Chicago Bishop Urges Churches to Prepare for Possible Militarization

by

Perspectives

Northern Illinois Conference | Sept. 5, 2025

“. . . don’t lead us into temptation” (Matt. 6:13a, CEB).

Siblings in Christ,

I feel called to compel us to return more often to the Lord’s Prayer these days, and more deeply. Pray it slowly. Consider the tenets of the prayer, the moral vision of Jesus calling us to pray, “bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven” (Matt. 6:10, CEB).

Years ago, I read The Greatest Prayer, by John Dominic Crossan, and I was reminded that Jesus taught his disciples to pray in a world of Roman occupation that offers some context for the petition, “lead us not into temptation.” While our own praying may be about help with many temptations, Crossan suggests that perhaps Jesus’s view is that we should pray that we do not fall into the temptation of violence as a solution to the problems that vex us. The Lord’s Prayer affirms there can be bread enough, forgiveness enough, and God enough to order life between us with compassion, abundance, and neighborliness.

We live in a moment when we are being divided by misinformation and fear. The National Guard is being politicized by being sent to some places seen as more crime-critical; so far, “blue” cities such as Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; and perhaps now, Chicago. Be reminded there are not blue places or red places, a map is not the people, that people are more than words that reduce them to a color. May we pray that Jesus would lead us not into this temptation of vision that creates and tacitly supports division and unnecessary violence.

May we not politicize the police or armed forces by using persons who serve in uniform for political ends. O God, lead us not into the temptation of making enemies of neighbors who serve. Or enemies based on where they live or their community’s voting majority in the last election.

If troops are sent to Chicago, why? Until what end is achieved? Does our city require a military occupation? USA Today reported on Sept. 4 that  overall, crime has actually gone down 13 percent since 2024 according to data published by the Chicago Police Department.

How long should a U.S. city be occupied by federal troops? If this is about crime, why are resources not focused on places with a higher crime rate? Beyond Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; and Chicago, will all non-white majority cities require federal troops? Are majority non-white cities to be seen as enemies? Will this normalize the use of armed forces in non-white majority U.S. cities? By now, we should all know that due process is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution for all persons on U.S. soil, and that we have seen the severe erosion of due process and racial profiling for citizens and non-citizens alike. Who wants to join a church that is not clear about anti-racism and solidarity with the oppressed? I believe that while due process is eroding, silence is complicity.

In the 2020/2024 Book of Discipline, among the disciplines by which bishops are encouraged to lead the church is “a prophetic commitment for the transformation of the world” (¶ 403.1d). The subparagraph continues, “the role of the Bishop is to be a prophetic voice for justice . . . and alleviation of human suffering.” Yes, we are to lead the whole flock of Christ, with all its gifts and valuable differences. My hope is to offer a prophetic reminder that God’s relentless love is among us to reduce fear, and to help support those who must ask questions of public theology that we might renew our search for a common good.

In the face of Roman occupation, Jesus chose neither violent revolt nor passive withdrawal, but another way: the way of nonviolent resistance. We might say Jesus’s resistance was also embodied as he sat at the table with the marginalized, touched and healed the wounds of the sick, and celebrated God’s reign among the poor and oppressed.

Let’s practice a closer walk with Jesus by means of the Lord’s Prayer lifted more often and lived more deeply, especially when events increase the rhetoric of violence.

I would remind us also to prayerfully consider Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s six principles of nonviolence:

  1. Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
  2. The beloved community is the framework for the future.
  3. Attack forces of evil, not persons doing evil.
  4. Accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve the goal.
  5. Avoid internal violence of the spirit as well as external physical violence.
  6. The universe is on the side of justice.

From now until we practice communion on All Saints’ Day, how can the Lord’s Prayer increase the power and love we know as Christ in our life together? Thank you for your faithfulness.

Bishop Daniel W. Schwerin leads the Northern Illinois-Wisconsin Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church