A United Methodist Insight Column
A word to congregations: You may want to beef up your security practices now in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade this summer.
According to Axios, law enforcement agencies are closely watch social media for threats against Supreme Court justices and clerks, abortion clinics, places of worship and even businesses that have nothing to do with abortion. The fear is that overturning Roe v. Wade will unleash a wave of civil unrest, says a memo from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“The memo warns that extremist acts could come from either side,” says the Axios newsletter. Thus, United Methodist congregations, whether they support or oppose abortion rights, could become targets because of the denomination’s finely nuanced social position that endorses a woman’s right to decide on abortion as a private matter among her, her partner, her doctor and her pastor.
As shown in the Buffalo shooting, violent extremists are susceptible to irrational theories and philosophies that a reasonable stance such as the UMC’s can’t penetrate. And sadly, places of worship are no longer respected as violence-free zones. It’s hard to welcome the stranger as Jesus commands in such an atmosphere, but we must balance our hospitality with a keen awareness of the potential danger to those who use our facilities. As Jesus instructed his disciples when he sent them forth to preach God’s forgiveness, “be innocent as doves, yet with the wisdom of serpents” (Matthew 10:16).
Prepare for a busy hurricane season
Meteorologists are concerned that the 2022 hurricane season will be one of the most active in recent years, especially along the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico. A stream known as the Loop Current has warmed the Gulf to levels reminiscent of 2005 that spawned Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, according to an article on The Conversation website.
From the Reuters Daily Briefing: The world's oceans in 2021 grew to their warmest and most acidic levels on record, while melting ice sheets helped push sea levels to new heights, the World Meteorological Organization said. Oceans saw the most striking extremes as the WMO detailed a range of turmoil wrought by climate change in its annual 'State of the Global Climate' report.
Churches along the Gulf coast would be wise to "batten down the hatches," to use a nautical term, in preparation for intense summer storms.
New book shines light on ‘power of crisis’
Power of Crisis
Image Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
Thoughtful church leaders may find some enlightenment – though not likely encouragement from a new book, “The Power of Crisis,” profiled earlier this week by Axios. Its newsletter says (verbatim quote follows):
Ian Bremmer writes in "The Power of Crisis," … that the globe's three great threats are the next pandemic ... the climate emergency ... and the unexpected impact of disruptive technologies:
"The speed of technological change is the biggest risk of all," writes Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group. "Companies are now using artificial intelligence to figure out the most efficient ways to change human behavior in ways that profit them."
"New technologies are already changing what it means to be human."
"The lead US and Chinese tech companies are central players in the drama that will determine whether the world descends into a new Cold War or heads toward a much more hopeful future," Bremmer adds.
"No other non-state actors today or arguably in history have come close to this kind of geopolitical influence."
"We've reached a crossroads," Bremmer writes:
[U]nprecedented global challenges aren't lurking somewhere in our future; they're here today. Climate change will intensify, no matter what we do ... Much of our planet is becoming hostile to life.
Why should church leaders consult an obvious “gloom-and-doom” book such as “The Power of Crisis”? We can think of lots of reasons, but here are just two:
- No matter how we try otherwise, our congregations exist in the real world affected by the changes outlined in this book.
- We cannot teach and model hope in Jesus Christ without acknowledging the daunting context in which people live today.
We can continue with works of mercy such as feeding the hungry and housing the homeless, but as the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu wisely said, “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in.”
Media Mentions as of May 18, 2022
4 Reasons I Am Staying UMC | C. Don Jones - Patheos
Cheshire: Fundraising dinner for injured student | Community News | berkshireeagle.com
Teenagers volunteer by renovating homes in their community - KRIS-TV
Wesley United Methodist Church to host free breakfast Saturday - Wareham Week
Confronting racism from our pulpits – Ministry Matters
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.