Last week I raised the question of whether the Black Lives Matter and anti-racism moment is a trend or a movement. You may have noticed that I raised the question but didn’t actually answer it. I will offer my best answer at the end of this message. Until then, I want to add two thoughts, which burrow a bit more into the complexity (and perhaps unfairness) of the question.
First, last week someone asked me to consider the relationship between the Civil Rights actions of the 60's to what is happening today in my question. And while there is no shortage of people making reference to Martin and Malcolm and John Lewis, etc., it was a wise correction for me. I should not pretend that anything of significance arises out of nothing, so a 'beginning' point may be as hard to pinpoint as an 'ending' point. As I reflect on the current BLM moment, I will be mindful that our moment has numerous histories that inform, empower, shape, and challenge it.
Maybe I ought not to think about big seismic movements, like the Protestant Reformation (which also had a history but we see it as a significant, lasting event of change.) More common, yet perhaps just as long lasting in their significance, would be something more like associated waves of change. The abolitionist movement, the reconstruction period, the civil rights movement, and so forth could be part of a long, series of connected waves that wax and wane, with moments of progress, followed by reactionary pushbacks like Jim Crow, redlining, and the school-to-prison system in many cities.
To use my favorite metaphor for how I think God is at work in history, I do not accept the idea that history is always a trajectory of progress, like the “onward and upward,” “every day in every way getting better and better” idealism of the late 19th century. But, neither do I think history is a static pendulum of progress and regress, with every progress accompanied by an equal regress. I like the metaphor of “Foucault’s Pendulum,” which has that back and forth quality of static realism, but even while the pendulum swings back and forth it makes it way ever so steadily to a new place. The idea of Foucault’s pendulum is that between the force of gravity and axial tilt, the back and forth motion will actually knock down pegs in a full circle over a 24-hour period. So, again, perhaps our BLM moment is part of a larger movement that is progressing ever so slowly despite the pendulum swinging back and forth.
Second, when I ask whether the BLM moment is a trend or a movement, I need to say also that I am strongly opposed to predictions. Whether it is a bookie in Vegas placing odds on a Laker’s game or a Fundamentalist pretending to read biblical tea leaves, prediction is always a guess. And that’s true, even if we present it under the guise of “prophecy.” It is a sad thing that the word “prophecy” has been reduced to guesswork. The prophetic tradition did speak to trajectories often, warning that if such-and-such a practice continued there would be dire consequences. I’m posing the question not to invite guesses or to make one myself. I am posing the question because it is often the case that some passionate moments are short-lived and some are long lasting. And, if we’re committed to BLM as a matter of justice, we have to ask this kind of question.
So, when I pose the question of whether our BLM moment is a trend or a movement, here’s how I think a biblical prophet would answer – or, at least, this is how I want to answer: The moment will become a movement if we follow the leading of the Spirit and make it so.[1] I believe we should be asking ourselves, “What do we need to be doing now in order to assure that this will be a movement that significantly changes the story of racism in our society?” That question brings together the imperative and hope that we face today.
That’s my best answer so far. Thanks for stopping by.
Mark of St. Mark
[1] I am not denying the sovereignty of God by making this claim. It is in the spirit of Mark 6:5-6, where Jesus could do no miracles in his hometown because of their unbelief. I believe, in a nutshell, that this is how God chooses to roll, which is why ‘predestination’ and ‘free will’ are not incompatible.
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