Which Road to Peace In A Time Of Crisis?

Raise your hand if you favor 1) applying ever more force and dominance, 2) appealing to our basic American ideals, and/or 3) committing to a life of suffering, service and self-sacrifice.*

Option 1. Oppose Force With More Force. The president recently made headlines by ordering that a group of protesters around the White House be forcibly removed in order for him to make a symbolic visit to a nearby church. This followed his having just made statements vilifying protestors and threatening the use of military troops if governors didn't take more aggressive action to restore order. He then posed for some official photos taken of him holding a Bible in his right hand in front of a nearby church. Ironically, his message continues to be one of threatening harm to those expressing their outrage over injustices, not always clearly distinguishing between peaceable and violent protestors.

Option 2. Appeal To American Ideals. A second alternative is one symbolized by the Statue of Liberty, representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty. Instead of a Bible in her raised right hand, she holds a torch of light and freedom, and in her left hand a tablet inscribed with the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At her feet are a broken shackle and chain, symbolizing the freedom African Americans experienced following the  abolition of slavery. While there are no explicit scriptural references in this national icon, many of the ideals of the Biblical prophets are embodied in this symbol of liberty and justice.

 Option 3. Heed The Words of Jesus and the Prophets. For a nation that claims to be made up of a majority of Christians, there are surprisingly few voices advocating for the kind of radical non-violence taught and practiced by Jesus and many of the Hebrew prophets. Like them, Jesus railed against injustice and condemned the rich and powerful, but refused to condone returning evil for evil. Instead he urged his followers to choose taking up the cross over taking up arms, to suffer harm rather than ever inflicting it.

*Art photo source: https://benedicttheafrican.org/art