"We will not fall to hatred. Love will prevail."
Speaking at the Minnesota State Capitol this morning the Minnesota Council of Churches CEO, Board President and two other board members joined dozens of other faith partners and religious leaders in speaking out against political violence while embracing bridge-building to preserve our communities.
Bishop Richard D. Howell, MCC Board President and Bishop at Shiloh Temple International Ministries and Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, shared in a statement of purpose: "Today we are united in our commitment to be bridge-builders and peacekeepers."
The faith leader statement, "Time to Be Bridge-Builders: MN Religious and Clergy Sign-On Letter Rejecting Political Violence Including Weaponized Military Against Those Who Call MN and the US Home," was shared at the conference. As of Friday morning, June 20, 9:00am, it had collected over 400 signatures from Minnesota religious leaders. The statement reads:
"We are religious leaders in Minnesota from different faiths and traditions who are bound together by our commitment to the dignity of human life.
"Our traditions are clear: we are obliged to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to offer rest for the weary, and to protect the oppressed. These requirements do not come with caveats or conditions. It is our moral obligation and our faithful task to build a world that protects the dignity and sacredness of every being, without exception.
"Our communities are shaking with grief and disorientation in response to the political assassination of Representative Melissa Hortman and her spouse, Mark, and the attempted assassination of Senator John Hoffman and his spouse, Yvette. We know too well the crisis of political violence that threatens the foundations of our democracy. We honor Representative Melissa Hortman's life by acting on the values she lived: the protection of the vulnerable, the pursuit of equity, and the insistence on a safer and joyful world for our children.
"In this time of division, we call on our communities to be bridge builders.
"In this time of fear, we summon our courage to protect the least among us.
"In this time of uncertainty, we turn to our traditions and rely on our neighbors to sustain us in the struggle for justice.
"Today, there are those in power who ask us to deny our shared humanity. We refuse to do so. We will not meet violence with violence. We reject partisan attempts to divide us. We will meet this moment with rooted and expansive love — for immigrants; for impoverished peoples; for refugees; for all who are marginalized, oppressed, and undervalued; for anyone and everyone who wants a safe place to call home.
"We repudiate the forces of destruction now targeting our communities. Deploying the U.S. military in American neighborhoods against peaceful protesters is not moral leadership. From our temples, mosques, synagogues, churches, and congregations, we will act to keep each other safe. We will raise our moral voice in the halls of power. We will stand with our community and with our neighbors. And as we do so, we commit to overcome hatred with love."
Bishop Jen Nagel, MCC board member and Bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod ELCA was representing all ELCA synods in Minnesota when she said “We are followers of Jesus Christ, himself a victim of violence and terror... Too often we are unsure where to turn or what to do next. This statement is one of a series of steps… It calls us again to the common good… We are called to be bridge-builders.”
Bishop Plambeck, an MCC board member and Bishop of the Minnesota Annual Conference United Methodist Church, specifically named that within Christianity "there is a distortion of our gospel and of our faith called 'Christian Nationalism.'" She went on to assert that White Christian Nationalism "is not a legitimate expression of our faith."
In closing remarks and in response to a question "What are you going to do?," MCC CEO Elder Suzanne P. Kelly, pictured at the top of this post, said "We can do things like what we are doing. Lean into standing together in our message that all hate – all violence – regardless of who the victim or perpetrator is – is wrong…” She continued that many faith traditions include love of neighbor, and that "Our neighbors are those who are in community with us regardless of their ideology." Looking around at the interfaith gathering of leaders, she said faith leaders will continue to be “joined together in the work that our communities will not fall to hatred and violence, but that love will prevail.”
All images are video captured from the Fox 9 broadcast of the press conference. Watch the entire press conference here: