Spiritual Practices and Social Action
“Spiritual practices undergird social action. Accordingly, socially active congregations must make spiritual practices essential to their mission. There is no division between prayer and protest, between spirituality and social concern. Contemplation deepens our spirits and broadens our sensitivities. Action expands the scope of our spiritual sensitivity. And God can enlarge our hearts to see God’s presence in every human and all creation, and to respond with grace and compassion.”—Bruce G. Epperly, “What Does It Mean to Have a Savior?” in The Christian Century (9/16/2018).
The Christian life is richer if we can maintain spiritual disciplines and social activism simultaneously, so we achieve a kind of balance. One practice leads to the other and nourishes and affirms the other. Through both ways, we learn about the Christ in ourselves and the Christ in each other.
Many who support social justice do not seem to connect to or affirm a supporting spirituality. Consequently, social issues sometimes consume them, and we can detect no visible presence of love in their actions. On the other hand, there are also those with deep spirituality, but no sense of social justice. Often their spirituality turns so inward that it becomes stagnant and cannot grow. I have also had other experiences suggesting the relationship between the two is not so simple.
My story unfolds with the death of someone I loved. This drew me back to the spiritual life of which I had a taste in my youth. For years, I learned, read, prayed, and practiced spiritual disciplines daily. I was one of those “groupies” who went to every possible conference and retreat I could find. Yet, I never spoke out or participated in any social justice action. I blamed my inaction on being an introvert. Eventually, my heart could no longer contain the injustices to women, African Americans, immigrants, and gays. I had to speak out, sometimes boldly, often quietly—more often writing about this discrimination.
My “spiritual” excuse for the delay is biblical, of course. After Paul’s conversion, and before he started his ministry, this is his story: “I did not confer with any human being nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterward I returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days” (Galatians 1:16-18). Paul then says he went to Syria and Cilicia and was unknown to the churches of Judea, but after fourteen years, he finally went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas.
My time in “Arabia” was much longer. It took me twenty years of spiritual reflection before I began to make a dent in any social action. And it was almost twenty more years before I let my feet do the talking and took part in two women’s marches. Now I make calls, write letters, and financially help social justice causes and the candidates who support them. I hope that my spiritual practices keep me centered on the God who loves us all and that being a voice of protest toward social injustices leads me to the people in whom the God of my understanding abides.
Joanna. Joannaseibert.com https://www.joannaseibert.com/