Readers who have considered my blogging over the years will perhaps recall a regular historical reference: to the German resistance against Hitler. As I oft have noted, I did my undergraduate honors thesis on that topic, and it has preoccupied me theologically ever since, not without moments of recurring depression. Why? Because that historic movement failed. On the other hand, so did Jesus. So did Jesus’ first disciples, by any ordinary criteria. Then came the era of the colosseum and the martyrs. Not much success there in any usual sense, either.
According to the old preacher’s cliche: Jesus doesn’t promise you a bed of roses; he promises you a crown of thorns. Even when you’re minding your own business? Like when you’re out walking the dog? Seems so.
Consider the following report that a good friend of mine, David Gagne, sent me from the Twin Cities the other day. Then consider whether this could be a good Christian mandate more generally these days: walk the dog and resist!
Just walked the dog. ICE is swarming our neighborhood right now. I stepped into the middle of the street to block them twice, as they circled around the block in a caravan of black SUV’s. They sped up and went around me. I didn’t dare step in front of them while I was holding Riley the Dog. They couldn’t stop if they wanted to because of the ice (!!!!). And they probably wouldn’t stop anyway, arguing that I stepped in front of them.
Other cars were following the ICE’s black SUV’s, honking their horns as they followed the ICE’s SUV’s through the ‘hood. Each ICE vehicle had 2 to 4 uniformed, armed, masked guys in them. Those of us walking also took out our whistles to blow them nonstop while ICE vehicles were near us. The ‘hood was a cacophony of urgent sound – car horns honking, people (including me) shouting at ICE to get out of our neighborhood – and any of us with whistles blowing them to warn people. ICE stopped at a house 1/2 block away. ICE blocked the street in front of our house; and four ICE thugs got out and ran up to the house of one of my neighbors.
But so many protesters and resisters showed up immediately, including an attorney who happened to be from out of town, who demanded to see their warrant for the house they were threatening to break down the door to get into. ICE guys, four of them, fully suited up in riot gear, big automatic weapons held at ready, masked, then left after the attorney confronted them.
Paul, it is simply unbelievable that this is going on in our country right now. They are the Brown Shirts of Hitler’s Germany, the Black uniformed fascists of Mussolini’s Italy. This has just fueled my anger even more, righteous or not. The neighborhood is now quiet. ICE either decided to leave and come back later or decided it wasn’t worth the hassle with all of us resisting them. Riley the Dog was going crazy with all the horns honking, the whistles blowing, the voices shouting at the ICE goons, etc. I don’t think he gets it.
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