Moderator’s Letter: Response to Racial Violence & How to Take Action

Monday, June 1, 2020

My Dearest Siblings, Leaders of the Presbytery (primarily and especially my White siblings),

By now, hopefully, you’ve seen the latest video message from the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson II regarding the latest taking of Black lives by police and his call to us to follow the example of Christ, the commands of Scripture and our own Book of Order to stand against racism and the systems that perpetuate it.  

My heart is sick, and I feel nausea as I write this.  Since the Stated Clerk of GA made that call things have escalated, properties have been damaged, looting has occurred, and innocent lives have been lost.  Even now there are pockets of unrest all over L.A. reminiscent of the rebellions surrounding the Rodney King beating and miscarriage of justice.  

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a term as Moderator such as this.  They say, “Truth is stranger than fiction” and “You just can’t make this stuff up”.  Truly, it is and I can’t.  But, even in the midst of a pandemic and the chaos and rebellion resulting from the racist murders of Mr. George Floyd, Ms. Breonna Taylor, and Mr. Ahmaud Arbery, there is an opportunity for us as church leaders, ministers of Word and Sacrament, ruling elders, and deacons alike, all called and ordained to prophetic witness, to stand, speak, and move in that ordination and call.  There is an opportunity to imitate and follow our namesake, Savior, and elder brother, Jesus the Living Christ.  

Now is the time to inhabit and live it out!  

Christ did not remain silent regarding loving neighbor as self.  Jews were to love and care for hated Samaritans, whom they saw as half-breeds and heretics, worthy only of contempt.  Christ did not remain silent or inactive regarding the hypocrisy of the society around him when it came to the sick, the poor, the widow, or the orphan.  Christ did not remain silent or stand still  when witnessing the abuse of the poor by the system in power in regards to usury in the temple.  

You may already have been taking action and it is, of course, up to you, but I implore you, do not remain silent regarding racism and the systems that perpetuate it in your sermons or in your communities.  Please, do not simply allude to or just give a short mention to these things in a prayer.  Don’t form committees, commissions, or task forces.  That time is gone!  Educate the ruling elders and deacons in your churches as to their individual and corporate call to prophetic witness and exactly what that means.  Urge them to action.  Do what you can to center Black, Brown, Indigenous peoples and anyone who doesn’t fit in the box of a cis-male, White, straight, capitalist, citizen, Christian.  Listen to them.  Follow their lead in Christlike witness.  Do what you can to personally and corporately speak truth to power in your locality, in our State and to the Federal Government.  The system must change, but it won’t unless people from all across our society demand that it does, and we must not back off until it happens.  How is that to be done exactly?  

Stand – In standing you make yourself visible.  In standing on the Rock, you stand even higher and on the solid moral ground of Christ and Scripture.  Be conspicuously visible in your church and community, individually and corporately.  God has already pushed us out of the building, now go into the community!

Speak – In speaking you break the silence and violence that comes from the void of moral leadership and lack of morally just laws and structures.  In speaking into that void you bring love, you bring compassion, you bring community, you bring hope.

Move – Take action.  What that looks like to you, your session, and your congregations is going to necessarily vary and is up to what you hear from the Spirit, Scripture and Black and Brown communities, but move you must.  Staying in one spot brings complacency and stagnation.  Moving forward takes us all closer to the true Blessed Community, toward reconciliation and true peace, not the false peace that is merely an absence of open violence, resentment, and pain this country and that the majority of us have done their best to deny.  In moving you can bring reconciliation and work toward healing.  Healing cannot come solely from standing and speaking, but comes with active efforts over time.   Concrete actions might include:

Lead congregations, friends and family members into relationships with individuals and communities of color.

Seek out the perspectives of people of color, directly and through community leaders, and remain in conversation with them. The presbytery has resources and can help direct you.

Call your session to meet on Zoom and be in constant prayer together over a few days’ time to seek spiritual guidance for what your church can do to fight racism and injustice.

Then go and do it.

Faith without works is dead.  

In Love and Solidarity,

Eric

R.E. Eric V. Beck | He/Him/His

Moderator | Presbytery of the Pacific

P.S.  Since I wrote this a week ago protests and events, even mass virtual events, continue.  If you can, please participate in the memorial for George Floyd today (Monday, June 8th) and in conjunction with The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, today has been declared a day of fasting and focus.  Then, this evening at 5:00pm when we are asking people to stop where you are for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in silence in honor of the time George Floyd had the literal knee of the state on his neck.