Slothfulness in the Land

Many of you will remember the story of the industrious ant and the lazy grasshopper. When fall rolled around, the ant got busy storing up food and preparing for the coming winter. The grasshopper laughed at the hard-working ant. The ant ignored the foolish grasshopper's ridicule and went about his work. Autumn eventually turned into winter. As the snow fell and the winter winds blew, the grasshopper would have starved if not for the kindness of the little ant.

King Solomon advised slothful people to study the ant (Proverbs 6:6). Ants are unselfish; each ant works for the good of the community. If everyone was this industrious and caring, a number of problems in our communities would be solved. "Lazy hands make a person poor, but diligent hands bring wealth" (Proverbs 10:4). But slothfulness is in the land.

Poor people and the system have not had the friendliest of relationships. Part of the blame lies in the system's pride, confusion, and limitation. It acts with defensive hostility, while fearfully clutching to the status quo.

CALL TO RENEWAL believes the future of authentic religion, with healing power for our nation and a truly reliable relationship between the system and the poor, takes us back to the church—the church in Jesus' mind, not the one that's in ours. Back to a new honesty, back to a bright tomorrow that only starts today.

It's time to renew. It takes new vision to reach new generations of Americans who are searching for spiritual truth. Call to Renewal believes that these generations will not search for truth in the traditional churches that mirror the 1940s and 1950s, when half of America was in church on Sunday morning. With a new millennium three years away, churches must come to grips with their declining situation, cast a fresh vision for renewal, and commit to it.

In the midst of our despair about the condition of people that have been made poor in this nation, only one question finally matters: Is the Bible message true? Is the hope it offers dependable? Does its wisdom still make sense? If looking at this makes you uneasy, as has often happened for me, I ask you to suspend judgment long enough to look at some of the realities that have forced me, often unwilling, to think it through.

Because the Bible is consistently true in an inconsistent world, slothfulness does exist in America's attitude toward poor people and in its resistance to dismantle the institutions of racism. One hundred and thirty-two years after the Civil War, 65 percent of Americans not of color live in a state of denial that racism is alive and growing. South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi still proudly fly the Confederate flag.

But there is good news in the land. As I travel the country, I witness this renewal firsthand.

Good news from Jackson, Mississippi, where the ministry of the Voice of Calvary is making a difference one house, one neighborhood, and one community at a time. Houses that were crack dens are being transformed into homes of love, peace, and tranquility.

Good news from Colorado, where in Denver, the AFDC (All Families Deserve a Chance) Coalition is weaving a net to help those families who might fall through the safety net as a result of decisions made by the governor and the state legislature. Good news also from the Colorado Council of Churches, whose Covenant With Children program makes sure that the most vulnerable of all are not overlooked.

Good news from Washington, D.C., where the Sojourners Neighborhood Center has just completed a successful summer Freedom School and has just been chosen as one of four locations in the country to participate in a pilot curriculum from the Children's Defense Fund.

Good news from Los Angeles, where All Saints Church has taken a key role in an education program for inner-city children.

Good news from Memphis, where 16 people from the key Call to Renewal constituency groups met to discuss a local roundtable on poverty.

Good news from Detroit, where 85 people attended a Catholic Caucus meeting and 100 people came to a Monday evening town meeting to discuss responses to overcoming poverty.

Good news from Orange County, California, where the local Call to Renewal is heavily involved in a local Citizens for the Prevention of Gun Violence group.

All across the country, diligent hands are at work, and the good news is taking root. As we move into 1998, let us redouble our efforts to bring renewal.

Sojourners is an active participant in the Call to Renewal network, providing leadership and organizing support. For more information on Call to Renewal, write 2401 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009; call (202) 328-8842; fax (202) 328-8757; e-mail Call_to_Renewal@convene.com, or see the Call to Renewal home page at www.calltorenewal.com.