More from Cornel West on Christianity and democracy.
Democracy goes hand in hand with Christian faith. You have an ethical obligation as a Christian to fight for equal rights for all. Prophetic thought has to do with putting your life on the line, with the help of your faith. True faith means you are not looking for a quick fix or a victory overnight. You do the right thing regardless of the consequence - because you want to be a decent and compassionate person before you die.
Well I liked this until we move to the last sentence. Christians are not people who want to be seen as a "decent and compassionate person" before we die. We want to follow Jesus. We want to be the beloved of God as we already are in the eyes of God. We want to live within that image. Nothing has to "get done" before we die. We are free to live a new life now and always. I do think that we are, as West notes" a people who are not looking for a "quick fix or a victory overnight." In fact, we are a people who are not afraid to live in times that are full of tension when many things are unresolved. It is in those times that we are reminded of the true place we play in the world. We take the powerful healing and liberating promises of our God and we live within them even when the world does not. In fact, our living becomes a contrary life - a revolutionary life - a prophetic life. This is simply a part of who we are when we follow Jesus.
Connection: Don't worry about the victory....enter into the Reign that is already at hand today.
Stir up our hearts, O God, and carry us into your Reign. Amen.
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