Make the Vision Plain: Preparing for Protests
Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faithfulness. - Habakkuk 2:2-4 NRSVUE
We live in a time of activism and protest. Faithful people are making careful decisions about when and how to engage the social movements that are responding to justice issues local, national, and global import. As the various crises in the US and around the globe intensify, the personal and institutional risk of protesting increases.
Having been asked by multiple clergy colleagues about best practices for announcing, participating in and shepherding congregants to rallies, we have consulted some of our best sources and gathered their reflections into this brief document. May it help you remember your identity, be more effective, and be a bit safer, as you practice the work of Jesus and Justice in Public.
SOME THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Why should the church be out on the street? Because that’s where Jesus is. With marginalized, disenfranchised people who long to be heard. With those who are at risk of pushback – dangerous overreactions by those in power who feel threatened by their voices. With those practicing holy imagination, daring to envision a community of justice and righteousness where orphans, widows and other vulnerable members of our wider family are cared for, where sickness and sorrow are met with grace and generosity, where resources are expended to guard against hunger and want rather than against neighbor and stranger.
Following the passage from Habbakuk 2:2-4 that headlined this document, we remind readers that protests and rallies are an opportunity to make the vision plain – to write and speak a message of unity and care that contrasts boldly with that world as it is, or the world as various power players present it.
The Church In The Streets is Christ’s body, present there for those who cannot be physically present due to risk of detention or deportation, illness or inability, or work or caregiving responsibilities that keep them away. When we say that we are One Body, our bodies in the streets carry with them the bodies of all with whom we are in communion and who are, in spirit, with us.
This document includes guidance on:
Publicizing Rallies Through Your Church
Protesting
Faith Leaders Speaking at Protests
If you Are Arrested
Leading Conversation About Peaceful Protests
Other Resources
