Chapter 15 Faith and Politics
In the
aftermath of September 11th, 2001, Sara Miles found another new
perspective on Christianity.“This was what it meant to be a Christian for me:
that in the midst of undeniable suffering, it was possible to summon up
gratitude and praise. “All of us go down to the dust,” we sang, “yet even at
the grave, we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.” That had been a breathtaking
moment, a brief space in which I could feel
the violent reality of human life collide with a faith that, beyond the
very worst we could do to one another, there was God.” (159-160)
“In that
dark time, I was inching toward what religious traditions called “orthopraxy”
(right practice) rather than orthodoxy (right belief). I was hearing that what
counted wasn’t fundamentalist theology, or liberation or traditional or
postmodern theology. It wasn’t denominations or creeds or rituals. It wasn’t liberal
or conservative ideology. It was faith, working through love.” (161)
“But faith
working through love: That could mean plugging away with other people, acting
in small ways without the comfort of a big vision or even a lot of realistic
hope. It could look more like prayer: opening yourself to uncertainty,
accepting your lack of control. It meant taking on concrete tasks in the middle
of confusion, without stopping to argue about who was the truest believer.
Whatever else, I could at least keep working in the pantry, feeding as many
people as I could.” (161-162)
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