A few of my black colleagues have stepped forward, and while appreciative of the gesture, they point out that the last thing we need right now is more silence. So I will also speak out.

I have posted a picture here of a man holding up a Bible in front of a church. Yesterday, earlier in the day in front of that same church, a group of pastors, clergy and volunteers (including seminary students, whose aim is to study and try to do right by that book) had been handing out bottles of water, singing, and generally trying to be helpful and encourage an atmosphere of peace, calm, orderliness and well-being as American citizens in the bright light of day exercised their rights of free speech to protest the latest round of murders of black American citizens. Suddenly, without provocation or warning, they were set upon by riot police, shoved and tear-gassed to clear the area so that this photo could be made.

I want to say a little something about the Bible — the book the man in the photo is holding.

I grew up in a family that gathered every evening to read aloud from that book. Imagine that: six kids, a father and a mother gathering nightly to sing a few songs, and read aloud from scripture (while many of our friends in the neighborhood kept riding bikes, playing outside etc.) Then we would be asked if there were any prayer requests, and we would pray for people in need that came to mind, and also pray that we could all with God’s help learn and work to become good — even Godly — people, followers of Christ. Kind, helpful, humble, generous, honest, mindful of those in need etc.

Some people believe that if we could only get back to more of the above — nuclear families, Bible-reading, posting the 10 commandments in schools, disciplined kids — that many of the sins of America could be redeemed.

Well, let me be a test case: that was my life.

When I was 13 years old, I left home to attend the most conservative Christian High School in North America. We rose at 6am, had our personal devotions at 6:30am (a time of Bible reading and personal prayer), breakfast at 7am, chapel services every morning at 8am, high school classes (including college-level bible courses) from 8:30 am - 4pm with a break for lunch.

We were also required to attend church services on Friday evenings. People from all over the world stood up and shared their experiences and efforts as missionaries or Christian aid workers.

While at high school, in addition to five weekly chapel services, and the Friday night meeting, I was also required to attend church services on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings. (If you do the math based on the above, you’ll find that I literally attended church 8 days a week from the age of 13-17.)

The Bible was considered to be the very Word of God, and not only did I memorize significant swaths of it both as a child and as a high school student, my whole life was steeped in it.

In the Bible, there is a lot written about hell. Different faith traditions and all Christians struggle a bit with some of the language and stories. Is it literal? (Trust me, if you read the Bible to your young children, it can be a little bit like gathering them together, tousling their hair and watching a horror film. I can remember having a panic attack as a child after one such exposure. There are lakes of fire, and screaming, and torture, and rivers flowing with blood, and regret. There are droves of religious people who thought they were good folks being separated eternally from God because they didn’t advocate for the hungry and poor and oppressed and imprisoned.)

Some faith traditions believe that much of this might be a warning that humans are more than capable of creating hell right here on earth if they don’t learn to devote their lives to loving their neighbors, helping those who are struggling, and working to forgive instead of endlessly retaliating. Jesus taught that if we don’t break the human addiction to the use of deadly force, we will sooner or later destroy everyone including first and foremost ourselves. (We still have enough nuclear weapons to torch the world many times over. See for reference the discussion of hell above.)

Increasingly in my own life, I have come to believe that all who would know God should work to bring “God’s kingdom” right here to earth now, and work to nudge the earth closer to a place that is just for all people, hopeful, welcoming, safe etc, with love being the primary motivating force and foundation. To work toward a world where there is room at the table for everyone. I acknowledge that at best, this will often feel like a work in progress, with a few steps forward, and a few steps back. But it is meaningful and worthy work nonetheless.

But back to the book that the man is holding in the picture.

What I know for sure, as someone who grew up surrounded by scripture in a conservative Christian home, is that the man holding the Bible above, based on his words and actions, either has little-to-no idea what’s written in the book, or has decided over the course of a long and privileged life to mostly do the opposite of what it teaches, and to ignore the warnings it offers to those who routinely break its commandments with no contrition.

What I can promise you based on everything I learned gathered in a Christian family circle as a child, or listening to Christians from all over the world teach from a podium, or from reading the words of Jesus recorded in the pages of the Bible is this: whatever version of hell exists, the man holding the book in the picture above will lead you there. All you have to do is follow.

Unfortunately (coming back again to the present moment in America) many white politicians over the years have chosen to pose with the Bible to make their case for racist policies — going all the way back to slavery and segregation. KKK members have stood around a burning cross in their flowing sheets and hoods and quoted from it. Politicians have gotten elected posing with it all the while promising to keep the lunch counters in department stores free of black customers.

It’s one of the oldest American racist cliches in the book.

The Bible says that the way to hell is broad and easy. Far too many of us who are white — when it comes to defending our black brothers and sisters in this country, and working for their safety — have taken the easy road.

The road to eternal life — a place of hopeful imagination, justice, love, and a table spread with all manner of goodness to be shared by any in the human family who wish to join — is narrow and difficult. It’s a struggle. We might even be called upon to join our black brothers and sisters and walk across a bridge, face a water cannon, or get beaten, or tear gassed, or jailed, or killed.

But if you happen to claim to believe the words written in the book the man in the picture is holding, then you believe that you will be called upon one day by a higher authority to answer a question in regard to this present moment in America. And it’s a simple question:

“Where were you?”

If you believe the words in the book, the man in the picture holding up the Bible (after the pastors and seminary students and volunteers got tear gassed and shoved off the church steps by riot police) will be called upon to answer that very same question:

“Where were you?”

And he will answer.

“I was getting my picture taken with a Bible in front of a church.”

Linford Detweiler, June 2, 2020