Silence in the Face of Evil

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil; God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."        

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I am still "debriefing" myself after finishing the Bonhoeffer biography.  He lived a life that changed everyone he came in contact with, and the ripples continue even now. Why would God make Eric Metaxas write this book now? That's what the author said; he didn't want to do it, but God made him. Why?

Isn't it interesting how the Lord connects the dots in our lives? Strictly from an observational perspective, I would never have thought a book I read a couple of weeks ago would be connected to Bonhoeffer.  Radical, which I reviewed a few days ago, and this biography have much in common. In fact, Bonhoeffer specifically spoke to the issues dealt with in Radical because they were the same issues he faced with the Church in Nazi Germany. 

This really shouldn't surprise me. The war against Truth, against Life is a perennial one that will always require our vigilance as His Body. There are so many victims right now around the world. Abortion, Genocide, Persecution, Wars. What can we do? 

Watching as the Nazi's revealed their true intentions toward the Jews, the infirm, those with physical challenges, and those who simply didn't agree with them, Bonhoeffer realized that the nation he loved was being swept closer and closer to a precipice that threatened to destroy not only Germany, but Christianity in Europe (his assessment).

Bonhoeffer spoke directly to the issue of abortion as he watched the moral underpinnings of his nation unravel:

"Destruction of the embryo in the the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder."

Metaxas goes on to say, "But Bonhoeffer saw both sides of such issues. God's grace must not be removed from the picture:

'A great many different motives may lead to an action of this kind; indeed in cases where it is an act of despair, performed in circumstances of extreme human or economic destitution and misery, the guilt may often lie rather with the community than with the individual. Precisely in this connexion money may conceal many a wanton deed, while the poor man's more reluctant lapse may far more easily be disclosed. All these considerations must no doubt have a quite decisive influence on our personal and pastoral attitude towards the person concerned, but they cannot in any way alter the fact of murder.'"   (page 472)

Truth with Love, always the perfect balance. And if, as he mentions "the guilt may lie rather with the community than with the individual", how do we, as a community of Believers, stand against the tide? How do we walk in Truth balanced by Love as we confront the issues of our day? Can I go through my life simply enjoying each day with my family in the closed circuit of our little corner of reality? Or must I, as I carry out my responsibilities as wife, mother, etc., shift my focus to include the horizon beyond the confines of our comfortable life? Must I engage the culture outside my zone of comfort and convenience? 

The reason Bonhoeffer had/has such a "Radical*" impact on the world is because he refused to be content with "knowing" God. His faith required more than just head knowledge, it moved him to a definite response. (*I am using the word "radical" in reference to the book of the same name that I reviewed here, not to imply the "radical" that means acting out of hate and anger.)

"If we want to be Christians, we must have some share in Christ's large-heartedness by acting with responsibility and in freedom when the hour of danger comes, and by showing a real sympathy that springs, not from fear, but from the liberating and redeeming love of Christ for all who suffer. Mere waiting and looking on is not Christian behaviour. The Christian is called to sympathy and action, not in the first place by his own sufferings, but by the sufferings of his brethren, for whose sake Christ suffered."

He wrote the paragraph above from the confines of his cell at Tegel Prison after he had been arrested by the Gestapo. One of his dear friends and a fellow soldier in the fight for Truth in Nazi Germany penned these famous words after being imprisoned for eight years in concentration camps:

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--because I was not a Jew. 

And then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me." (page 192)

Martin Niemoller

I used to judge the people of pre-Nazi Germany rather harshly. How could they sit by and watch as the cancer of evil spread across their beloved land? How could they allow patriotism and loyalty to their nation blind them to the fact that Hitler was perpetrating such hatred and destruction? How could they get to that point? How did the frog sit in the water and watch as it heated to the point of boiling? 

But wait . . .

How can I sit by and watch as the cancer of evil spreads across this beloved land? And as it spreads in the world beyond?

Do I allow any of my loyalties blind me to the fact that hatred and destruction are being perpetrated by the evil one in the world today?

Is the water is beginning to boil and I don't even realize it?

Lord,

Give us eyes to see the work You have for us now. Help us understand what is really at stake. Let us not be guilty of sitting by if we are supposed to speak or act. May everything we think, say, and do be always in Love for the purpose of healing and restoration. Help us to care only for Your Will and Your Plan. Help us not be blinded by the deceptions used by the evil one to distract us from Your path. May we allow You to show us how to truly be salt and light, regardless of our personal "reputation." May those broken by the destruction of the evil one see Your Love in our eyes. May we live totally devoted to You, in Your service. 

Through Him Who is Our Salvation,

Amen

'"Who stands fast?" he asked. "Only the man whose final standard is not his reason, his principles, his conscience, his freedom, or his virtue, but who is ready to sacrifice all this when he is called to obedient and responsible action in faith and in exclusive allegiance to God--the responsible man, who tries to make his whole life an answer to the question and call of God."' (page 446)                      

 Dietrich Bonhoeffer

How can I be a clearer reflection of His Love in the darkness today? Every day?