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Defeating Callousness

Writer's picture: Rev. Dr. Ben HuelskampRev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp

Monday, February 3, 2025


Happy Monday, my friends! Isaiah 58:6-9 offers a message and a lesson from which any leader should learn: Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and God will say, ‘Here I am.’Over the last several months a variety of leaders across the political, religious, and social spectrums have embraced a certain type of rhetorical and lived callousness—if not outright cruelty—towards not only marginalized communities, but people in general. While we can easily point to the rash of anti-transgender and anti-immigrant actions coming out of Washington, DC, leaders across political and religious boundaries have been equally at fault.

 

Among anything else that can be said about this moment in history, we are experiencing a level of callousness from our leaders which feels, to some of us, to be unprecedented. Yes, largely due to contemporary technology and social media, the cruelty is on full display and readily available across multiple platforms, but barbarous treatment by those in power against those not in power is nothing new. The people feeling the cruelty and reporting and writing about it by and large are those of us unaccustomed to the government truly being weaponized against us: white temporarily abled bodied[1] (TAB) people, white cis TAB people, white cis-het[2] TAB people, and white cis-het TAB men. To be clear, that statement isn’t an insult. It’s the truth that even when white people find ourselves in the political minority, we rarely have had to worry about the government being more than a nuisance in our lives. Our BIPOC[3] siblings are far too accustomed to the government being not only an adversary, but an existential threat. Our disabled siblings, too, are forced to live in a world not built for their use and at times purposely built for their exclusion.

 

While we witness the harmful rhetoric of our present leaders, we have to admit that cruelty is nothing new. But the fast of God is not one of abstention from food or drink, rather it is to go out and defeat callousness through action which benefits those who have been and are being pushed to the margins. “Then,” Isaiah tells us, “your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

 

How can you defeat callousness in your community? How can your light break forth like the dawn?

 

Let us pray: Gracious God, we are ever so grateful for your grace and blessings. We thank you for protecting us this far. In this past week, our hearts have been crushed, squashed, trampled on as we witnessed a new governmental administration take control and we witnessed the undoing of our ancestors’ legacy on American soil. Oh God, we recognize that you already know what we are facing in this turbulent time, and we ask for strength, power, and might to face our fears, to stand on our faith, and to fight for our liberation and freedom from earthly dictators and oppression.  

 

You are God and the power is in your hands. We turn to you! We walk by faith, we draw together, and we stand together. We pray for Mother Earth that as she groans that her children will hear and respond accordingly. Amen.

~Adapted from a prayer written for TFAM Midwest by the Rev. Carolyn Blair

 

Blessings on your weeks, my friends! Let me know if there is anything I can do for you.

 

Faithfully,

 

Ben





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[1] “Temporarily” acknowledges the reality that the human body becomes less able with age. Even the most active, physically fit humans experience bodily restrictions as they age. The use of “temporarily” also acknowledges that we are all one accident away from experiencing disability in many forms. Many humans live visibly able bodied lives while dealing with invisible disabilities.

[2] Cisgender and heterosexual

[3] Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

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