Conference Minister's Corner - 6-17-2025

In a recent blog post, the Reverend Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, our United Church of Christ General Minister and President, reflected on some of the happening of the past few weeks. This week I share the end of Dr. Thompson’s blog reflections...

“The resistance and the fight for justice is ministry for this moment, to create a future where freedom can be realized and experienced by all. This is the call in every age to resist the powers of Empire and emperors.

World Pride was a time of celebration, and a reminder of the on-going homophobia and transphobia on display across the US and centered in the political decisions and discussions in a nation where freedom has long been lauded and continues to be elusive for many. In celebrating Pride, resistance to the normativity of oppression and the glorification of hetero-normativity was on-display as love blossomed and bloomed in a rainbow of colors and expressions of self. Pride was protest and celebration. Resistance to the attempted marginalization of queer lives and bodies. Resistance is our feet in the streets.

The Freedom Flotilla was stopped. Those on the ships were detained. The aid they carried was seized. And yet, there is a sense that the mission of resistance was achieved. After the Israeli interception of the vessel, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese urged Mediterranean ports to send more aid ships, calling attempts to break the Israeli siege “a legal duty for states and moral imperative for all.” This too is resistance. Resistance to the occupation, to the years of oppression, to a war that is disproportionate to the perpetuation of genocide in a world where peace is elusive for millions. Resistance comes from the waters too.

The streets of Los Angeles are a site of resistance as are the streets of other cities and communities where people are protesting the treatment of immigrants. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is targeting people and communities based on bias and stereotypes. Last week while visiting with Native American churches in the United Church of Christ (UCC) I heard the stories of ICE raids being conducted on reservations. Native Americans are being picked up too, their citizenship being questioned as their rights continue to be ignored. In April the current administration attempted to overturn birthright citizenship an action which raised concerns for the first people of these stolen lands. Native Americans were acknowledged as US citizens and granted citizenship in 1924, more evidence of settler injustice in this land. Resistance has come from multiple federal judges who have blocked the Executive Order. Resistance is in the gavel and the pen.

The church was born from a movement of resistance, led by a man who knew what it meant to be poor and unseen. Jesus fed the people. He spoke out against the colluding religious leaders of his day. He pushed back against the Roman who colonized and occupied his home then. The church is a part of the resistance, a prophetic witness resisting the principalities and powers of this age. Resistance is in the sacred texts. Resistance is in the pulpits.

Resistance is taking many forms and requires showing up in the face of evil on behalf of ourselves and others. There is resistance in our words, resistance in our actions. Resistance is present when we push back against the prevailing narratives of a status quo that continues to cause harm to the existence of the created. “We who believe in freedom cannot rest; we who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.” Resistance is in our music, in the lyrics of our songs, in the murals on our walls, and the poems we compose.

And there are times, when not showing up is resistance.”