As a collective, we Christians can be quite hard to understand. Think of vast array of interpretations of the meaning of our faith. For many, the essential purpose of our faith is to ensure that believers gain exclusive, all-access passes to heaven upon the expiration of their lives on earth. Others maintain that the Christianity is a good self-help strategy for adherents seeking a better and happier life, while a good number of us hold fast to the notion that the faith is all about producing well-disciplined citizens who will maintain social traditions and order without rocking the proverbial social boat.

Oh, how often we hear doctrines and directives advocating these and others of the seemingly countless understandings of what it means to be Christian…and then, refreshingly, we encounter people whose bold, self-less embodiment of the love of God made known through Jesus Christ give us perhaps the most important and credible articulations of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

For scores of Christians including this writer, the Rev. Dr. C. T. Vivian and Representative John Lewis provided humanity with important and credible articulations of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. These two men, now present with God, were towering figures in the ministry of social justice and the transformation of the nation. Rev. Dr. Vivian and Representative Lewis understood that God conferred non-negotiable dignity and worth on all human beings, including African Americans. 
With love in their hearts for African Americans and all human beings, these men were leaders of the organized resistance to racist laws and unjust policies. They were among the untold many who were willing to suffer brutal beatings, the abhorrent use of water cannons, vicious attacks from police dogs, and calculated murders, all resulting from decisions and actions carried out by racist white officials and citizens. Attacks on Rev. Dr. Vivian and Representative Lewis were well-documented and are available for all to see.

We must painfully admit that among the attackers were people who embodied a socially authorized, sub-standard version of Christianity, one that blatantly endorsed racism, white privilege, and racist violence, or through silence accepted these scandalous and heretical understandings of faith and life.

The sacred body of work we know as the US Civil Rights Movement, which of course continues at this moment, featured some of the most principled, sacrificial, and courageous Christian leaders the world has ever seen. Without a doubt, the Rev. C. T. Vivian and Representative John Lewis were among them. How glad we are that they lived long enough to see many of the racial barriers and structures they worked to dismantle come tumbling down. How glad we are that they lived long enough for new generations of people to have encountered them while committing to joining these great leaders in the struggle for justice and wholeness. How glad we are for their abundant lives and vibrant witness to the love of God made known through Jesus Christ.

As commissioned by Jesus Christ and inspired by Christians like the Rev. Dr. C. T. Vivian and Representative John Lewis, we who are in today’s ecumenical movement must now deepen our own organized resistance to racist laws and unjust policies, while making more visible our commitment to the struggle for justice and wholeness. In taking such steps, we will offer today’s culture some much-needed clarity regarding the identity of Jesus Christ and what it means to live as his followers. Amen.

I will be praying for you, my friend.

With Hope,
Jack

The Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr.
Executive Director
The Ohio Council of Churches