My Blog

Tag: Gun Violence

  • In Response to the Racism and Violence of This Week

    The deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana have shocked the fabric of human community. I returned to my home last night to see and hear the news that one or more snipers have killed five police and injured another seven in Dallas, Texas. In the violence of the last two days, seven human beings will never go home. They will never embrace their family, friends, spouses, and children again.

    We grieve with Diamond Reynolds for the senseless death of her boyfriend Philando Castile, with Cameron Sterling for the murder of his father Alton, and with the families of the police officers who were slaughtered while performing their duties. We grieve for ourselves, for our tolerance of and complicity in the growing racism and gun violence in our nation. We grieve for the divisive and immoral behavior that fosters such violent outbursts. We grieve for the refusal of our elected leaders to take reasonable steps to turn back the tide of terror that threatens to destroy us.

    We are called upon to pray about this culture of racism and violence and for those who are the victims. And we must do that because our prayers matter. But let us pray, as we will this Sunday, that God will guide us to know and understand what we must do and then give us the grace and power to faithfully accomplish those things. We must seek and find ways to change things for neighbors like Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, five dead police officers, and their families. We must also change things for people who are our own neighbors, colleagues, family, and friends whom we cherish. We must be mindful that we are responsible for creating the culture that will be the legacy we bequeath to our children and the generations that follow.

    The people of Denver and of Colorado know all too well that this is not just about Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas. Liberation theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez writes, “All injustice is a breach with God.” This is about the injustice of violence and racism, sins that strip us of our humanity. We must repent, turn away, not only from our personal complicity, but from the systems of injustice that dehumanize our brothers and sisters.

    So, let the message of peace and mutual respect, of liberty and justice for all, and for God’s peaceful reign to be established upon earth as it is in heaven be proclaimed from the Pulpit of this Cathedral and Pulpits across the land in the hope that those who hear that message, starting with ourselves, will act to change the social structures and all the influences that have allowed racism and violence to grow. May we become instruments of the answers to the prayers we pray.

    O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
    through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
    human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
    infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
    unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
    confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
    your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
    harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
    our Lord. Amen.              (Book of Common Prayer, page 815)

     

     

    Faithfully yours,

    Ron Short Sig Blue

     

     

     

     

    The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue
    Interim Dean
    Saint John’s Cathedral
    Denver, Colorado

     

  • A Response to the Mass Shooting in Orlando

    On Sunday morning, shortly before leaving for the early service, I turned on the news and heard about the mass shooting in Orlando. At that point, the estimate was twenty dead and forty-two wounded. Then, just before the ten o'clock service, a parishioner showed me an update on his smart phone. The estimate was fifty dead and over fifty wounded. All I could think of to do was to add the victims of this horrific act of violence to the Prayers of the People.

    For the past two days, when I have had an opportunity to watch the news, read responses, and ponder what happened, I have felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and loss. Sadness for those killed and injured, their loved ones, friends, and colleagues, for my country that seems to have lost its way. Loss of a way of life, of a sense of security, of civility in public discourse, and of effective leadership in public office.

    A friend asked me in a Facebook post why someone's faith would make them murder in cold blood. I don't think he liked my response because it included looking at the implications of our own faith and for placing stronger restrictions on certain kinds of guns. James told us, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26). Our trust in God and the beliefs we have about God's will for humanity should lead to action. Our faith should lead us in renewed efforts to "persevere in resisting evil", "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being," and all the other imperatives of the Baptismal Covenant.

    We have a Christian duty to live our lives according to the example of Christ and to proclaim the good news. Yet, there are those who are both inside and outside our Christian community over whom we have little or no influence. Just as there are those of other faiths who twist the teachings of those faiths, so there are those within the Christian community who have perverted and abused the Gospel. There are people in all faiths who embrace an archaic interpretation of teachings and who rail against more contemporary and progressive viewpoints. Faith communities are struggling internally and externally in the context of a global cultural change. I believe that change is inevitable and that people of faith have an opportunity to contribute in positive ways to the new cultural ethos that emerges. But we will not succeed in that positive contribution through means that are in conflict with the primary values of world religions that call for peace, love, and well-being that supersede images of violence and hatred in our sacred texts.

    Neither shooting dozens of LGBT people in a nightclub, nor inciting fear and conflict in political statements, nor being a "murderer at heart" (1 John 3:15) are pleasing in the sight of God. So, let us resolve to resist all of these things that harm God's children and work for common sense measures that are for the common good within our faith communities, across the lines that divide us, and within the body politic. I don't have all the answers. Neither do you. But we do have a faith that promises God can work through us to bring peace and goodwill. It will be hard work. If there were simple solutions, we'd have already prevented tragedies like the massacre in Orlando.

    So, let us join hands, listen to one another, and get to work. All the while, let us pray for those who have died, those who suffer, those who are our neighbors, and those who are our enemies, in the hope that God's will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

    Gracious God, preserver of all things in heaven and earth, receive the souls of those murdered in Orlando into the arms of your mercy; envelop the Orlando community with your love; and grant us all–Christian and Muslim brothers and sisters–the courage and wisdom to speak with one voice in favor of your peace, which passes all understanding. Amen.

     

    I'll see you in Church!

    Ron Short Sig Blue

     

  • An Abundance of Prevention

    Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I’ve always believed it to be true and a piece of wisdom worthy of attention. However, in a two week period I’ve become involved in several prevention campaigns; Prevention of Sexual Violence, Prevention of Domestic Violence, Prevention of Gun Violence, Prevention of Suicide, and Prevention of Child Abuse to be specific. Each one of these programs deserves our undivided attention and I am grateful that they are available to our community. However, all together they are certainly more than “an ounce.”

    All of this comes at a time when I am feeling the impact of terrorism at home and abroad, more mass shootings, the suicide of a colleague’s son, and news of the rape of a woman I know in another state. And it is Advent, the season of expectation, hope, and preparation for the birth of the One sent to save us.

    In each of these prevention programs, we review recent data concerning the prevalence of the social ill we are trying to prevent. In most cases, the problems are escalating at an alarming rate. Something is wrong with a culture when we have to work so hard at prevention of such things. Our core values as a culture have obviously eroded.

    I caught a glimmer of hope in conversation with the presenter of the workshop on domestic violence, The Rev. Dr. Marie M. Fortune, when she said that faith communities can present obstacles or opportunities for people facing behavior that needs to be prevented. For example, a biblical passage can be interpreted in ways that make a victim of violence believe it is their fault, that the abuser has a God-given right to hurt someone, or that the violence is somehow God’s punishment. Or, the passage might be interpreted in life-affirming ways that help lift a person out of harm’s way.

    It makes me even more grateful that our Church emphasizes God’s grace, love, and forgiveness. Each of us who has received that hopeful message is in a position to share it with others, especially those who are vulnerable. In so doing, we may not only help someone discover an abundant life, we may also provide just the thing that actually saves a life.

    We also belong to a community of people who can hold one another accountable for our harmful actions just as we encourage good works. Watching over one another in love, we support profound behavioral change. Jesus didn’t just preach repentance, he formed a community to surround penitents with guidance, care, and the means of grace that are necessary to sustain the new life that is emerging when the old life is left behind.

    In the Baptismal Covenant, we affirm that with God’s help we will persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into sin, we will repent and return to the Lord. We affirm that with God’s help we will seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves. And, we affirm that with God’s help we will strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.

    That’s our ounce of prevention, which we ourselves have received and which we offer to cure the social ills swirling around us. It’s about more than stopping something; it’s also about offering hope. It’s not just about protecting the victims; it’s also about redemptive change for those who do violence. It’s more than an ounce or even a pound; it’s the offer of immeasurable possibilities for good that will reverberate beyond our own generation.

    It’s something to think about.

    I’ll see you in Church!

    Ron Short Sig Blue