Awash in Violence

          I’ll start with the plain truth: “Violence saturates almost every aspect of North American culture.” So says the astute observer, teacher and author Henry Giroux. If you are a denier of the plain truth, you’ve probably clicked on to the next blog already. If you’re still reading, then there is hope for the world.

          Think about it. No one alive today has lived in a world of peace. War, with its attendant and pervasive insecurity, floods the earth. By the pride of nations we are taught that violence is the solution to life’s problems. Violence becomes so commonplace that sometimes we don’t even notice it, sometimes we laugh at it. It dominates media, sports, and movies, it’s the most popular element of video games. Somehow, the NRA argues, the weapons of war abroad are necessary to keep the peace in our homes. We were shocked, and rightly so, that 26 people, mostly young children, were slaughtered at an elementary school in Newtown, CT, but unaware than over 3,300 people have been killed in gun violence in the few short months since.  Daily we witness road rage, bullying, aggressive language, destruction of land, forests, rivers, air, and creatures. We consciously throw away lives, precious human lives, when we ignore poverty and homelessness, fail to extend welcome to workers and others who add value to our society, discriminate against anyone who is “different.” In America, we incarcerate more people than any other country, most for minor infractions. These are all surely acts of violence no less than war or murder.

          All of the world’s religions profess the necessity for peace, as the foundation of human life and/or the fundamental vision of God. We are called to live by the “golden rule.” Obviously, there is a profound disconnect between what we profess and how we live our lives. I’m sorry to say than this is as true, or more so, of people of my own Christian faith tradition. Jesus was a man of radical peace, but those who follow him have largely strayed from His ways.

          It’s time for all who profess to believe, and even those who profess to be “spiritual but not religious,” to embrace these truths and introspect their own lives. It’s time for the church of Jesus Christ, broadly defined, to recover its prophetic calling, to transcend political, social, racial, and cultural boundaries to lift up demands for less violence and more peace. We must be articulate and persistent, we must call out others who will stand with us, and we must never stop….never stop because the very life of ourselves and future generations are at stake.