When tragedy strikes the community that a church is in, be that the local community, national, or international community, (like with Covid-19) the churches role is to help facilitate healing.
We know this because when the Apostle John had a vision while imprisoned on the island of Patmos, he saw God making all things new, God setting all things right, and wiping the tears away from the eyes of those who mourned. (See Revelation 21.) Jesus came to earth to reconcile humanity to himself, and make things right, to undo the tragedy caused by humankind. It follows that God calls the church to help bring about healing by being a part of the process of healing and reconciliation in a time of tragedy.
Many churches talk about engaging their local community or being an active part of their community. They talk about not being a cloistered convent of devout worshipers, but of leaving the safety of the church building, and being present with and for the community. For Evangelical Christians the gospel of Jesus Christ is central to this effort.
When a tragedy occurs, and a church intends to engage with the local community, they will naturally address the tragedy that has occured, and do so through the eyes of Jesus. They will weep with those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn.
But it can't end there. If the tragedy destroys life, healing involves being present with those who remain. If the tragedy destroys property or livelihoods, healing is about binding up that which is broken and restoring life and property to its former state. Jesus didn't just heal souls, he healed bodies and restored livelihoods. While no individual church can right all the wrongs, a church engaged with its community will aim to be a part of the solution, both spiritually and physically.
But what happens if the tragedy does both of those things and more, destroying justice in the process, because someone commits a crime, or gross negligence brought on my animous?
The church's role does not change. It is still called to bring about healing, but now the process looks different. Now, healing starts with naming the wrong done.
If the KKK burns a synagogue to the ground in a way that shakes the whole community, (and puts up a cross in the process) it isn't enough for the church to help rebuild the synagogue. Naming the racism that led to the burning of the synagogue is a necessary part of the healing process. Naming the fact that a perverted form of Christianity led to the atrocity is also necessary, as is being aware of, and talking about the historic role that Christians have played in antisemitism.
This past week, perverted Christians and others assaulted the U.S. capital and threatened to murder the Vice President and members of Congress, in an effort to overturn a democratic election. They murdered a police officer, and brought about the deaths of at least four others. They defecated in a space sacred to the exercise of democracy, and like the KKK, some did so in the name of Christ.
It isn't enough to say, "well obviously that isn't us."
First, it isn't obvious, not to an increasingly secular world. It is always incumbent on the one communicating to ensure they are understood. In this case, the speaker is any church that wants to engage with their community, and have the moral authority to be heard. If the perverted Christianity on display during the murderous insurrection at the capitol is not our brand of Christianity, then we need to say that. Assuming everyone already knows that, indicates the church is insular and not aware of how it is understood (or misunderstood) in the larger community.
Second, the goal if we recall, is bringing about healing through the message of Jesus Christ. Naming the wrong is a necessary component of that healing. Jesus of Nazareth did not just preach grace, he preached grace and truth. His truth in his time, required hitm to actively confront those responsible for unjustly destroying others.
In Matthew 23 he said this to the spiritual leaders of his community, "You hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness... you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate."
The church today, is in danger of being left with a morally desolate house.
Jesus was killed for directly confronting the equivalent of today's pastors. His confrontation brought about his death, but it also brought healing.
I have heard it said, concerning the assault on democracy that took place last week, that "both sides are responsible" or that "there are some people at our church who were happy with what took place."
This is is a shocking exercise in lying. There is no version of the facts that indicates both sides stormed the capitol. One might say that the larger political context involves riots on all sides. That is true, and a post for another day, but we can't make the mistake of creating false equivalencies. A peaceful march for justice, followed by mostly others later destroying property is wrong. It is not the same as a single group of people rioting and attempting to overturn an election, directly egged on by the President of the United States. The first group sought justice for those oppressed by racism, a cause that was then in part hijacked by others, resulting in the destruction of property. The second group sought to conduct a coup at the behest of Donald Trump.
What took place in Washington last week is so far beyond left/right politics that it should make the pastor's job naming the wrong in a non-political way easy. Mitch McConnell, the highly conservative leader of Senate has come out against this atrocity as have many other Republicans. The assault on democracy last week is not (or should not be) a partisan issue.
The church should be apolitical, and as non-partisan as possible, in as much as partisans allow it to do so by their conduct, but the church cannot sit by in the face of atrocity. It can be apolitical while also stating truth and confronting evil, just as Jesus did.
Christ did not side with one political group over another. But he did name the injustice in his world, and he wept with those who were weeping.
In the event both sides of some wrong are both present in the church and share responsibility, the principles named above don't change, they are just applied differently or evenhandedly.
The church is called to facilitate healing by creating space for grace, and reconciliation, and binding up that which was broken. It must do this spiritually, practically, and emotionally through the power of the Holy Spirit. To do that, wrongs done have to be named and repented of. Cheap reconciliation that tries to sweep the wrongs under the rug does not work in the long run, and is usually immoral. If the church chooses to sit on the sideline because it cannot or will not take the steps Christ has called it to, it forfeits its moral authority and its seat at the table, as the community comes together to heal without it.
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