It’s still dark as we drive through the narrow streets to a small parking lot on the side of a hill. We get out of the car with backpacks in tow and walk a short distance to the top of a hill opposite the iconic structure we came to photograph. It is breathtaking. For a moment, I feel like we are the only ones awake. Distant music reminds me that this is a city that never sleeps. But the stillness in this sacred place engulfs me and I am dazzled by the ancient temple atop the “High City”, all lit up from within like a magical firefly, as it shines its glowing light like a beacon for all to see.
 
I am standing on the edge of a rocky ridge overlooking the place where democracy was born. Here the men of Athens would gather and their judges would decide important policies by the votes of the men of the town. The majority ruled. One of Greece’s legacies to the world is the form of government that we call democracy, a word from two Greek words that means people (“demos”) rule (“kratos”). And it all began here, right where I am standing.

The sun bursts forth over the mountain, flooding the valley with the beginnings of day and casting its ethereal glow towards a nearby observatory, waking up the city of Athens in its path. For me, in that moment, my work as a photographer begins.
 
I can’t shake the thought that for all its humble beginnings, nascent democracy has metamorphosed over the centuries like a caterpillar in a chrysalis to a gorgeous butterfly. It has changed the world. Where it flourishes, the world is a better place. Democracy is important to economic growth, less poverty, and more equality. People living in a democracy enjoy better education as well as better health and well-being. There is more justice, more peace, and less war. But like the delicate wings of a butterfly, democracy is fragile.
 
In less than a week, votes in the 2022 mid-term elections will be cast. While mid-terms don’t garner the attention that a presidential election does, this midterm election is significant for democracy hangs in the balance.
 
There are almost 300 candidates, all Republicans, running for office who claim, without proof, that the 2022 presidential election was stolen. Some of these candidates are running for the office of secretary of state in their respective states. This office typically has power over a state’s election process. To install election-deniers in these positions of power will be detrimental to the fair election process. They will have the power to cast out legitimate votes and declare their candidate of choice the winner, regardless of whether that candidate received the most votes or not. Other positions of power that are up for grabs this election include the offices of governors and attorneys general, state legislators, as well as US House of Representatives and US Senators. All of these election deniers, if elected, will have the power to wrongly change the outcome of elections and thus, discount legitimate votes.
 
Have we become lulled into complacency to think that democracy will always win out?
 
The V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, is an independent organization that measures democracy. Each year, V-Dem reports on the changes in democracies and autocracies around the world. In reading their most recent comprehensive report as of 2022, I am disturbed to learn that the US has declined in the measures of democracy. The V-Dem report warns that the US is sliding towards authoritarianism, towards an autocratic government. Important factors in their determination of the autocratization of the US include increased polarization within society and particularly between political parties. Freedom of speech and expression has diminished. Journalists are threatened more and more. After an attempted coup d’etat on January 6, 2021, to keep the legitimate president-elect from being confirmed by Congress, it is not a stretch of the imagination to envision a time, a near-future time, when all the rules we hold dear in guardrailing our democratic form of government could come untethered, ushering in an age of autocracy.  
 
We live in a post-truth world where old-fashioned, plain, honest truth is smeared as cancel culture and where the loud lying voices of a few drown out the majority of truthtellers. Those who spew these lies are out for power, the power of elected office. Perhaps what they fail to see is they are only feeding the beast of authoritarianism and at the end of the day, if they win, they will only be puppets to the one at the very top of their own shameful pyramid.
 
In Exodus 20:16, one of the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament says, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Yet political ads typically do just that as they use sound bites to twist their opponent’s words into lies. Jesus Himself said that lies are of the devil*. In community, truth matters. And truth is one of the guardrails of democracy.
 
Who do you believe? Where do you get your political information? Are your sources credible? Do you think critically when you hear information in order to figure out who benefits from any propaganda that you might be hearing? Will you sift through the lies to cast your vote for candidates who believe in truth and the power of democracy to be the voice of all the people? Or will your vote support those that voice lies to propel themselves to power?
 
Carefully choose for whom to vote. Our fragile democracy depends on it.
 
 
 
 
*John 8:44-45: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!”
 
 
Text and photographs copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Lead photo of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece; second photo on Pnyx Hill, near the Altar of Zeus Agoraios, where democracy was born.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

The last two posts explored the history surrounding the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the implications this decision has on pregnant people. Today’s post will look at global implications of overturning Roe and also what the Bible has to say about fetal life and abortion. I appreciate you sticking with me as we delve into an extremely controversial topic.
 
As we’ve seen in the previous two posts, the issue of abortion was used to garner support for a conservative religious political movement based on racism in order to keep certain white people in power. The Bible is clear that racism, which is a form of oppression, is wrong.

The implications of banning abortions are both racist and misogynist. Despite the misogynistic and patriarchal practices of His time, Jesus elevated women. He also socialized with the poor and the marginalized. Jesus’ commandments to love God and love people (Matthew 22:36-40*) compel us to seek to understand the implications of the politics and policies that impact us and our neighbors. Let’s take a look at global trends in reproductive rights and then look at how banning abortions in the US affects our neighbors around the world.

Since 2000, the global trend has been for countries to expand abortion rights. To restrict them puts the US in line with countries such as Nicaragua and more recently, Poland, and out of step with over 30 other countries who have expanded abortion rights.

Laws and policies in the US have far-reaching implications around the globe. The US is the largest global health donor in most countries around the world. The Helms Amendment (to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961) impacts low-income countries when the US sends them financial aid for health services. While technically these funds can be used for abortions in cases of rape and incest, in practice, they are not, even when young girls are raped and become pregnant, often by family members. This young group of vulnerable people (ages 10-14) have the highest maternal mortality rate of anyone anywhere. This is one of the reasons the World Health Organization calls abortion a “life-saving procedure” for its ability to save these young lives who are pregnant through no fault of their own.

As an aside, the Hyde Amendment is a similar law that prohibits federal funds to be used for abortions in the US. This means that Medicaid, a government-provided health program for primarily lower income people, cannot use federal funds for abortions. This law directly negatively impacts the very people who cannot afford an abortion, let alone the costs of raising a child. Both the Helms Amendment and the Hyde Amendment disproportionately impact pregnant people of lower income status, those of color, and often those who are young.

The controversial crux of the matter for many people is when they believe life starts: at conception, at fetal viability (the point at which the fetus can live outside the womb, usually at 23-24 weeks of gestation), or at birth. As we saw in a previous post, the Old Testament supports the view that life begins at birth. Exodus 21:22-25** sheds light on the view that the fetus was considered property, not a human life. There was no “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” when a pregnant woman miscarried due to physical violence unless she herself suffered serious injury. Numbers 5:19-21*** depicts a priest-induced abortion.
 
Sometimes in our religious fervor we lose sight that not everyone believes the same. Religious freedom is the US means not having someone else’s religious beliefs forced on us. Respecting another’s view and allowing them choice over their own health is important. Pregnant people’s circumstances are complicated and nuanced. There is no one-size-fits-all. Hence, having agency over your own body is extremely important.

Another point that often gets overlooked is that overturning Roe v. Wade tips the balance between the fetus and the pregnant person undeniably in favor of the fetus. This imbalance significantly devalues the life of the pregnant person, someone who is made in the image of God. Perhaps a more compassionate approach would be supporting the pregnant person’s choice up until fetal viability. After that point, both the life of the fetus and the pregnant person would be protected. This allows pregnant people agency over their own bodies and supports the fetus at viability.

In summary, the issue of abortion is a tool used to promote a white power structure in our society that benefits mostly wealthy white men and the women who support them. The underlying reason of the politicization of abortion is racism and its impact is both racist and misogynist. Although I’ve covered many potential results, other implications of overturning Roe v. Wade will continue to become apparent to each of us, to this country, and to the world. The intended and unintended consequences will impact everyone unless we can replace this tide of hatred and oppression with love and compassion, and restore the dignity of pregnant people everywhere.

What can you do? If you disagree with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, you are not alone. The majority of Americans believe the right to abortion should remain, at least in some form. The obvious thing you can do to help turn back this tide of oppression and to show mercy, is to vote. Choose candidates that are pro-choice in the upcoming mid-term elections this November. Select pro-choice federal and state legislators as well as the down-ballot local offices, such as sheriffs and district attorneys. Consider giving political contributions to these candidates. Emily’s List (https://www.emilyslist.org/) is a political action committee (PAC) that funnels funds to women candidates who are pro-choice.

Other things you can do to make your voice heard is to peacefully protest. Call or write your representatives in Congress and in your state legislature. Give to or volunteer at organizations that are working to protect reproductive health rights, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (https://www.aclu.org/ or the local ACLU chapter), NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation (https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/), Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/ or the local chapter), and the Guttmacher Institute (https://www.guttmacher.org/).

Thank you for reading this 3-part blog series. I hope that it has opened your eyes to the nuances of a very controversial issue. If you learned something new, consider sharing those learnings with those in your sphere of influence. Feel free to forward these posts to them. As you consider the many tentacles of this issue, prayerfully contemplate how to use your voice and your power to instigate change to help your neighbors, those God has called you to love.
 
 
 *Matthew 22:36-40 - “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
 
**Exodus 21:22-25 - “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely (per footnote – or she miscarries) but there is no serious injury [to her], the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury [to her], you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”
 
***Number 5:19-21 - “‘Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, “If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband”— here the priest is to put the woman under this curse—“may the LORD cause you to become a curse among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Tromostovje, or Triple Bridge, which spans the Ljubljanica River to connect the historical town of Ljubljana, Slovenia, to its modern counterpart. The green lights celebrate the fact that Ljubljana consistently ranks as one of the greenest cities in Europe and currently is ranked #1.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Last month’s post explored the history surrounding the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Today we will continue some of those threads as we look at the many implications of overturning Roe. I know I am wading into a controversial issue and my hope is that you will wade in with me. I encourage you to think seriously about this issue and its implications. The many tentacles associated with banning this medical procedure may surprise and possibly alarm you.
 
To sum up the previous post, the issue of abortion was used to garner support for a conservative religious political movement based on racism in order to keep certain white people in power. The Bible is clear that racism, which is a form of oppression, is wrong. Jesus’ commandments to love God and love people (Matthew 22:36-40*) compel us to seek to understand the implications of the politics and policies that impact us and our neighbors.

The impetus to ban abortions was based in racism. The implications, however, are both racist and misogynistic. Abortion is a medical procedure that impacts pregnant people and those who can become pregnant, including women, nonbinary people, and trans men. Banning this procedure strips away their right to have agency over their own bodies and gives that control to the government. No medical procedure that impacts men is banned; men continue to have agency over their own bodies.

Jesus elevated women despite the misogynistic and patriarchal practices of life during Bible times. He also socialized with the poor and the marginalized and portrayed them as humans who were valuable to Him. We’ll take a look at how overturning Roe v. Wade impacts these groups.

It’s important to understand that most abortions occur in the first trimester and most are medication abortions, rather than surgical abortions, meaning the pregnant person takes medication (mifepristone and misoprostol) to induce an abortion. According to the National Institutes of Health, the risk of death is 14 times higher in childbirth than in a legal induced abortion. This fact is often misrepresented so it’s important to realize that abortion is actually safer than childbirth.

Experts believe that banning abortions will cause the overall maternal mortality rate to increase by 21%, with the rate for white women increasing 13% and the rate for Black women increasing by a disproportionate 33%. Current maternal mortality rates for Black women are already three times that of white women.

Restricting abortion ignores the pregnant person’s individual circumstances and the reasons they may seek an abortion. Most people who have abortions are poor women who already have children. Since the average cost of raising a child in the US is $233,610, banning abortions will cause poverty rates to rise as more people are forced to raise children they cannot afford. This will most likely impact conservative states more where the likelihood of abortion restrictions is the greatest and where these same states are least likely to have programs in place that support the poor.

Conservative states are also likely to have more crisis pregnancy centers than abortion clinics. Crisis pregnancy centers are not licensed medical clinics and many use deceptive advertising and misleading information, including the lie that childbirth is safer than an abortion, to unduly influence and pressure a pregnant person to not abort. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has stated that crisis pregnancy centers are dangerous because they pose as medical facilities but are not regulated by the laws that govern medical clinics. Backed by wealthy anti-abortion donors and some state legislatures, the proliferation of these centers will only increase. Texas, for example, has recently approved spending $100 million of taxpayer money that will go to support crisis pregnancy centers in that state.

Banning abortions dismisses the nuances of pregnancy. One in one thousand pregnant people are diagnosed with cancer while pregnant. Cancer drugs are fatal to a fetus in the first trimester. Waiting until the second trimester to begin cancer treatments puts the mother’s life at huge risk. Doctors are now having to navigate the unchartered waters of what constitutes a grave enough danger to the mother’s life that warrants an abortion. Most abortion bans do not take into account the life of the mother.

The same is true in the case of difficult or life-threatening pregnancies, including the higher risks associated with in vitro fertilization. Having the option of abortion, even if it’s not taken, lends a safety net to the mother’s life. Some people will choose not to become pregnant at all if they believe their health could be at significant risk and abortion will not be an option.

Sometimes people in abusive relationships are forced to become pregnant by their abusers as a way to control them. Often this is accomplished by the abuser tampering with their contraception. There is evidence that suggests domestic violence sometimes starts when the partner becomes pregnant. Statistics show that pregnant women have a higher homicide rate than non-pregnant women. Homicide is one of the leading causes of death of pregnant women.

Restricting abortions is a slippery slope and the distance between banning abortions and criminalizing them is short. There are already “trigger laws” in some states that will criminalize the actions of the provider as a felony with jail time. Some of these laws also mandate jail time for the pregnant person. From there, it is a short slide from criminalizing abortion to accusing people of murder who miscarry, especially when the methods are similar. The procedure called dilation and curettage (“D&C”) is sometimes used after a miscarriage; it can also be used in a surgical abortion. Likewise, the medication misoprostol is often used after a miscarriage and is one of the medications taken for a medication abortion. During the current vastly changing legal landscape, doctors in certain states are hesitant to help pregnant people who miscarry for fear of the legal consequences. This causes their patients undue physical and emotional pain.

Wrapped up in these implications is the issue of privacy and how privacy rights will be violated by those seeking to track down abortion patients. If the police begin tracking citizens to see where they go, even out of state, or what medications they receive via mail, then we should all be worried about this potential breach in privacy rights.

In striking down Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court has kicked this power over reproductive health rights back to the states which means each state’s legislature will determine their state’s rules around abortion. It is more important than ever to consider carefully which candidate to vote for at the state level, including legislators, the local sheriffs who choose whether to arrest providers and pregnant people, and the state and county district attorneys who choose whether to prosecute them.

Voting is more important than ever. In next month’s post, we’ll consider what else we can do to counteract the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We’ll also take a more in-depth look at what the Bible has to say about fetal life and abortion as well as how what happens in the US often influences the rest of the world. In the meantime, feel free to forward this post to those you think might be interested in reading it. I hope you will consider the best way you can love your neighbors as God has called each of us to do.

 
NOTE: If you are ready to read the next installment, it will be posted ahead of time on the “Justice Matters” page of my website, https://www.dawndailey.org/justice-matters.html.
 
*Matthew 22:36-40 - “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the edgy and fascinating street art in Metelkova, a social and cultural area in the center of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
 
 
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

The politicization of a medical procedure has polarized our society. If you have ever wondered how a medical procedure became so politicized, I believe the history will surprise you.
 
The US Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade may have some of you rejoicing while others of you may feel disappointed and even angry. This court decision has given me pause to consider the history that led to overturning this precedent as well as the complicated and nuanced implications of its overturning. I hope you will follow along on this 3-part journey.
 
So how did abortion become such a politicized issue and how did we in the US become so polarized around it? As we peel back the layers crafted over decades, we’ll see the underlying issues that, on the surface, may not appear to be connected. But these dots do connect and they have created division and sown seeds of hatred and vitriol that we are now reaping in our society today.
 
Although the decision to uphold a person’s federal right to an abortion was decided in the case of Roe v. Wade almost fifty years ago in 1973, to understand how it was ultimately overturned, we must go back further in time – to 1954. That is the year the US Supreme Court handed down the verdict in Brown v. Board of Education that said schools cannot be segregated based on race, not even if the schools are considered to be equal. This decision created momentum for the nascent Civil Rights Movement which officially started in the following year when Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus.

Throughout the 1960’s and into the 1970’s, discrimination against Black Americans persisted (and still does today). School desegregation since the Brown v. Board of Education case had been slow to materialize. Private schools became the place where many white parents sent their kids, thus thwarting the impact of Brown. In 1971, after a group of parents in Mississippi filed a lawsuit, the US Supreme Court decided in their favor in Green v. Connally and ruled that racially discriminatory private schools were not entitled to a federal tax-exempt status. This ruling upset many white evangelical Christian leaders, such as Jerry Falwell, Sr, pastor and founder of Lynchburg Christian Academy that had been described in 1966 as being “a private school for white students.” Falwell was an outspoken opponent of the Civil Rights Movement and was against racial desegregation of public schools. 

The next year, 1972, found the country reeling from the then-President’s crimes committed during “Watergate.” While the investigation and hearings continued for the next couple of years, Richard Nixon would not resign as President until August of 1974.

During this time, the US Supreme Court handed down their 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade which was considered to reflect a balance between the life of the fetus and the life of the mother. The decision was met with silence in many conservative Christian circles while being praised by some prominent conservative Christian leaders, like W.A. Criswell, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas. Criswell felt that a child was not an individual person until after they were born and what was best for the mother was now law. His stance on life beginning at birth rather than at conception was based on the Old Testament. The Jews of biblical times believed that the ensoulment of a person (when the body is given a soul and thus becomes a person) happened at birth. This belief continues to be held by many Jewish people today.

Even before Roe v. Wade, the conservative Southern Baptist Convention had made resolutions in 1971 in support of access to abortion and they would do so again in 1974 and 1976 before political pressure changed their minds.

But in 1976, Bob Jones University was stripped of its federal tax-exemption status due to its racially discriminatory practices. The fuse was now lit for the beginning of a conservative religious political movement.

In the same year, Jimmy Carter, an evangelical Christian, won the presidency. However, Carter proved to be less socially conservative than many evangelical Christians would have liked. During the mid-term elections of 1978, several candidates found traction for their anti-abortion views and won their offices.

Paul Weyrich, a conservative religious Republican political activist, took note. For decades, he had been working to restore a white pre-1950’s family structure in US society. He believed he could start a religious political movement that would surreptitiously keep white people in power. With the Republican Party losing voters over Watergate, his work became even more valuable to the party itself. But first he had to galvanize a bloc of voters to vote. Over the years, he had said the Republican Party was against pornography, and later, that the party was for putting prayer back in the public schools. But this group of voters, namely evangelical Christians, didn’t take the bait. Believing that politics was a “dirty” business, many never bothered to vote. But now, after the 1978 mid-term elections, Weyrich played the winning ticket: abortion.

Weyrich, considered one of the architects of the Religious Right, could not blatantly advertise racial discrimination and segregation as the true reason behind his religious political movement. Instead, the cover issue he publicized to motivate conservative Christian voters to the polls was abortion. Evidence exists that Weyrich promoted the use of deception, misinformation, and divisiveness in his efforts to seat conservative evangelical Republicans into public offices as part of this religious political movement.

In Lynchburg, Virginia, Jerry Falwell, Sr, now co-founder of Liberty University, also realized that the power of these same votes could be harnessed for his own similar political agenda: keeping schools segregated, particularly white private Christian schools like his.

Both Weyrich and Falwell wanted to deny President Carter a second term as they blamed Carter for stripping the tax-exempt status from schools like Bob Jones University even though that process had begun before Carter took office. In 1979, Weyrich and Falwell teamed up to form the Moral Majority, Inc. With their misinformation campaign around abortion, it didn’t take long before conservative Christian voters took up the mantel against abortion. It is no surprise that with the help of these voters, Carter was defeated in 1980 by Ronald Reagan, who won the presidency in a landslide.

The above history is important in understanding the context in which a medical procedure became both politicized and polarizing. It was simply used to garner support for a conservative religious movement based on racism in order to keep certain white people in power.

The Bible is very clear that racism, a form of oppression, is wrong. When we oppress another race or group of people, our actions are contrary to the heart of God as seen in Jesus’ mission statement in Luke 4:18-19*. Also, if we take the US Declaration of Independence seriously, then we have to uphold the three inalienable rights granted to each person: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Racism denies people these inalienable rights. Jesus’ commandments to love God and love people (Matthew 22:36-40**) compel us to seek to understand the implications of the politics and policies that impact us and all our neighbors.  
 
NOTE: In the next two posts, we’ll look at the complicated and nuanced implications of overturning Roe v. Wade, the relevant verses in the Bible, as well as the action steps we can take to answer God’s call to love our neighbors.
 
*Luke 4:18-19 - “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (emphasis mine)

**Matthew 22:36-40 - “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo from Hvar, Croatia, where the oldest public communal theatre in Europe was built in 1612.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
 
 
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10
 
 
I am not an accidental tourist. With my methodical, consistent approach to travel, I could never be accused of being haphazard or unintentional. I prefer to think of myself as a thoughtful and purposeful traveler.
 
After a two-and-a-half-year travel hiatus imposed by the pandemic, my spring trip appears to actually be materializing before my eyes. I feel so out of practice in all my preparations and fearful of traveling again. The day of departure arrives finding me a bit tired and perhaps a little anxious rather than excited to travel again. The ride to the airport feels a bit surreal. Rolling my luggage through the airport’s revolving door, I begin to recover my travel legs. Walking to the airline check-in counter starts to feel a bit normal, like my body remembers this exercise deep in the cellular level even through my brain cells are racing.
 
Evidence of the pandemic is visible from the covered faces with obligatory masks to the addition of hand sanitizer bottles randomly placed throughout the airport. Travel is both the same and yet different from the “Before Times.” The flight is uneventful, thankfully, except for the toddler in the row in front of me who ostensibly is too young to read the “memo” that it’s time for sleep on this overnight flight. I arrive at my destination a little worse for the wear.
 
My plan to have at least the first half of my trip to be in places where I’ve been before is solid. Yet even the familiar is unfamiliar. The driver for the hotel has retired. The front desk staff I used to see are no longer there. I feel untethered as my expectations based on what used to be unravel. Times have changed. We are definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto!
 
In fact, we are in Paris with all its glamour and fashion, the plethora of art and ancient cathedrals, all against the backdrop of the Seine with its picturesque bridges. I will never tire of its beauty in the hustle and bustle of a big city, yet with the calmness and serenity found in its many parks. The familiar is transformed as I view this City of Light with different eyes.
 
To get to know this city is to look beyond the tourist attractions and focus on the everyday life of the Parisians here, to learn their unique history, sample their delectable cuisine, and walk the concrete sidewalks in their neighborhoods. Buying a Métro card and feeling very Parisian with my purchase, I ride the train to my various destinations – a perfume workshop, a classical concert in a simple but old church, a food tour of Les Halles where for centuries farmers sold their wares.
 
Along the way, I meet people who share a smile or a kind word, who are helpful in sorting out the differences that can trip up even the most intrepid traveler. All too quickly, my time in France comes to an end.
 
I navigate all the logistics that enable me to be transported to another country, one I’ve never visited. Stepping even further out of my comfort zone is both taxing and exhilarating. On to Croatia I go! Not knowing what to expect and being constantly surprised with Croatia’s beautiful coast, I lean into the unknown and sample it, savoring its newness, its uniqueness, and the living-in-the-moment that travel so creates.
 
Serendipitous moments happen, particularly if I am open to it. At breakfast in Zagreb, I sit at a table draped in linen and study the menu. The young waiter arrives to take my order. I ask about some menu items. And then, as I am fascinated with languages, I ask him how to say “please” in Croatian. I’ve been practicing this and other words like “hello” and “thank you,” but I want to ensure I’ve got this one right. He tells me and then apologizes because his native language isn’t Croatian. Curiously I ask him where he is from. When he says “Ukraine,” my reaction is truly visceral at the mention of this war-torn country.
 
This young man and his family left Ukraine at the time of the Crimean annexation. He shares that he wants to write a memoir about his experiences, but he thinks he is too young. I encourage him to start writing now as his experiences so far would be interesting to read. It’s a poignant moment, of sadness over his family’s loss at leaving their country but a salient moment when we connect on the writing and publishing of such a book. Curiosity opened a door that morning to an encounter that could have far-reaching consequences. In that moment, I feel part of something larger than myself and I gain a glimpse into another person’s world, one that is very different from my own.
 
Traveling is more than playing tourist. While we often hear we are to leave no carbon footprints, I would argue that a traveler, not a tourist, leaves an indelible footprint, a carbonless one that has the power to change the people and places encountered just as travel has the potential to transform the traveler themselves.
 
May we journey through life as a traveler, not a tourist. May kindness and encouragement be the footprint we leave behind.
 
 
Lord, thank You for always going with me wherever I go. I do not need to fear. While close encounters often seem random or serendipitous, You are not surprised. Help me to be open to what You’ve planned for me. May my words and actions be kind and encouraging to whomever You place in my path. Amen.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Dubrovnik’s West Harbor, Croatia.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

​When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”  Matthew 2:16-18
 
 
In the key verse above, this mass killing of innocent children by King Herod was ostensibly to prevent Jesus from usurping Herod’s kingship. Ramah, situated near Bethlehem, was home to the tribe of Benjamin, who was Rachel’s son. Her grave is located between Ramah and Bethlehem. Rachel weeps for her descendants, her children, who have been murdered. They are no more.
 
Parents and families in Uvalde, Texas, weep today because 19 of their children (and two teachers) are no more.
 
On US school campuses, there have been over 900 incidences of gun fire. In a recent poll, more than 57% of teens go to school expecting the possibility of a shooting.
 
As the news of this latest school shooting spreads through international news outlets, even Ukrainians living in the midst of constant missile attacks in their own country ask an American journalist why this happens in the US. It is shocking to them and to the world.
 
Why does it have to be this way?
 
In the US where guns outnumber people and gun rights laws outweigh gun safety laws, we are living and dying in unprecedented times. Beginning in 2020, gun violence is the number one killer of children, more than the number of deaths due to motor vehicle crashes. On an average daily basis, roughly 12 children die every day in the US from gunshot wounds. Homicide is the reason for the deaths of more than two-thirds of the 4,368 children killed by gun violence in 2020, while suicides account for 30% of these deaths. (Note that almost 40,000 people die every year in the US due to gun violence.)
 
Traveling internationally gives me an awareness of how other countries manage social issues and I wonder why gun rights and gun safety laws in the US have become so politicized, all at the cost of our children’s lives. Are we saying that guns are more important than our children?
 
Just days before this mass shooting, an ad displayed by the gun manufacturer of the gun used in Uvalde shows a photograph of a toddler holding a semi-automatic rifle with the caption of Proverbs 22:6: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”* I seriously doubt that the writer of the book of Proverbs had semi-automatic rifles in mind when penning that verse. God must shed many tears over how Scripture is misused in order to justify one’s actions.
 
In Matthew 19:14, Jesus Himself says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” In the society in which Jesus lived, children were not valued. Yet children were significant to Him. He valued them. And still does.
 
A majority of Americans support some form of gun safety laws which can include background checks (including at gun shows and other private sales), red-flag laws that temporarily take guns from a mentally ill person, or even banning assault-type weapons. Yet what message are we sending to our children regarding how valuable they are to us when we use our vote to support politicians who refuse to pass gun safety laws?
 
We cannot continue to sit back and allow mass shootings to occur and the trend is only getting worse. Just this Memorial Day weekend, at least 11 mass shootings (defined as 4 or more people killed or injured) occurred.
 
I come back to the question of “Why?” Why does it have to be this way in the US where parents are afraid to send their children to school and are told to memorize what their child wears each day in case they have to identify their bodies? If we stand up for our children, for our neighbors, for our communities, perhaps we can stem the tide that gun violence has flooded into our society. It is all about loving our neighbors and doing what’s right by them and their (and our) innocent children. For after all, as Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
 
 
Heavenly Father, how Your heart must break when gun violence kills innocent children. Motivate me to use my voice and my resources for good, to protect the vulnerable, and to love my neighbors well. May I not misrepresent Your Word by twisting it for my own purposes but may I seek what is true, noble, and right. Amen.
 
 
NOTE: A good place to start fighting gun violence is in your own home. If you own a gun, keep it locked up and the ammunition stored separately. If you know someone who has a gun, ask them to do the same.
There are good organizations that work to end gun violence, promote related mental health issues, and help victims. Check out Charity Navigator’s list: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=9609. Also use Charity Navigator’s search bar to find other similar organizations in the fight against gun violence.
Moms Demand Action is a gun violence prevention group that operates under the auspices of Everytown for Gun Safety (their Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax-deductible).
Other worthwhile organizations include Giffords (both Giffords.org and Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords) and BradyUnited.org (founded by former White House Press Secretary Jim Brady).
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Lennon Wall in Prague, Czech Republic. Originally an outlet to speak against the former Communist regime, the wall became associated with John Lennon after he was shot and killed in 1980. Today the wall is associated with global ideals of love and peace.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
 
Scripture quotations marked with an asterisk (*) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.  Psalm 35:22-23
 
 
My eyes squint at the clock on the bedside table as I turn on my phone. It’s too early for calls, yet my cell phone is humming. Checking the number, I swipe “decline” as I don’t recognize who is calling. A few minutes pass and my phone rings again. It is also an unknown number but the same area code as the first one. I swipe “decline” again, thinking that if it is important, they will leave a message. Little do I know as I start my day that this phone scenario will repeat itself over thirty times, each time a different number within the same area code.
 
Realizing I have some voicemail messages, I start checking them. Interestingly, two of the messages contain words that very emphatically direct me not to keep calling them! What? I haven’t made any phone calls all day. Why do they think I called them when they had clearly called me? I am the victim of this scam, but they think I am the perpetrator!
 
A trip to the local phone company sheds light on this situation. I have been spoofed! Since this is a technological term I am not familiar with, they explain that there are apps to make prank phone calls, but now spam callers use these apps to hide behind legitimate phone numbers such as mine in order to make their spam calls. In other words, when a spammer calls someone, my number pops up on the display. I am definitely a victim, but so are the other people who thought I had repeatedly called them because they are the potential victims of the scammer. The phone calls add unwanted stress to my day (and months ahead) and I feel as if my privacy and my identity are violated. I also feel wrongly accused of making numerous annoying phone calls when I had not called anyone at all.
 
Penning Psalm 35, David expresses his feelings of being falsely accused. Hunted by a deranged king by the name of Saul, David is on the run. Having been falsely accused of many things and persecuted by Saul, David is the derision of his people. In verse 20, he writes, “They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.” In his anguish, David tries to remove himself from the situation as best as he can. He knows he is innocent of the accusations. In verses 22-24, he prays to God and says, “LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God; do not let them gloat over me.” Before God begins to answer his prayers, David praises Him, confident of the Lord’s help. Psalm 35:28 says, “My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.” David finds hope in the Lord as God defends David against those who malign him. Ultimately, David is restored and later becomes king of Israel.
 
Not all of us are kings, however. While God does restorative work, there are untold thousands who have been incarcerated unjustly. There are many who have been jailed for decades and even put to death who are innocent. There are organizations like The Innocence Project who work on behalf of innocent victims to free them from incarceration. Click here to learn more and to contribute to their good work.
 
When I was the victim of spoofing, I was treated unjustly and blamed as the perpetrator.  How often are victims in society today blamed for their circumstances which are beyond their control? Do we blame people who are innocent but go to jail simply because they happen to be at the wrong place and the wrong time? Do we blame poor people for being poor because we think they are not trying, that they are lazy, that they aren’t smart enough (or whatever, fill in the blank) to be successful? Or do we recognize that the institutions in this world are set up to enable the wealthy and powerful and to keep poor people poor and powerless?
 
Perhaps the better question is to ask what we are doing about victim blaming. How are we using our own power and resources to dismantle the powers that continue to oppress? How are we standing up for our neighbor? Whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Jesus (Matthew 25:40*).
 
Lord, forgive me when I victim blame. Help me show compassion to those less fortunate than myself. May I use my voice, resources, and power to fight injustice and oppression. Amen.
 
 
*Jesus speaking in Matthew 25:40 - “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the interior of La Conciergerie in Paris, France, the French Revolution prison where Marie Antoinette spent her last days.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”  John 12:12-15
 
 
A Gallup poll released last year shows that the percent of Americans who consider themselves members of a church, synagogue, or mosque has dropped below 50%. By age group, the decline is more prevalent in younger generations. The reason for this drop in religious institution affiliation is attributed to a growing lack of trust in all institutions, a disillusionment in certain religious leaders, and a desire to have agency over one’s own spirituality. However, according to the Pew Research Center, Americans are more likely than people in other countries to say their religious faith has become stronger during the pandemic. Perhaps in these changing times, people are reconsidering what’s important to them.
 
At another time in history, religiosity also came into question. When Jesus began His public ministry, He upended people’s thinking regarding religion and threatened the power structure of the religious leadership. Indeed, His kingdom upended the world order, but not in the way that was anyone was expecting.
 
In Luke 4:1-13*, Jesus fasts for 40 days in the desert and then the devil arrives on the scene to entice Jesus to turn stones into bread. When He refuses, the devil then offers Him the power to rule all earthly kingdoms. When that fails, the devil tempts Him to test God’s protection by throwing Himself off the highest point of the temple. While it’s important to realize that Jesus uses Scripture to refute each of these temptations, it is interesting to look at the significance of these particular temptations: provision, power, and protection.**
 
Putting these verses into context, Jesus lived during Roman times where Caesar ruled most aspects of life. The Roman government gave provisions of grain for bread to all poor people and it protected all people within the empire from other marauding kingdoms. This strategy of provision and protection helped Caesar maintain his power over the people and ensure his kingdom would continue. Of course, he exercised that power ruthlessly.
 
Jesus did not come to be Caesar's successor. His plan to furnish provision and protection played out on a different stage where He broke bread with 5,000 men and their families, multiplying a few simple loaves to feed their hungry bodies physically as His words fed their souls. His ultimate sacrifice of His own life bought protection from spiritual death for His followers. Unlike Caesar, Jesus’ way of provision and protection isn't by ruthless power but by love, mercy, and sacrifice. Jesus' refusal of the devil's offers of provision, power, and protection is a display of God's kingdom at work, one where love wins, mercy triumphs, and humility reigns.
 
It is no coincidence that right after He is tempted by the devil to create an entirely different power-grabbing rule, Jesus declares His mission statement and defines His kingdom (Luke 4:14-21*).
 
When Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah and declares His mission, the people are astonished because this is, after all, their neighborhood carpenter’s son. How did He become so eloquent? But He is not the Warrior-Messiah they expect. They only see a carpenter-turned-miracle worker. When Jesus refuses to perform miracles for them, they become angry and even try to push Him off a cliff (Luke 4:22-30*). Their expectations are poorly placed and they totally miss Jesus' mission and ministry as well as His definition of God's kingdom.
 
Even the Pharisees and religious leaders fail to see who Jesus is and mistake Him for someone trying to steal their power. He rails against their rules and regulations that prevent the poor from participating in community and in worship. He blasts them for their self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and lack of compassion that reveal their hard hearts are far from God.
 
When Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey instead of a mighty stallion, He is not the Messiah they expect. While they praise Him and wave palm branches on the day we know as Palm Sunday, they quickly turn against Him and by Good Friday, He is imperiled on a cross. But by Easter Sunday, He triumphs over death as He resurrects to new life.
 
Perhaps we mistake who Jesus is, too. With all the trappings of organized religion, it’s easy to focus on the music, sermons, and programs, and not see the Jesus who walked the earth to bring food to the hungry and to set the oppressed free.
 
During this pandemic, there are many people who are reconsidering their values and reevaluating their religious and spiritual beliefs in terms of any related relevance to church. Perhaps if we reexamine our beliefs in light of the life of Jesus, we’ll experience a deconstructed faith that all boils down to what Jesus refers to as the greatest commandments: love God and love people (Matthew 22:37-40***). It’s really that simple.
 
Jesus is the Unexpected Messiah who came not to conquer Rome as anticipated but to usher in a totally new and unconventional kingdom, one not defined by power but by love, a kingdom where everyone has a seat at the table and where the throne is replaced by a cross. Let all come and freely partake of the Bread of Life.
 
 
Risen Christ, You rode into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey instead of a mighty stallion to show the world Your kingdom is not about the world’s view of provision, power, and protection as much as it’s about love, mercy, and humility. Help me follow in Your footsteps to walk out the basic tenets of faith: to love You and to love people with both mercy and humility, with compassion, kindness, and sacrifice. Amen.
 
 
*Luke 4:1-30 – click here for verses
 
**The essay that inspired parts of this blog is Bread, Power, and Safety, by Diana Butler Bass,  https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/sunday-musings?s=r
 
***Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Ruinas de San Francisco (San Francisco Ruins), a church built in 1731 in Mendoza, Argentina. It is the only building that remained after a devastating earthquake in 1861 which destroyed the rest of Mendoza. The city was rebuilt nearby.
 
  
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As the invasion of UKRAINE by Russia continues to kill and displace Ukrainians, consider giving to organizations providing aid for refugees: Global Giving at https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/ukraine-crisis-relief-fund/ and World Central Kitchen at https://wck.org/.

 
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Each day the news brings additional atrocities to the forefront of this unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The killing of civilians and especially children is simply gut-wrenching. Watching helplessly as the news unfolds, I seek to better understand this aggression and hope against hope that the bloodshed will end soon.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is complicated with a difficult history. I do not pretend to know all the nuances of this aggression against the Ukrainian government and its people. But there is one aspect to which I’d like to give voice: the entanglement of religion in this political and military conflict.

Today, the largest branches of Christianity are Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox. There are 260 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world, with half of them living in Russia and 30 million living in Ukraine. Beginning in the year 451, the spiritual leader of all Orthodox churches became known as the Patriarch of Constantinople. Some Orthodox churches are more directly influenced by the Patriarch of Constantinople while others are more autonomous. The city of Istanbul, Turkey, formerly Constantinople, is the headquarters of the Orthodox Church.

In about 980, Prince Vladimir of Kyiv (Prince Volodymyr in Ukrainian) decided to strengthen his control over his kingdom in what is now Ukraine by instituting a state religion. It was part of a bargain with Emperor Basil II of Constantinople. Prince Vladimir himself became a Christian and was baptized into this new religion while establishing the first Orthodox Church in Kyiv for his subjects, the Rus people, at a time before Russia existed. Prince Vladimir was later named Vladimir the Great and canonized as St Vladimir by the Orthodox Church. Today, he is considered a saint in both Ukraine and Russia.

In the 1200’s, due to war, people were scattered and those who took up residence in what is now Moscow started the Russian Orthodox Church as the seat of this branch of Orthodox Christianity. Over the centuries, there has been tension between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow as the latter controlled the former. The Moscow branch is significantly more conservative than some of the more Westernized Ukrainian churches.

In 2018, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Kyiv, along with other Ukrainian Orthodox churches, even some Moscow-leaning ones, banded together to create the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. They sought and received the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople who established the sovereignty of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and removed it from the control of the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow.

The establishment of the autonomous Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Kyiv diminished some of the control over Ukraine by the Russian government which reportedly infuriated Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since the Russian Orthodox Church is one of many tools in his tool box to control the Russian people as well as those in Ukraine, Putin had just lost some of his authority. In retaliation, Putin tried to rewrite history by installing a humongous statue of Vladimir the Great right outside of the Kremlin. He was saying, in effect, that he is still in control of the church and that the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow was the only valid church descended from Prince Vladimir, effectively removing Ukraine from that important part of history. With a statue having the same name as his own, perhaps he also intends to write himself into history as potentially Vladimir the Great II. His known obsession with Peter the Great and Catherine the Great would make that seem plausible.

Since 2018, this loss of control over a swath of Ukrainians contributes to this power play to regain control over Ukraine today. In the eyes of the Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow, both Ukraine and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine have become too Westernized and tainted by the “evil” West with values that don’t line up with the more conservative Russian government and church. Indeed, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow, reportedly said that holding gay parades in Donbas (southeastern region of Ukraine) is part of the reason for the “peacekeeping mission” by Russia in Ukraine. Because of his public support of this mission, he is currently experiencing backlash from other Orthodox leaders from within Russia and around the world.

From the Russian government and church’s perspective, the fact that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is Jewish is further evidence that Ukraine, in electing a Jewish leader rather than an Orthodox one, is aligning more with the West and less with the Russian Orthodox Church and its values.

So how does all this play into the current conflict? Putin has said that the greatest catastrophe in the last century is the collapse for the former Soviet Union. He is challenging the West’s world order of democracy and apparently believes that the Rus people, those primarily in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, should be reunited again, ostensibly under his control via domination, along with complicity from the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church. This national identity of both Rus and Russian Orthodoxy is so intertwined that it is difficult to separate the two, a point that Putin seeks to use to his advantage. To gain control over the Orthodox Church of Ukraine may not be Putin’s main objective, but it certainly plays an important role in today’s conflict.

Interestingly, over a millennium ago, Prince Vladimir was baptized in Crimea. Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 is viewed by some as a proper returning of that piece of Orthodox history to the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow. The fact that there was no international interference to Russia’s annexation of Crimea has helped to fuel his plans to overtake the rest of Ukraine, particularly Kyiv.

Today’s invasion is a desperate attempt to regain control, rewrite history, and recreate a new Russia, all under the thumb of an authoritarian dictator. Using religion to tie the destiny of Ukraine to Russia is not new. Nor is using religion to create a nationalist movement. To history students, however, this may feel like a modern-day crusade, not unlike the ones from the Middle Ages where neighboring people groups were either conquered or killed in the name of Jesus. Sadly, today, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Orthodox Christians are killing other Orthodox Christians for the sake of creating a new nationalistic world order controlled by the Russian government with the complicity and blessing of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The fact that the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church has blessed the government’s invasion (or “peacekeeping mission”) of Ukraine is important. If Putin actually believes that he is doing God’s will in invading, destroying, and conquering Ukraine, then nothing will stop him. We can only hope for divine intervention. And soon.
 

Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of a crucifix at a bridge over the River Inn, Innsbruck, Austria.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  Matthew 25:40
 
 
“Eat your dinner. There are starving children in this world.” Being a picky eater as a child, I heard that refrain a lot. I could not fathom how eating everything on my plate could help a starving child in a faraway country. But I did as I was told. Mom obviously wanted to instill in me the good value of not wasting food and her motto was definitely “waste not, want not.”
 
Today there are hundreds of millions of starving children and adults in the world. I find it shocking that 37 million* of them live in the US. Why does 11.4%* of the world’s wealthiest nation live in poverty, a percentage that’s higher than many other wealthy countries?
 
I believe the answer to that question is hiding in plain sight within the issue of social justice. While many may think of “social justice” as some liberal cause, the term was coined in the 1840’s by a Jesuit priest. But its roots go back further than that, all the way to Bible times.
 
But first, what is social justice? Simply defined, social justice is applying justice to society. It means bringing fairness and equity to all persons in a society, treating all with dignity and fairness.
 
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word mishpat means “justice” or “judgment” and occurs over 400 times. Tzedekah, found over 300 times in the Old Testament, is Hebrew for “righteousness” but it is not personal righteousness or piety. This word is used in the context of community, as in “doing what is right” or “justice in action”. Whenever these two Hebrew words are paired, the meaning is social justice. Given the frequency of these words in the Bible, it’s clear that God is serious about social justice.
 
The Greek word dikaiosune in the New Testament is often translated as “righteousness,” but its meaning is closer to the word “justice.” For example, in Matthew 5:6, when Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled,” He is saying that those who hunger and thirst after social justice (not personal piety) will be satisfied.
 
The Latin phrase imago Dei literally means “image of God” and comes from Genesis 1:27 which says God created humans in His image. The concept of imago Dei means that every person is created in the image of God. When we honor the imago Dei in each other, we are honoring God. In our pursuit of godliness, I wonder if we sometimes focus on the imago Dei in ourselves to the exclusion of imago Dei in others.
 
When society hinders certain of its members from becoming all they were created to be as God’s image bearers, the society as a whole will struggle to live up to its potential with certain members becoming “the least of these.” To glimpse the heart and soul of a society, of a nation, one only needs to take a look at how it treats its members deemed least worthy.
 
In Matthew 25:31-46**, Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats where He, the Son of Man, will gather all nations and either commend or condemn them for how they treated their least worthy members. As He sorts them to the right and to the left, He says to those deemed righteous (e.g., who acted justly) that they provided food and drink when He was hungry and thirsty, invited Him in when He was a stranger, clothed Him when He was naked, helped Him when He was sick, and visited Him when He was in prison. The astonished people ask Him when it was that they saw Him in such need. Jesus replies in verse 40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” To those on His left who did not do for the least of these, Jesus does not mince words. In verse 41, He says, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
 
The litmus test of faith is found in verse 46 where Jesus starkly contrasts the actions of both groups to show there are eternal consequences for doing or not doing “for the least of these.” Those who actually helped the needy are granted eternal life. Those who did not are condemned to eternal punishment. Faith without works is indeed dead (James 2:17**).
 
The work of social justice as outlined in Matthew 25 doesn’t take place within the walls of a church building. No amount of Bible study and prayer can substitute for the actual aid given to those in need and for the tireless work to pursue justice for them. Jesus states in Matthew 22:37-40** that the greatest commandment is to love God with our whole being. And He adds, the second commandment is like it: to love our neighbors as ourselves. Both of these are commands and both are holy pursuits. Often, we focus on the first commandment but ignore or neglect the second one. Sometimes “neighbor” is so narrowly defined that we let ourselves off the hook to help.
 
Social justice is not a liberal cause. It is the Christian’s response to the injustices in our society. It is the holy and radical pursuit of loving our neighbors. It is simply love in action. And it is indeed the way of Jesus.
 
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent and a day of repentance. May reflection and repentance spur us anew in the holy pursuit of social justice. May we view social justice as the way to love our neighbors as we follow Jesus.
 
 
Lord Jesus, although eating my childhood dinners didn’t directly impact a starving child, my actions today can help the least of these by alleviating poverty and promoting justice when I choose to love my neighbors in my community and around the world. May the good work of social justice rise from the ashes of poverty, prejudice, and hatred to create a better world for all of Your image bearers. Amen.
 
 
*Per the 2020 US Census report
 
**Matthew 25:31-46:  31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
 
**James 2:15-17: Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
 
**Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of an inspiring sculpture by Agustín Riganelli that guards a tomb in Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires. Discovering the plethora of sculpture and interesting architecture among this maze of mausoleums was an incredible surprise and a highlight of my trip to Argentina a few years ago.
 
 
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MARCH IS NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH! Learn more about it here: https://womenshistorymonth.gov/ and  https://www.pbs.org/show/womens-history-month/
 
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™