Letter to the Editor of the Swarthmorean
To the Editor:
I hope that area churches and synagogues will join their national denominations and the Jewish peace organizations that have denounced the recent Israeli massacres in Gaza. Although the Israeli government has done everything possible to obfuscate the circumstances, I know of no independent voices that deny that it authorized the murder of 100 unarmed Gazan Palestinians and the wounding of thousands more in recent weeks, crippling many of them for life. I add my voice to those of the 15 national Christian denominations including my own Presbyterian Church (USA) that have condemned this historic atrocity.
History has taught us where the failure to confront brutal regimes leads. Our own hearts tell us that the murder (“killing” does not adequately describe what happened) of unarmed protesters is wrong, especially when the situation could easily have been controlled by one of the world’s most powerful militaries without lethal force.
Faith communities must not keep silence in deference to members who feel that “politics has no place in church.” The irony is that the decision to remain silent when even the most basic moral imperatives are violated – all the world’s enduring religions condemn murder – is itself a political decision. In the Christian context it privileges concerns for institutional quietude over faithfulness to the Word of God. This is the elephant in many sanctuaries. It is time to expose it. I urge the leaders of our local faith communities to end this politicization of their churches, synagogues and mosques.
A second irony is that silence ensures the outcome it seeks to avoid. Christians know that it is rare to find a teaching of Jesus reported in all four Gospels. An exception is “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” I submit that this teaching applies not just to individuals but also to faith communities that hope to “save their lives” by sacrificing faithfulness to preserve quietude. As Martin Luther King pointed out, failure to proclaim its beliefs will cause the church to lose the loyalty of millions. Failure to stand up publicly for the basic tenets of the faith will not scotch but accelerate the now decades-long decline in membership of faith communities. “Silence” marks the entry to the death spiral.
I write as a friend of Israel, which I fear is at risk of receiving the judgement pronounced by its prophet Amos (Amos 2: 6, 13-16). I accept that some will disagree with me. I welcome an opportunity to participate in a public forum where the views of both defenders and critics of Israeli policies can receive a respectful hearing. But I reject the charge of anti-Semitism. Among the methods used by the Israeli government to prevent honest discussion of its policies by faithful Christians and Jews is the ad hominem labeling of those who speak out as “anti-Semites” or “self-hating Jews.” That is abhorrent.
Grant Grissom
Media
610-565-6186
