Is That You God?
In preparation for our Annual Membership Assembly from November 17-21 in Jerusalem, Palestine, Community Renewal Society partnered with the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center to hold a pre-conference webinar. CRS Executive Director Rev. Dr. Waltrina Middleton participated in this panel on April 24 with the distinguished Rabbi Brant Rosen and Rev. Dr. Paul McAllister. The three speakers shared a virtual stage to discuss the root causes of war and measures required to end the bloodshed and dismantle structures of oppression, patriarchal and racist hierarchy, and apartheid.
The panelists explained why past and present forces of colonialism, religious extremism, far-right nationalism, and supremacy are common ground in the revolution against suppressive, corrupt institutions. Now is the time for change, as Passover provides the perfect opportunity to write our own exodus story. This holiday season can be a tool for empathy in response to the groups and generations struggling with enslavement and settler violence on holy sites.
As a faith-based organization, CRS understands that we have a moral authority to be outspoken. It is our responsibility to protect every person of faith, not solely Christians and those in our immediate circle. We continue to honor cultural memories and engage in intersectional, sacred spaces that resist division and elevate “ubuntu” and freedom. When we focus on attitudes and polices and utilize places of worship for comfort and prophetic witness, we stimulate education and develop strategies for liberation.
To make sure injustices are recognized and amplified, we cannot misread history or allow the courageous voices that speak truth to power to be diminished, such as the brave students protesting the genocide in Gaza on college campuses. Our role is to defend activists who contest the spread of false narratives and emphasize their messages that identify and challenge social problems.
While CRS grieves the lives stolen from ethnic cleansing, racism, poverty, disinheritance, xenophobia, and crimes against humanity, we urge you to get involved in our mission to nourish disinvested and displaced communities. We condemn chaos in Palestine, Haiti, Sudan, and the Republic of the Congo and call for sovereignty and security.
In addition to accessing the pre-conference webinar recording and items below, find global resources and anti-war peace efforts.
Radical Reconciliation: Beyond Political Pietism and Christian Quietism by former CRS Executive Director Rev. Dr. Curtiss Paul DeYoung and Allan Aubrey Boesak
Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God by Kelly Brown Douglas
If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance by Angela Davis
Malcolm & Martin & America: A Dream or a Nightmare by James H. Cone
The Power of the Poor in History by Gustavo Gutierrez
Ella Baker & the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision by Barbara Ransby
Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy by Chris Crass
“We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an escapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly ... I can never be what I ought to be unless you are what you ought to be” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.