How Does the Peace Work? Why Minneapolis?

For the person who attempts to follow Jesus, it is understood that God owns everything. That God is love. That God created everything and that all people are sacred.

The Peace has no limits and sometimes it forces very hard questions. But in the end The Peace should be applied to everything. To government, business, medicine, education, etc. There is no compromise.

The problem we all have is that generally, the functions mentioned above do not significantly follow The Peace. When we see dysfunction in the world it is because of an absence of God’s love working through us and our institutions.

With that said, the biggest human rights issue we face in this country is the proper handling of immigrants. I will argue that the reason people come here is often because we as a nation did their countries harm, thus destabilizing life there and creating the need for people to leave.

Over the past 100 years business and government have forged unholy alliances in several Latin American countries to gain control of natural resources. (This was a field of study of mine and has largely shaped my theology.) When this has happened, the countries in question have become destabilized economically and socially, leaving our neighbors who live there in a terrible fix.

Before I continue, it is important to note that both political parties have been equally culpable here. This is not a red or blue issue. It’s a human issue. Period.

In essence, our country has gained an economic advantage over many Latin American countries though very shady, unethical and probably illegal practices. This has often involved our nation installing corrupt governments in some nations, and our businesses colluding with those governments to take unfair advantage of people and resources there. This has damaged the institutions, public trust and rule of law that make freedom, safety and prosperity possible. And so yes, people come here — but as a nation we are largely responsible for the conditions that forced them here.

There is an individual side to this, too. Most of us consume products made or grown under these conditions, without really knowing what has been and often still is going on behind the larger scenes. Sadly, I am culpable because I know what goes on because I am absorbed by this stuff and I eat sleep and drink The Peace. And yes, I eat bananas. I am not proud of that fact.  

All of this comes about from the withholding of God’s peace. Every Old Testament prophet and Jesus would speak out against this. Why? Because people have suffered and are suffering. So, this gets us to the current focus of what has happened in Minneapolis. The protests there are about the wide net that the government is using to capture real criminals. That’s a job that needs to be done, but the way it is being done is creating a great deal of collateral damage and causing harm to many others.

With all of that said, our country has a moral dilemma: What to do with people who have come here to get away from conditions that were caused by our government and big businesses over the last 100 years?

I believe that the proper application of the peace is to extend significant levels of compassion, mercy and grace.  We can demand more — and better — from our leaders, our businesses and ourselves.

That is how I see God’s love working in the world. What about you?

Peace,

Pastor Mark

Read Bishop Curry's statement here.