“Belhar constrains us to say out loud to God and the faithful how we have been complicit through our unwillingness to speak and act, even as we witness injustice in the public square.”
Mark Lomax, Lenten Reflections on the Confession of Belhar
This Lenten season I am using a new resource to explore the Belhar Confession: Lenten Reflections on the Confession of Belhar, edited by Kerri N. Allen and Donald K. McKim. Explorations will continue after Lent with Thirty Days with the Belhar Confession, produced by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in which I serve as a teaching elder (pastor), added the Confession of Belhar to our Book of Confessions in 2016. This confession came from the Dutch Reformed Mission Church during its historic struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
Hopefully reflecting on the words of the confession, scripture,and the writings of friends and people I do not know, will provide insights and strength for me in the struggle for justice and equity in the face of racism, sexism, Islamophobia, and related forms of oppression. Hopefully they will inspire me to speak and act on the public square, in the church, and throughout life.
See you along the Trail.
Along the Graybeard Trail 