FAITH & TECHNOLOGY: Cell Phones: The New Weapon In Our Warfare

20150712_210956_resized-1A colleague and close friend of mine, Rev. Theresa A. Dear, (National Board Member of the NAACP and CEO of HR4Non-profits), recently posted this question on her Facebook page:

“How and what can we learn from the Sandra Bland situation to become better humanitarians, advocates and leaders?” (https://www.facebook.com/theresa.a.dear?fref=ts)

It didn’t take long for me to think of one way this situation has taught us that we can ALL become more involved as advocates and leaders in the cause of humanitarianism. And it’s right at our fingertips…our CELL PHONES!

In 2015, just about everyone has a cell phone. The cell phone is so much a part of what we do and who we are that if we ever leave home without it, we turn around and go back to get it. In the palm of our hand and with the touch of a finger, we stay in touch we family and friends through text messages, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. We keep up with the world through special apps and internet. We schedule appointments and put reminders on our calendars. We make purchases and financial transactions…all with the swipe of a finger.

I think it’s great!

We don’t have to wait to get home and sit down in front of a computer or wait until a brick and mortar building opens to handle our business. Cell phones can do so much and some people take them, literally, everywhere… to bed, to the bathroom and beyond…

…that’s right, some people can’t even part with their cell phones long enough to take a restroom break…

We take our cell phones EVERYWHERE! Even to our houses of worship. The Quaran, the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible) and the Christian Bible all come in apps that can be installed on smartphones making it no longer necessary to haul around a heavy book. Many people use their smart phones to follow along and take notes when scriptures and sacred texts are being read, and to take notes on sermons and teachings.

Again I say, this is great!

The problem (for me) is the constant use of the cell phone cameras during worship! I recently read an article, which said that a chief rabbi in an Israeli region stated that cell phones were to be restricted from use and even restricted from being brought into Jewish study areas because the phone inhibited study of the Torah. In the United States, I don’t know if cell phones and cameras are allowed in mosques, synagogues, temples or other places of worship and teaching, which are not in the Christian tradition. But it seems that in many churches, people are so busy using cell phones to take pictures and make videos that they are distracted from the real purpose for gathering together, in the first place.

Isn’t the purpose for our coming together to be present…present in the moment… in fellowship with each other; to be present in the moment…in worship of our Creator?

I can understand an occasional picture or video by a proud parent or grandparent on a special occasion, but these should be the exceptions, not the rule. It has become a standard, Sunday morning practice to pull out cell phones and hold them in the air, as if we are lifting up holy hands in worship. But we’re not lifting our hands in worship. We’re lifting up cameras to capture a moment, never really having experienced the moment when it actually happened, because we were focused on our phones. We’re constantly taking pictures and making videos of church services. And for what reason? To post on a social media page?

The Church needs worshipers. The world needs witnesses! And in light of the irresponsible, abusive, rude, negligent and sometimes intentionally lethal behavior being used by some police officers, had there not been a witness with a camera phone, the truth would not be known. The Church and like-minded people of faith are being called to action in the cause for social justice. We have the power, literally and figuratively, in our hands, to answer that call.

The Christian Bible and other sacred texts teach that “our fight is not against flesh and blood…but against spiritual wickedness that sits in high places of authority” AND that “the weapons the people of God fight with are not the weapons of the world because the weapons used by the people of God have divine power to tear down strongholds”. Who would have thought that a cell phone could be used as a divine tool in the cause to bring justice? But that is exactly what is happening. It was a cell phone video that showed police behaving badly in the cases of Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Freddie Grey and Sandra Bland, just to name a few.

When we leave our wonderful worship experiences, we need to remember there’s a war going on in our neighborhoods and communities. In fact, our worship should never end. For when we seek social justice, we are worshiping the Creator of Justice. And in addition to using prayer and fasting to battle “spiritual wickedness sitting in high places of authority”, our cell phones can also be one of the weapons of our warfare.

So, this is my response to the question, “How and what can we learn from the Sandra Bland situation to become better humanitarians, advocates and leaders?”: We can embrace the power that lies in our hands to expose injustice…the power of our cell phones. And as we hold our cell phones and lift our hands in worship, let us also hold our cell phones and lift our hands as witnesses.

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FAITH & SandySpeaks on Social Justice

20150712_210956_resized-1In just a few hours, family and friends will gather to lay to rest Sandra Bland aka “Sandy”.   Sandy Bland is the 28 year old African American woman who was driving along a highway in Prairie View, Texas, happily preparing to start a new chapter in her life as an employee at her alma mater, Prairie View A & M University, by Brian Encinia, an overly zealous, unprofessional cop (cop seems to suit him better than police officer) who (in my opinion) wanted to let her know he was large and in charge. It was July 10, 2015. I’ll remember that day because on July 10, 2015, my family and friends were having an 80th birthday celebration for one of the African American matriarchs in our family. While my family and friends were celebrating 80 years of life, love, faithfulness and service, Sandy Bland’s family was trying to get together $500.00 to bail her out of jail, after having been arrested and locked up

for an offense that is still not clear to me, although I’ve watched the dashcam video and read the transcript, multiple times…

Sandy’s family and friends had no idea that they would never see her alive again. And, in just a few hours, family, friends and people of faith will stand inside the walls of Dupage African Methodist Episcopal Church, (http://www.dupageamec.org/ )where Sandy grew up, learned about the Lord and offered her gifts in Christian service. (http://www.dupageamec.org/event/homegoingcelebrationforsandraabland ) And these family and friends will eulogize Sandy, sharing beautiful words and wonderful memories. Most of us won’t be present to hear the stories of who Sandy really was from people who really knew her. But I imagine that what they will say about Sandy are the very things that she herself spoke of in her video series entitled SandySpeaks. Instead of listening to the media, I decided to listen to SandySpeaks. This is what I heard.

Sandy spoke about SOCIAL JUSTICE. She spoke about justice for her people…African American people! And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s absolutely right and it’s absolutely righteous. And for those of us who are familiar with New Testament texts from the Bible, a very well-known writer even dared to say that his desire was for his people to be saved. That’s right! The apostle Paul said his heart’s desire was for Israel to be saved. (Romans 10:1) And if Paul, a Jew, could declare that he had concerns for the welfare of his people (although he was speaking of their spiritual welfare), wasn’t Sandy, an African American entitled to speak on behalf of the welfare of her people? Sandy followed in the tradition of Paul, in this sense, by expressing her love and concern for her people, African American people, and her desire to see them have justice in America.

Sandy spoke about justice for those who were marginalized like African American men. She spoke about justice for those who were objectified, like African American women. She spoke about justice for those who were victimized, like African American children. Sandy spoke about the rights that were due to all Americans but denied to many African Americans, simply because of the color of their skin. Sandy spoke righteous truth to unrighteous power. Sandy spoke to oppressive people and to oppressive systems.

But Sandy also spoke to the oppressed. Sandy spoke to her people directly, empowering African Americans to do great things and be great people. Sandy spoke to African Americans, educating and encouraging us to be responsible, creators of our futures. Sandy spoke to her African American brothers and sisters, whom she lovingly referred to as kings and queens, inspiring us to be productive and to consistently work for the good of our kingdoms and queendoms.

The media and spin-masters would have us to believe that Sandy Bland was someone who she was NOT. We may not be able to hear the wonderful words of eulogy that will be spoken during Sandy’s home going celebration. But we are most definitely not left to the deceptive devices of character assassins in the media.

Sandy spoke about justice in her videos. She spoke for her people in SandySpeaks. And she spoke for herself during her encounter with a cop on a Texas highway. I have no doubt that speaking justice for herself — boldly, courageously, and with power and conviction– in the face of an unjust arrest is why she is not with us today. Sandy may not be here. But her voice can still be heard. SandySpeaks!

 

 

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FAITH & MISOGYNY: Why “Say Her Name” Should Be Important to the Church

20150712_210956_resized-1For the last 12 months or so, America has repeatedly heard the names of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Grey, Walter Scott and so many other men and boys. What did these men and boys have in common? They were all African American. And they were all killed by police officers. For days, weeks and months, television media has kept the names of these men and boys before the viewing public by devoting hours and hours of television news coverage of protests, marches, lie-ins, hashtag campaigns and “riots” or by giving a quick 30 second snippet on a nightly news program. Not only have news programs and networks given abundant attention to the deaths of these men and boys, but protesters and advocacy groups have formed campaigns to keep the names of these men and boys before the public eye and in the public ear. (If you haven’t heard the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’, you just don’t want to hear it!)

But what about Black women and girls who have died at the hands of over-zealous, power-hungry police officers?  When was the last time you heard the name Aiyanna Jones (7 years old)? What about Tarika Wilson (26 years old)? And what about Tanisha Anderson (37 years old) or the names of too many other women and girls of color who have been killed by police officers? The media has not been as vocal in keeping the names of these (and other) women and girls in the forefront of efforts to address police brutality against people of color.

This is why there is a new movement that has been formed: Say Her Name. The mission of Say Her Name is “to call attention to police violence against Black women” AND “to offer a resource to help ensure that Black women’s stories are integrated into demands for justice, policy responses to police violence, and media representations of victims and survivors of police brutality.” (http://www.aapf.org/sayhernamereport).

You may ask, “Why is another separate campaign needed in light of Black Lives Matter?” Well…one reason is that, even though campaigns like Black Lives Matter have been effective at getting the attention of many in the media and general public, activists and advocacy groups for Black Lives Matter have not been as vigilant in keeping public attention on Black women and girls who have either been slain by or died while in the custody of police officers.

Another reason, according to Andrea Ritchie, New York civil rights attorney and coauthor of a recent report issued by the African American Policy Forum (http://www.aapf.org/) on black women and law enforcement, is that Black women and girls face risks not shared by men, such as sexual violence and sexual harassment from law enforcement.

This is not to say that only Black women are the victims of police violence. But in this age of 24 hour news coverage and cell phone cameras, I’d bet the farm that if this abuse were being perpetrated in mass numbers against White women, (or White men for that matter), we would see the news reports and the cell phone videos. The fact that we are not seeing this is highly suggestive, (at least in my mind), that the incidences of police violence and brutality against White women are not as numerous as those of Black women.

The names of Black women and girls need to be heard in the fight for racial-social justice. Someone needs to say their names. (Which leads to my next point:) Where are communities of faith? Where is the Church in all of this?   Why has the Church failed to follow the instructions of Isaiah 58:1 to “Cry aloud and spare not”? Isn’t the Church supposed to “lift up its voice like a trumpet and show the people their transgressions”? The tendency of women to be relegated to the status of second class citizens did not just start in the 21st century. In fact, this practice can be seen in mainstream religions and faith traditions that have been built on (or over) a foundation of disregard (and what sometimes appears to be disdain) for women. Is it something about our faith traditions that has caused us to subconsciously neglect to stand up for oppressed and abused Black women and girls?

In her book Battered Love, minister and old testament scholar, Rev. Dr. Renita J. Reems gives an insightful look at the writings of such prophets as Hosea, Jeremiah and Ezekiel who used images of male power and abuse against women (specifically righteous husbands against wives who were often characterized as lusty, depraved and defiled).

True… these images were symbolic of the punishment and judgement that would justifiably be measured out on the people of God for their disobedience and sins against God. And also true… Reems’ book explores the use of marriage as a metaphor of the relationship between God and God’s people. But there’s an argument to be made that this disregard for women went beyond marriage.

Remember Lot, who was willing to sacrifice the dignity and lives of his daughters to a group of angry men so that his male house guests would not be harmed? Yeah…we have a tendency to focus only on the horrors that the male house guests would have endured and we gloss over the fact that Lot’s daughters were going to be raped. (And by the way, what were Lot’s daughters’ names??)

In the Bible, women were often referred to by their relationships to husbands and sons. (Does anyone know Potiphar’s wife’s name? What about the widow at Zarephath?  This poor woman couldn’t even get a name of her own after her husband died.  And how about Peter’s mother-in-law?) This is not to say that women were never identified by a name because some were. But the overall cultures that gave birth to the sacred biblical texts do not appear to have been very female friendly. This disregard can still be seen in communities of faith in the 21st century.

Many communities of faith have remained eerily quiet when it comes to the death, violence and abuse being inflicted by police on women, particularly women of color. Could it be that the Church’s silence is rooted in the very text we claim as sacred, liberating and redemptive? Have people of faith in the 21st century subconsciously embraced a culture that demeans and belittles women and girls based on doctrines that grew out of cultures that often appeared to be less than loving toward women and girls? (Is misogyny too strong of a word to use? Hmmm…)

There is absolutely no excuse for communities of faith to remain silent on the issues of abuse and violence faced by Black women and girls.  Women and girls are vital parts of communities of faith.  If not for them, many communities of faith would not be able to survive.  And predominantly Black churches should be among the first to champion the cause.  It’s time for us to stand up for women in general, and Black women and girls in particular. It’s time for us to “Say Her Name.”

Unfortunately and with heartbreak, we now say the name Sandra Bland…

#SayHerName #WhatHappenedToSandraBland

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