The Bible does not say that there is a Trinity. The term Trinity refers to God as being 3 persons in one divine being – usually referred to as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are times in the Bible when God is referred to as Father. There are times when Jesus is referred to as God, and as Son of God. And there are times when God’s Spirit is described and discussed. But there is never a time when all three are defined explicitly as one Triune God.
Over time though, through interaction with Scriptures, in prayer, and in discussion with one another, Christians came to believe that God was in fact this Trinity. This understanding became central to Christian identity, and is now one of the defining features of the Christian faith.
The Bible does not say that slavery is wrong. Slavery – the act of owning another human being – was a common occurrence in the cultures that are portrayed in the Bible. There are multiple descriptions as to how slaves should be treated, but there are no places in which slavery is condemned, neither outright nor implicitly.
Over time though, through interaction with Scriptures, in prayer, and in discussion with one another, Christians came to believe that slavery was in fact evil. I believe it is important to note that Christians did not come to this conclusion by finding some hidden biblical text that said, “Slavery is bad.” Christians came to this conclusion – far too slowly actually – by taking Jesus seriously in his description of how we are meant to treat one another, and by looking at the whole of his ministry. His was a ministry of humanization. Engaging in acts of dehumanization did not and does not reflect the heart of Christ.
A couple of years ago I got to see the Rev. Dr. William Barber speak at a luncheon. If you are not familiar with Dr. Barber, he is a pastor in the Disciples of Christ tradition. He also serves as the co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. He travels the country working and speaking on behalf of the rights of those whom our country marginalizes. I wasn’t recording his talk, so I’m going to get the words a little wrong, but I remember him talking about democracy, and saying that, from a Christian perspective, democracy is a moral good because it seeks to give voice and agency to every single person.
Barber said he believed deeply in activism for democracy’s sake because a truly democratic country would be one in which the poor and marginalized have the same voice and vote as the wealthy, privileged members of the dominant culture. And then he began to quote Scriptures. One after another, from the Old and New Testaments, he referenced verses he’d committed to memory that pointed to God’s heart for all people, God’s desire for the enfranchisement and care of all people, God’s insistence on the dignity of every human being. Our God is love, and love in action looks like justice, equity, and mercy.
And of course, the Bible does not name or discuss democracy. But again here we are: the overwhelming narrative of our Scriptures, and the heart of Jesus’ teaching continue to point to the work of humanization, the recognition of the dignity of every human being. If we think our faith is just about getting specific right-believing individuals into heaven when they die, we are radically missing the point. Christians are supposed to live in communities that humanize, uplift, enfranchise, and respect every human being. We are meant not only to pray “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth is it is in heaven,” but to participate with God in the answering of that prayer.
Of course democracy is messy and imperfect. It is not divine. It is not on par with the doctrine of the trinity. But I found myself that day persuaded by Dr. Barber’s assertion that, for our country, for our people, the struggle for democracy can be a profoundly Christian one. The struggle for the inclusion, enfranchisement, agency, and dignity of every person is both practical and spiritual. It may not be a defining feature of the Christian faith, but the struggle for democracy seems mighty Christian to me.
And, yes, I am using the term struggle, because the dignity of every human being is not widely accepted, has historically been denied, and is even now being vehemently attacked from within. You may remember William Barber’s name because he was arrested earlier this week for praying in the Capitol Building. He was arrested for praying Congress pass a moral budget – one that enfranchises and uplifts all Americans. He was arrested for praying for democracy. He was arrested in the same halls that were violently stormed four short years ago in an act of anti-democratic insurrection. He was arrested, and those who committed violent acts in the effort of disenfranchisement were pardoned. He was arrested for praying in the Capitol on the same day the Executive Branch announced a task force to rid our government of anti-Christian bias. Perhaps this is how you know Dr. Barber’s name.
We are in a struggle for democracy in our country right now. We are in a struggle for the enfranchisement and agency of all people. We are not even in a struggle to expand rights – we are literally struggling simply to keep the rights we have already had, that are already guaranteed.
We have come to believe that democracy has the capacity to carry within it the seeds of that same human dignity that is found in the Christian faith. We believe that God is love. We believe that love in action looks like justice, equity, and mercy. It is our Christian responsibility here and now to join our hearts, minds, voices, and bodies with all those who are active in that struggle. The word democracy may not be in the Bible, but millions of us have come to believe that the struggle to give dignity, agency, and voice to every person is central to our Christian identity.
