Judgment, Liberation, and Justice
Growing up Pentecostal, the Christianity presented was one of judgment and anger. Switching over to Mainline Protestantism, the version of Christianity depicated was one of love and compassion. And don’t get me wrong, I vastly prefer that version of Christianity. Yet, because judgment in Western society is so tied to violence, many forms of Mainline Protestantism want to erase the notion of judgment completely. And I absolutely understand the desire to do so. Judgment-at least the way it has been portrayed in Western theology and in the US court system is one of oppression and destruction. Love and compassion are often understood to be in complete opposition to judgment. But what if judgment is not in fact the problem but rather how we understand and practice it? What if judgment is a necessary component of liberation and justice?
Many Mainline Protestants talk a lot about the notion of “loving one’s enemies” and advocating for social justice. But so often their description of both are not only theologically weak but contributes to the continued marginalization and oppression of the vulnerable. “Loving one’s enemies” becomes an excuse not to confront them when they are behaving in harmful ways. They eschew “judgment” and want to emphasize “listening” and “understanding” those causing harm.
Meanwhile, while Mainline Protestants are advocating for having understanding towards the people advocating for horrific policies and laws, the ones on the receiving end of said unjust policies and laws continue to be hurt and killed. Loving one’s enemies means stopping them from continuing on their path of violence and destruction. And sometimes stopping them, isn’t always “nice” or “kind.” Sometimes stopping one’s enemies means confronting them, it means calling out their actions for the harmful and violent acts of oppression that they are. It sometimes means removing them from positions of power.
Mainline Protestant Christians love talking about everyone having a seat at the table, but sometimes when someone is actively causing harm they need to be booted out. They need to be held accountable. And sometimes accountability goes hand in hand with judgment.
In this week’s lectionary verse, Jesus assures the poor, the hungry, the reviled, that they are blessed by God. He assures them of God’s love. And as Christians, we would do well to remember that. But the passage doesn’t end there. Jesus continues by warning the ones causing harm that they will face judgment.
But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. "Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you, when all speak well of you, for that, is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.-Luke 6:24-26
The message of God’s love and compassion isn’t just that the poor, the revilved and the marginalized will be uplifted but also that the ones causing harm will be held accountable. They will face judgment. They will be forced to stop causing harm. The reality is that when people who cause harm are let off the hook without any consequences, they aren’t taught compassion or love, they are taught that they can in fact get away with causing harm. Accountability and judgment are not the enemies of compassion, forgiveness, and justice; they are the prerequisites.
Again, perhaps as individuals and as a Church we need to expand our understanding of what judgment is. It is not killing, it is not torturing, it is not dehumanizing those causing harm. I don’t even necessarily think it means a long prison sentence, since the prison system itself is one of the main drivers of injustice and oppression. But for me, judgment means that before any reconciliation and forgiveness can take place, the ones causing harm need to be confronted with the reality of their actions. They need to be told that their actions are evil, vile, and unjust. They need to be confronted with the truth that their actions are despicable and that no amount of reasoning or justification makes their actions “ok.”
One can acknowledge that those causing harm have also been victims of various forms of injustice, but that their pain does not excuse nor justify the pain they go on to inflict on others. Judgment means ensuring that those causing harm understand the full weight of their actions. And sometimes just this truth telling is enough to be painful. I don’t think judgment is violent or never ending as some forms of Christianity assert-but I readily admit it’s not pleasant. Being confronted with the full reality of the suffering and anguish you have caused is distressing but necessary.
Part of the reason I believe that this is such a difficult concept for Mainline Protestants especially those on the more liberal/progressive side to embrace is that despite all the book clubs on racial justice, despite all the food pantries being organized, many haven’t truly dealt with the reality that they have benefited from the status quo and caused harm to others. In fact, I would argue that the good works that they're doing-which don’t get me wrong are necessary-often serve as a replacement for confronting this reality. Those good works become a way to distance themselves from any need to deal with the harm they have caused.
Now, of course, this is not the reality of all Mainline Protestant churches or denominations. Some are trying really hard to do the work of accountability and judgment. They are asking themselves the hard questions about what it means to make right the wrong that was caused. And of course, the denominations and individual congregations that are willing to do this hard work, are in a better place to eventually preach a robust theology of loving one’s enemies and advocating for social justice because they will have the lived experience of knowing that compassion and judgment/accountability can and do go together.
So for those who are part of the current political environment that are causing harm and pain to others, yes they need to know they are beloved children of God. And they need to know that their day of judgment is coming. This means having the courage to call their actions what they are: despicable and atrocious.
As Christians, we need to be willing to hold multiple truths: many of the ones who support this violent political system have themselves been victims of a socio-economic system that has exploited them and left them behind and they are in turn supporting unjust policies and politicians that are killing others. As Christians, we need to address their pain while making sure they stop hurting others. This means embracing compassion on one hand, and judgment/accountability on the other hand.
Green colored background. Text: Accountability and judgment are not the enemies of compassion, forgiveness, and justice; they are the prerequisites. The word “prerequisites” is underlined.