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ON BEING THE CHURCH CRAIG WONG Discerning prise” in this country. It is a system where seems more palpable than Christ’s radical 1 percent of the population controls 40 bidding to embrace our poverty of spirit. Lies Disguised percent of the nation’s wealth and over “Help us, therefore, to discern the 37 million Americans remain trapped in truth from lies disguised as truth. Open as Truth poverty. In the name of such freedom, our eyes to the destructive claims of those our administration (“We come as libera- who leverage the holy language of ‘free- tors”) orchestrated the invasion of Iraq, dom and justice’ to justify unholy means a country now facing a civilian death toll in the service of unholy purposes. Give exceeding half a million men, women, and us boldness to reject a liberty that exists “ You Shall Know the Truth, and the Truth children. Can this be true freedom? only to facilitate the nationalist pursuit of Shall Set You Free” Jesus says that we can distinguish self-serving happiness, a hollow freedom CIA motto, etched in marble at the true and false prophets by their fruit that is achieved on the backs of those CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. (Matt. 7:17). This was evident at a quiet without options, an elusive and tempo- funeral 280 miles west of Philadelphia, ral freedom dependent upon the unsus- A recent stay in Philadelphia gave me following the brutal killing of five Amish tainable deployment of violent force. opportunity to ponder the relationship schoolgirls in the Pennsylvania coun- “Lord, you call us to give to you what between truth and freedom, important tryside. In a powerful demonstration of belongs to you, and to Caesar what ideas in the grand American experiment. Christian love and forgiveness, a large belongs to Caesar, yet we are tempted My hotel was situated just blocks from contingent of the Amish community daily to yield to Caesar that which where Thomas Jefferson penned the joined the family at the burial of the exceeds the bounds of his authority, while “inalienable rights” of life, liberty, and the disturbed young man who committed turning a blind eye to the human cost of pursuit of happiness into the Declaration the classroom murder-suicide, offering preserving our access to the spoils of of Independence. When this sacred parch- both sympathy and economic assistance. imperial power. In so doing, we fail to ment was signed by members of the Unencumbered by the false gods of wealth, speak truth to those who would insist Continental Congress in the Pennsylvania possessions, and self-serving individual- that our well-being is found in tools of State House in 1776, it captured the ism, our Amish brothers and sisters bore coercion and control, smart bombs, tor- imagination of a young republic and gave witness to truth that indeed sets people ture, and wire fences. Philadelphia its enduring, mythical status free. That we as the American church “Forgive us, Lord, we pray. Find your among the nation’s historical cities. might likewise pay attention, repudiate Church faithful in believing the hope Two hundred and thirty years later, lies, and insist on what is true, I offer of the gospel... that your Kingdom is the “birthplace of freedom” holds distinc- this prayer: indeed at hand. Then might we truly tion as the nation’s leader in homicides “Father in heaven, we want to hear embody good news to the poor, healing among cities with more than a million the words of your servant Paul in his for the broken-hearted, liberty to the residents. The week I was there, the Colossian letter, who warns of those who captives, to the honor and glory of your number of murders in town was just would take us captive through vain phi- holy name. Amen.” ■ approaching 300, on pace to exceed losophy and empty deceit, according to the previous record-high year of 377. human tradition, according to the ele- Craig Wong is the executive director of Grace Officials noted with alarm that the rising mental spirits of the universe, and not Urban Ministries (GUM), a congregation- trend was not so much drug or gang according to your son, Jesus. based nonprofit located in San Francisco’s related as it was simply domestic: a vio- “We confess our vulnerability to the Mission District that serves low-income fami- lent spouse, an angry neighbor, a venge- seduction of grand ideas, Philadelphian lies through academic tutoring, youth job- ful relative. promises of liberty that have secured, at training, adult education, health services, and Not unique to Philly, such violence best, a tenuous sense of peace and secu- advocacy. He invites response to this column exists wherever economic desperation rity for those with the power to insulate at [email protected]. prevails. But it is a desperation exacer- themselves from the ravages of an unjust bated by the dehumanizing greed and and failing order. Although with our lips materialism inherent in a “freedom” we recite the beatitudes, we inwardly cling essentially synonymous with “free enter- to a material dream that fails to satisfy yet PRISM 2007 33