
The other America sincerely believes
their own gun rights are more threatened than their counterparts’ voting
rights....
One America is scandalized that an
armed adult would assess as a threat an innocent, unarmed teenager walking down
the street.
The other America is scandalized that
anyone would consider the armed adult as anything other than innocent and
justified in that assessment.
Members of both Americas are coming
together to form an emerging America that wants something better for all
Americans. That emerging America wants us to deal deeply and honestly with our
largely untreated, unacknowledged American original sin: a cocktail of white
privilege, manifest destiny, and racism – in both its personal and
institutional forms.
That emerging America believes that
the best world is one where people multiply plowshares and pruning hooks, not
swords and spears. Or in contemporary terms – one where people multiply
community playgrounds and parks, not guns and drones.
That emerging America wants to bring
people of all races, religions, regions, parties, and classes together in a
common pursuit: a nation and world where there is equal liberty and justice for
all.
I think Brian McLaren is right. I think more and more there are at least two different ways of looking at everything that happens in our nation. I think some of it is the fault of 24 'news' programming (on TV, the radio, and all over the internet) which pretends to inform, but instead does all that it can to transform and reinforce the ideology of its viewers. I think a lot of it has to do with the lingering wounds of race, class, and gender--wounds that we thought were nearly healed, but have become infected all over again. I think the way politicians put the success of their party and their partisan goals ahead of the success of the entirety of the American people. A lot of our problems flow from the lack of a shared commitment to the Common Good. And, as you might guess, I think our failure to take Jesus seriously enough--our unwillingness to look through the lens of his life, death, and resurrection--has helped polarize this nation in a way that it has not been for a long, long time.
I will admit to not knowing the details of the trial--I have not followed the proceedings and therefore have no opinion whatsoever on the verdict that was rendered. But I believe McLaren is on to something in pointing out that there is a huge split in how we Americans are trying to make sense of these events.
Prayer seems in order (prayer always seems in order to me). We continue to pray for peace through the fullest kind of justice. We pray for the Martin family, for Trayvon's friends, for his church. We pray for George Zimmerman and his safety. We pray for those who live in an almost constant fear that they or the ones they love will be victims of violent crime. And I pray that this leads us to a new dialog about how we might bridge the gap between these two Americas--how we might find a moral clarity that will help us affirm the many things that bind us together.
For the whole article check out:
No comments:
Post a Comment