We all need to pray and act

The last two weekends remind us that religious intolerance and white nationalism are potent forces that use the methods of fear and terror in the United States. We live in troubling times, evident in the bombing of the Dar Al Farooq mosque in Bloomington, MN, and the full-scale attack by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK in Charlottesville, VA.
We applaud the courage and conviction of faith leaders who led counter protests in Charlottesville and witnessed in solidarity in Bloomington. While many elected officials have spoken out, we grieve the fact that the White House has remained silent on the mosque bombing and has only spoken reluctantly and without moral conviction about Charlottesville.
We are in a season that requires us to speak and act with a moral courage and a Scriptural conviction that rejects hate, overcomes fear, embraces love, and seeks justice. As people of faith there is no place in our hearts, places of worship, or nation for any form of bigotry and injustice. In the days ahead let us commit to engage in personal introspection, congregational reflection, and collective action. Some of us need to confess and repent. Some of us need to cry and heal. We all need to pray and act.