“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” ~1 Peter 4:7-8
There is a crisis brewing in LA (and now around America). I earnestly hope that we will choose to pray for one another, and seek self-control and sober-mindedness as we try to understand what is happening. The whole world is watching. The whole world is concerned. I am praying that divisions will not grow. I am praying for peace. I am praying that God Himself would intervene. This particular crisis could turn into something very ugly indeed, not just for the short-term, but the long-term…having an impact on the entire world.
I pray that Christians would strive for love. I pray that they would be motivated by love for one another, and seek to give their energy to love more than fear or hate. I pray that love will help them to have self-control and sober-mindedness in conversations, and in actions. I pray that God will stir in each of us curiosity for others, in different situations, so that we might have a clearer understanding of one another.
THE DRIVING GRIEVANCES BEHIND THIS CONFLICT:
There are grievances, massive grievances as this conflict in LA (and across the USA) grows. I am not American, so I am incredibly limited in how well I can articulate the grievances. I have tried to study carefully and understand these grievances as well as I can. Forgive me for where I fail!
1. Immigrants, and those who support them:
On the one hand, immigrants, legal or not, are terrified. They are being arrested by people wearing masks, and without ID. They are being treated inhumanely. They are being separated cruelly and unnecessarily from family. Trump’s administration promised to root out criminal illegal immigrants. But most of the people being arrested pay taxes, work jobs no one else wants to work, and contribute to their communities. Some immigrants are here legally, and being arrested mistakenly, and this is also terrifying many people. They are wondering if they will be deported, even if they are here legally. There is a fear that the Trump administration (particularly Stephen Miller) is driven by a racist agenda.
Yes, immigrants who are in the US illegally, can be legally deported. However, they are human, and made in the image of God, and should be treated with human dignity. They should be allowed to argue their case. It’s terrifying that Stephen Miller has said he is actively looking into suspending habeas corpus. This becomes a problem for every American citizen, not just illegal immigrants.
There’s also the horror of possibly being sent to an El Salvador prison or even to a country like Libya. This is getting into very bad territory. This is not something that should happen in a democratic society.
In LA, during the protests, an Australian protestor was shot with a rubber bullet for no reason. She was not being violent. It was horrifying to watch. One protester was basically trampled by a cop on a horse! I don’t know what was happening, but there were several cops on horses, and cops on foot surrounding this protester. The protester, after being trampled, stood up, so he wouldn’t be trampled again. A cop on foot hurled him to the ground. This certainly seems like excessive force in both cases.
In LA, during the protests, an Australian protestor was shot with a rubber bullet for no reason. She was not being violent. It was horrifying to watch. One protester was basically trampled by a cop on a horse! I don’t know what was happening, but there were several cops on horses, and cops on foot surrounding this protester. The protester, after being trampled, stood up, so he wouldn’t be trampled again. A cop on foot hurled him to the ground. This certainly seems like excessive force in both cases.
The National Guard and 700 Marines have been called in for this protest. There is deep concern that this will incite violence rather than prevent it. People are confused by why those involved in the January 6th insurrection have been pardoned. During this, people were seeking to kill Mike Pence and others, destroyed property, and attacked police (to state it mildly). The attack on the Capitol was much worse. Why such a strong reaction to this protest (700 Marines seems like too much), when others have been pardoned for even worse actions? It feels like hypocrisy for the Americans concerned for the treatment of immigrants (legal or illegal).
2. Those afraid of illegal immigrants:
On the other hand, some American people are afraid that illegal immigrants might hurt them or take their jobs, or make life more expensive for them in the USA. They are scared that their own rights will be taken away. They are scared that they won’t be able to practice their religion. They are afraid that Americans won’t be ‘American’ anymore.
On the other hand, some American people are afraid that illegal immigrants might hurt them or take their jobs, or make life more expensive for them in the USA. They are scared that their own rights will be taken away. They are scared that they won’t be able to practice their religion. They are afraid that Americans won’t be ‘American’ anymore.
Specifically in LA, the protests have gone too far. There have been rocks thrown at police. There have been cars set ablaze. There have been attacks on buildings and other forms of violence. This is utterly wrong, and has been widely condemned, by all sides. Some parts of this protest remained peaceful, but sadly, there were others who were intent on violence in their anger and fear.
MOVING FROM GRIEVANCE TO SELF-CONTROL:
We need to understand the grievances, but we also need to be incredibly self-controlled and not allow politicians or the media stir up our grievances even more. The more that grievances are inflamed, the more danger there is for violence. Sadly, we are all capable of violence or inflaming others to violence. Lord, have mercy.
This is a flashpoint for Americans, and for those watching around the world. We need to guard our hearts. We need to lead with love, rather than fear and hate.
I highly recommend that everyone read “The Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War: Surprising Ideas from Everyday People who Shifted the Cycles of Violence” by John Paul Lederach (only $1.38 on Amazon).
I highly recommend that everyone read “The Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War: Surprising Ideas from Everyday People who Shifted the Cycles of Violence” by John Paul Lederach (only $1.38 on Amazon).
Here's a helpful excerpt from this booklet on grievance:
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“Grievance travels a long passageway storied with portraits of heroes and demons, lost loved ones, humiliation, and exclusion. Perhaps most significant is this feeling of being invisibilized, present but not seen. Vlamik Volkan framed the narrative of grievance as the ways that chosen traumas and chosen glories cohere around identity and the significance of who we are.
I have learned three things about deep grievance.
“Grievance travels a long passageway storied with portraits of heroes and demons, lost loved ones, humiliation, and exclusion. Perhaps most significant is this feeling of being invisibilized, present but not seen. Vlamik Volkan framed the narrative of grievance as the ways that chosen traumas and chosen glories cohere around identity and the significance of who we are.
I have learned three things about deep grievance.
1. First, grievance remembers with laser precision the life of harms we have suffered. At the same time, grievance-as-narrative lives in the borderlands of incuriosity and forgetfulness about the suffering WE HAVE CAUSED OTHERS.
2. Second, grievance evades responsibility. Always. It fashions two escape hatches: DEFEND. And. BLAME.
Deep grievance walks hand-in-hand with the potential for violence. It lives with the permanent gnawing feeling that everything is now on the line. It is so painful that it goes unquestioned: Survival IS at stake.
When survival is at risk a HOLINESS OF PURPOSE emerges, precisely because the end is always proximate. This is in part why political rhetoric appealing to fear has such power: It always reinforces the most EXTREME VIEW that we are near extinction.
Deep grievance walks hand-in-hand with the potential for violence. It lives with the permanent gnawing feeling that everything is now on the line. It is so painful that it goes unquestioned: Survival IS at stake.
When survival is at risk a HOLINESS OF PURPOSE emerges, precisely because the end is always proximate. This is in part why political rhetoric appealing to fear has such power: It always reinforces the most EXTREME VIEW that we are near extinction.
3. Third, in the storied passageway of grievance, it is always the FEELINGS that matter, not the FACTS.
This may be why grievance never listens beyond its OWN PAIN. And why holy grievance has the feel of a HOLY WAR.
Grievance becomes HOLY if its umbilical attachment remains fixed and fixated on the feeling of ultimate survival. We have arrived at the ALL OR NOTHING moment. And only one option remains: Disappear or respond with violence.
Curious in all this is how the reality of existential survival sustains across decades and generations once violence is unleashed. The average timeframe for how long armed conflicts endures is at least a decade. The Troubles speak of three decades; Colombia and the Sudans have faced armed violence across half-centuries.
The moment of ultimate survival transfers into the too often unnoticed imprint of intergenerational trauma. In turn the outrage becomes purer, the justification for violence stronger, and the lament thick as ash in places where wars have lasted across three or more generations.”
~From 'The Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War: Surprising Ideas from Everyday People who Shifted the Cycles of Violence' by John Paul Lederach, p. 26-26
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This may be why grievance never listens beyond its OWN PAIN. And why holy grievance has the feel of a HOLY WAR.
Grievance becomes HOLY if its umbilical attachment remains fixed and fixated on the feeling of ultimate survival. We have arrived at the ALL OR NOTHING moment. And only one option remains: Disappear or respond with violence.
Curious in all this is how the reality of existential survival sustains across decades and generations once violence is unleashed. The average timeframe for how long armed conflicts endures is at least a decade. The Troubles speak of three decades; Colombia and the Sudans have faced armed violence across half-centuries.
The moment of ultimate survival transfers into the too often unnoticed imprint of intergenerational trauma. In turn the outrage becomes purer, the justification for violence stronger, and the lament thick as ash in places where wars have lasted across three or more generations.”
~From 'The Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War: Surprising Ideas from Everyday People who Shifted the Cycles of Violence' by John Paul Lederach, p. 26-26
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CONCLUSION:
May we all be truly self-controlled and soberminded as we look on what is happening in LA and beyond. May we guard ourselves against overreaction that may be spurred on by politicians or media. May we take our grievances to God, and trust His control through all of this chaos. May we seek God’s face for solutions more than looking to any particular politician. May we be faithful to live for God in a fallen world, love our neighbours as ourselves, and seek to prioritise above all else making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded. May we trust that Jesus is with us always, to the end of the age.
May we remember Jesus’ words about His kingdom and truly rest in this:
“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
Maranatha.
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