Pittsburgh protest
The Rev. Trent Somes III holds a sign during the Pittsburgh protest. (Photo by the Rev. Dawn M. Hand, courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conference.)
A United Methodist Insight Column
Threats to the free flow of information via print and online media form a major symptom of authoritarian rule. This may not seem relevant to the life of The United Methodist Church at first glance, but it is a key factor in whether churches everywhere can freely exercise their beliefs and whether clergy and members will be safe in their communities to speak out against injustice.
Jon Allsop, who writes The Media Today column for Columbia Journalism Review, summarized how threats to a free press have thrown the eastern European country of Belarus into turmoil.
After cataloguing the arrests of many local and regional journalists – including some whose whereabouts are now unknown – Mr. Allsop writes:
“There are parallels between the threats to reporters in Belarus and the way US law enforcement officers have targeted journalists covering the recent protests in Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and elsewhere. Since President Trump took office, media watchers have often remarked that his abuse of the press has emboldened the world’s autocrats to behave likewise. That view, while sometimes correct, has often been ahistorical; Trump didn’t invent threats to the US media, and [Belarus president Alexander] Lukashenko and his ilk have never needed emboldening. Instead, it’s more useful to view the present domestic threats as a wake-up call. [Empasis added]. Belarus, of course, is far less free than the US. Still, the global press-freedom fight is, in many ways, one fight, from Minneapolis to Minsk, and it merits sustained attention—regardless of who the US president is, and beyond individual flashpoints like stolen elections. If democracy dies in darkness, authoritarianism thrives in it.”
Thoughtful United Methodists can easily recognize the links between threats to secular media and what can happen to the church. In just one recent example, in places where there is civil unrest such as Zimbabwe or the Philippines clergy who speak out against human rights abuses can be intimidated, jailed, and mistreated, but we might never know were it not for diligent reporting. The United Methodist Church officially supports freedom of information in its Social Principles, Para. 164 D:
D) Freedom of Information—Citizens of all countries should have access to all essential information regarding their government and its policies. Illegal and unconscionable activities directed against persons or groups by their own governments must not be justified or kept secret, even under the guise of national security.
Furthermore, the church formally rejects the kind of heavy-handed law enforcement tactics that have been used of late in Paragraph 164 section A, “Basic Freedoms and Human Rights.”
… The use of detention and imprisonment for the harassment and elimination of political opponents or other dissidents violates fundamental human rights. Furthermore, the mistreatment or torture, and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment or punishment of persons by governments for any purpose violates Christian teaching and must be condemned and/or opposed by Christians and churches wherever and whenever it occurs.
Some United Methodists think that recent events, such as the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, are political matters in which the church shouldn’t be involved. However, it’s crucial to remember our biblical history that religious leaders, collaborating with the Roman occupiers of Israel, sought Jesus’ death in part because his preaching of God’s sovereignty undermined the decree that Caesar was God. (That political reality in no way negates the spiritual significance of the Resurrection).
In other words, we Christians have been confronting imperial oppressions since Jesus’ time. We’re living now in apocalyptic times, when the sins of our human systems are being revealed so that they may be resisted and overthrown. We must continue to look faithfully at the world through a gospel lens, so that through Christ we may witness to the reality of God’s love and justice.
Here endeth the lesson ... for now.
Iowa suffers storm damage
Here’s a report from the Rev. Catie Newman, disaster response coordinator for the Iowa Annual Conference, about the storms that occurred Aug. 10:
“On Monday, August 10, 2020, severe storms raced across much of Iowa.
“Beginning in Western Iowa, straight-line winds caused damage in many Iowa communities. The National Weather Service is calling it an ‘inland hurricane.’
“The storm, containing damaging lightning and thunder, heavy rain, and high winds, gained strength as it moved east across Iowa. Downed trees, power outages, power lines down, damage to buildings, and heavy rain have affected much of Iowa.
“Our instinct is to load up the car and go help, but in reality (until they are ready for us) you can help most by:
- PRAYING for those affected by the storms.
- CALLING friends and loved ones in storm-affected areas to check on them.
- WAITING until city officials have assessed the damage AND the power company has taken care of downed power lines.
- DONATING to help those in need.”
For details on how to donate, see the conference website.
Media Mentions for Aug. 11, 2020
Hospitals’ COVID-19 policies face religious-rights checks by Trump administration – The Wall Street Journal *
Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from mask mandates – The Conversation
I’m a conservative Christian environmentalist. No, that’s not an oxymoron – The New York Times *
With no end to the pandemic in sight, coronavirus fatigue grips America – Washington Post
Unrest in Chicago and Portland shows America’s summer of protest is far from over – Washington Post
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