Where's The Outrage?

Earlier this week, the frontrunner for the nomination as the Republican candidate in the 2016 Presidential race shared his opinion about what must be done to address the terrorist attack in San Bernidino California. In a press release, his campaign called for a , "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on." In other words, let’s do away with the First Amendment. Let’s give the authorities the option of using a person’s faith to determine governance. Let’s make this abhorrent thing a little easier to swallow by saying it will only last for a while, knowing full well that once freedom is relinquished, it is very difficult to take back. Let’s forget about the unimaginable price paid by so many others for those freedoms and sell the cow for a handful of magic beans. All this from a man who is on the very short list of those who will become our next President.

Many have responded to his idea. Both sides of the aisle were quick to make political hay from his remarks, and several wise, seasoned voices of faith gave a hard push back to his unconstitutional comment, i.e. Russell Moore. And yet, I have several friends and acquaintances who are ever so quick to post their opinion about such things as the color of cups used in a coffee shop at Christmastime, the lack of a pin of the American flag on on an elected official's lapel, or the sentencing of a nonexistent New England pastor who refused to perform a nonexistent wedding for a nonexistant same-sex couple. So why, when Donald Trump throws out a statement that undermines a core tenet of the American way of life, . . . well, not so much?

Before too many defensive hackles are raised, please know that I understand these are frightening times. My core beliefs stand in direct opposition to those who claim the teachings of Islam. I cannot follow my Savior and believe anything but the fact that Mohammed was a false prophet. And while any belief system can be radicalized toward unimaginable evil, it would appear that in today’s world, a significant number of those who align themselves under the banner of the Crescent and Star are reprehensibly wicked and vile. We call them terrorists for a reason.

But my chief concern is not the current war thrust upon us. And it’s not about Donald Trump or any other candidate for that matter. No, for me the issue lies with how we set our priorities. It seems that these days politicians are making two kinds of promises. They tell us they can keep us fed, and they tell us they can keep us safe. And living in a society that feels threatened in both its security and prosperity, we appear more than willing to overlook the dangers of a candidate’s message, especially when it becomes someone else's burden. That is the danger of which I speak.

I read something from another pastor who put it this way.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—

And there was no one left to speak for me.

The pastor’s name was Martin Niemöller, a Lutheran pastor living in Germany in the 1930's, who eventually was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp for speaking out against the government’s control over the churches. To illustrate this point further, you might watch a video taken from a poem by Maurice Ogden that gives graphic detail to the concept in his work entitled ‘The Hangman.’

I think of the story of two brothers named Jacob and Esau. One day a famished Esau comes upon Jacob preparing a meal of lentil soup. Jacob offers him some, but only if he is willing to surrender his birthright. Concerned only with the hunger of today and renouncing the heritage of his future (and the future of his family yet to come,) he gladly gave it all away for a little bit of stew and a piece of bread.

Friends, we are better than this. Might we keep our own candidates accountable to the standards we see lacking in others. Hold firm to the foundation upon which this nation is built, and do not compromise even in the face of fear and hardship.

And to those who choose to overlook, marginalize, or justify this latest slap in the face to the dreams and ideals of our founding fathers, I would simply say, ‘"Enjoy the soup."

Measure Twice,

DLB