How America Became Obsessed with Guns

Plus, finding hope for Haiti

Hi all,

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Our highlights this week include:

-        What exactly is the boycott, divest, and sanction movement?

-        How America became obsessed with guns

-        Heartbreak and Hope in Haiti

-        The myth of Black men with “superhuman strength”

-        And Jonathan keeps us grounded with thoughts on the simplicity of our calling

Jonathan's Recommendations

The BDS Movement Against Genocide and Occupation

A Vox article from last year is a helpful primer on the movement to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel (BDS). And It has lots of links you can click to learn more. Dozens of universities now have Gaza solidarity encampments, following Columbia’s lead. And one of the protestors’ main demands is that their institutions divest from companies that support or benefit from the Israeli government. The BDS movement is a powerful tool for non-violent direct action that can decrease the flow of resources making Israel’s violence possible. May the movement be successful, and soon.

-            Read about the BDS Movement

How America Became Obsessed with Guns

In the Beatitudes, Jesus said that peacemakers are blessed. But in America, we normalize violence. It is therefore important to remember that our current circumstances with respect to gun violence were not always the status quo, and they can change. The most recent season of the podcast Long Shadow is the story of how America’s relationship with guns evolved, particularly in the last 40 years. It explains the inflection point that was the mass shooting at Columbine High School, the NRA’s wide-ranging influence, and the nuances of racism and classism that animate the gun rights movement. And as I reflect on this country’s influence around the world, it is clear we want our allies to put their faith in guns as well. By one estimate, gun manufacturers have sold just under half a billion guns in the US. and we’re the largest gun exporter in the world. It is worth our time, energy, and effort to pray and work against a culture bent on arming everyone.

-            Listen to Long Shadow

Sy’s Recommendations

Heartbreak and Hope in Haiti

Over the past several months, I have been incredibly saddened watching the political crisis in Haiti devolve into mass violence, starvation, and fear. The situation often feels hopeless, especially because it does not often make headlines. And the US, after evacuating all its personnel from Haiti, continues to deport Haitians and intercept them at sea before they can apply for asylum. But amidst all this and much more, Haitian author Edwidge Danticat finds a glimmer of hope in the wisdom of her relatives, and the country’s history. She writes beautifully of the aspiration for a Haiti where children can once again dream, as so many Haitians have since the country’s founding, of life thriving in the world’s first free, Black republic. And she speaks of the indomitability of that aspiration, summed up in the Kreyol phrase that roughly translates to “Where there is breath, there is hope.” Too many Christians claim to have a hope from God that ends up amounting to little when facing down real suffering. We would do well to sit at the feet of people who have something more concrete to offer, and asking how God might grant us something similar.

-            Read Danticat’s essay

When Police Say Black Men Have “Superhuman Strength”

(content warning, police brutality) In 2014, when Officer Darren Wilson testified about killing Michael Brown, he said that holding on to Brown made him feel like “a five-year-old holding onto Hulk Hogan.” He added that after running away, Brown turned back toward Wilson, whose gun was drawn, and “looked like he was almost bulking up to run through the shots.” A recent AP investigation highlighted the frequency with which police use the myth of the Black man with superhuman strength to justify deadly force. We often associate the phrase “superhuman strength” with the police justification for beating Rodney King in 1991. But the myth dates back to the nineteenth century when racists used fears of bestial Black men assaulting White women to justify everything from lynchings to the beginning of Jim Crow. The rise of mass incarceration and the war on drugs also relied on the myth. And the AP found numerous cases of police using the myth today, going so far as to actually write the phrase “superhuman strength” in police reports. This is dehumanization, literally saying someone possesses non-human characteristics. At a minimum, a red flag for significant racism should go up in our heads whenever this idea comes up in relation to Black people.

-            Read the investigation

Staying Grounded with Jonathan

Sometimes I find reminders of the simplicity of our calling in strange places. This happened to me recently when I came across a food brand’s commercial aimed at encouraging people to eat together as families or communities. Christian culture often professionalizes the ideas of sharing our faith, loving our neighbors, or being “missional.” They can feel like something inaccessible or irrelevant to daily life —something for pastors and church staff to worry about. But Jesus’ disciples didn’t go to seminary. They weren’t running Christian programs. They broke bread in people’s homes and organized themselves around living like their teacher, Jesus. They had differences and disagreements, but Jesus instructed them that all were to be welcome. Simple hospitality is core to our faith. When we practice it, we honor the image of God in all people, as Jesus wanted.

Thanks for reading, and see you next week!

Jonathan and Sy