Righteousness/Justice in Europe remains our mission ***die deutsche Fassung wurde per E-Mail verschickt. Falls Sie diese nicht erhalten haben: hahn@eaberlin.de
Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus was head of the Ecumencial Department of the Protestant Church of the Bohemian Brethren in the Czech Republic for many years. He is one of our conference team. these are his thoughts on Justice or righteousness in Biblical time and today:
Since a
seminar paper I wrote on the prophet Amos during my theology studies his
message “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a
never-failing stream!” (Amos 5,24) has been with me. This is what God wants,
urges the prophet, and he means it literally. He criticizes the rich who
exploit the poor and bend the law to their advantage. The prophet protests
against this practice and demands Law and justice. He is not the only one in
the Bible calling for justice. You find this demand all over the Bible,
especially with the Prophets and in the Psalms. The Bible leaves no doubt about
it: God is just and his righteousness is true for all creation.
Much has
changed since Amos in the 8th century before Christ. Still, the
righteousness of God, his justice for the world remains a mission and challenge
for all who believe in God. When, two years ago, I visited Atlanta, Georgia in
the USA, the message of Amos came back to me. Martin Luther King, the black
Baptist preacher and civil rights activist, was a minister in Atlanta, when he
was assassinated on April 4, 1968. He was only 39 years old. In the 1950s and
60s of the 20th century, Martin Luther King had fought for equal
rights for black and white people. His non-violent commitment has moved many
and achieved much in American society. And now I stood in Atlanta at the
memorial for Martin Luther King and his wife Coretta. Both of their stone
coffins are surrounded by water and this water rolls down in cascades to where
the coffins stand. The cascades of water represent the law, which, like water,
and justice that is meant to flow like a never-failing stream. And it says in large letters on the cascades:
we will not be satisfies until justice rolls down like water and righteousness
like a mighty stream”
For Martin
Luther King, justice was so important that he wanted to see it as a mighty
river.
Law and
Justice like water – a strong image! What connects these terms with water? Water
is vital, where there is no water, there cannot be life. We are becoming more
aware of this as water is getting more and more scarce in Europe. Maybe the
architects who designed this monument wanted to say just that: without justice
there cannot be a good community. Only where all can live, wil there be peace
and a peaceful community. Psalm 85,11 says is beautifully: Where God is, righteousness
and peace kiss each other. They
belong together.”
We were
going to discuss about a fair Europe this week. We knew that is was going to be
a tough issue. Inequality and injustice are hard to miss in Europe. There are
rich and poor people and many in-between. Of course, the situation in very much
different depending on where you live in Europe. Our histories differ as do our
standards and conditions of living and it are good in a way, that there is such
diversity. I believe that no one means to level it all out. That would not be
possible, but it should be possible that all and every one in Europe should
have the means to live by. Living conditions in every country should be such
that no country and no ethnic group or minority can be oppressed or
disadvantaged. This will certainly remain a challenge and the present
Corona-crisis adds to this challenge. We cannot get together this week. Still,
the heads of European governments will discuss per Video-conference how the
burden can be distributed in a way justly and so that no one will be forgotten
or not taken seriously – or overstrained. It is all so obviously relative. We
can and should pray that the Nations can agree on a sharing of burdens. We can
pray well informed. And we pray that the challenges this virus poses will be
understood as a challenge for us all together. It would be tragic for Europe if
a virus managed to destroy our still fragile community indefinitely. Law and
justice, right and righteousness like a mighty stream for Europe. Not just for
Europe but for all the world! Let us hold on to this vision, even when we only
see it realized in small fractions. Even when there are setbacks. Like we see
these days during the Corona-crisis. Let
us take on our responsibility for Europe, where with the opening of the Iron
Curtain much that is new and good could develop, not least in terms of
reconciliation (our topic last fall in Wroclaw).
Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus, Prague
How do you feel about this vision of a fair Europe? If the comment function doesn't work for you, send me an e-mail and I will post your comments for you. Greetings. Tamara
Remarks on the post „Righteousness exalts a nation – how fair is Europe
AntwortenLöschen(Den deutschen Beitrag habe ich hier gepostet: https://begegnungstagungenebd.blogspot.com/2020/04/is-europe-fair-ist-europa-gerecht.html#comment-form)
Two spontaneous first thoughts that I had when I read the topic. I would not have been a participant even though the topic would have interested me biblically as well as politically.
Thinking of Europe in the night just puts all thought of sleep to flight – especially in times like these. Europe for me means the EU concretely. I am someone who wants and supports a strong, fair and democratic Europe as a power for justice and peace in the world and I am disappointed by this Europe. Especially by the European Council, meaning the board of governments of the EU-countries. Less so by the EU-Commission and even less so by the EU-Parliament. The EU-Governments keep pushing their national interests – some more than others – and so prevent effective solidarity among the nations and with the rest of the world. The much stressed European values ae cast off on the way – not only by Hungary but also by the German government. It is not refugees that endanger the European project but nationalism, which hinders an EU refugee policy that respects humans rights and human dignity. It is not Corona that endangers Europe, but the lack of solidarity in managing the Corona-threat ad it consequences together. The Europen Union has achieved much that is good for the people and nations - I do not want to lose that. But the EU needs to get better.
2) “Righteousness exalts a nation” – oh yes! But let us consider how this sentence in Proverbs 14,34 continues: „but sin is a reproach to any people.” It is the whole sentence that sets us on the right track to feel out the problem Europe has – lack in solidarity, lacking human kindness, lacking justice – and (hopefully) to solve it. We need to name precisely what this sin is that is a "reproach for any people". The history of Europe and its nations shows clearly what kind of consequences followed what kind of sin. And there is no nation completely free of this – especially not Germany. If we don’t recognize the sin, Europe will not become what it is meant to be in order to be a power of peace in the world.
Felix D., Nennhausen, retired pastor and many years’ team member of the Bible Dialogue for volunteers on church boards.