Rev. Eugene Carson Blake Sermon, 1963-09-15, Law And Order And Christian Duty

the pope my text this morning as fallen in the book of the

acts the fifth chapter and the twenty nine vs but peter and the apostles answered we must obey god rather than men almost everyone in our nation knows by now that the negro community is no longer satisfied with that measure of freedom which it has received an iron in the last one hundred years since the proclamation of emancipation by abraham lincoln what appears to be is still in question is whether white america will be converted him it's a pattern of thinking and living with regard to race and so voluntarily change the laws the

news of the nation soon enough so that freedom justice and equality we'll be established or negros than all others in an orderly ona violent way change is coming change is coming so it is not a question of whether it is not even a question of when the only question is how little justice freedom equality hawk will they be established voluntarily and under law more violently by re vote rebellion revolution

james reston clearly pointed out after the august twenty eight march on washington at the most critical place for decision on this matter is in the churches of a nation unless people like are you largely white unless people like you professing christians make the negroes kong's your columns and now unless we transformed the just demands of negroes for their own rights into our demands as americans for the rights of all americans we will be responsible for any violence that comes as i judge it

i'm talking to people and from my mail there are three reasons for hesitation some are fearful of any change some will resist any reduction of the special privileges that white men have always enjoyed in this nation relies on the monitor is going to take years fortunately these are a small minority in the united states and even a smaller minority in this your city the second play some say something like this yes negroes ought to have their rights but they're pushing too hard they want too much too quickly through which

this community which has been patient for one hundred year is directly reply is a century marks the end of quiet patients there is a third group who say or yes it's been too long i would be for them but they're breaking the law with these demonstrations civilization is based upon order that is on law for not going to do anything until like quiet down for we will not ally ourselves with law breakers how much of these reasons are cruel reasons and how much our rationalizations for having things be as they've always be

i'll leave that for you to judge but from all this you can say why i feel it important to preach do you about law and order and christian duty citizens by for certain and they are citizens july fourth one is i believe all of you must know i was arrested just outside baltimore maryland for having with others ministers and laypeople they go and white broken deliberately a trespass law of that sovereign state the occasion was a demonstration organized by the congress of racial equality call designed to kill protesters standing in dignity offered the large negro community of that state and the city of baltimore the spending and dignity offered by a privately owned amusement park which regulate

nevertheless advertise that it was open to the bubbly and even appeared on the rand mcnally map it's and just as regularly had refused that veterans who all dark skin neat rows one of the most distinguished members of my church of baltimore mr fehrman templeton an older the director of baltimore's urban league was with me that holiday he is in april we approached the gate of the amusement park together the guard stopped us saying we could not enter i protested the guardian said that i could go and what that mr templeton standing next to make love not i protested again as bass line died just four was read to us all was quite

legal we were then asked to leave this private property we review is continuing our protest and were arrested scores of others were arrested two including six roman catholic priests a jewish rabbi a dozen or more protestant ministers and many young people are both races i was there as acting chairman of the commission a new commission on religion and race of the national council of churches three others went with me from new york representing the national council of churches including which of cargo another protestant episcopal church another question in my sermon is is this kind of action right or is it wrong the fact that the demonstration was successful regular stop their discrimination

last month and that is reported that business has been excellent sense is not really relevant to my question well if ever is it right to break the law that's what i would like to think have you think about with me this morning lawyers among you will quickly note that there are deep legal questions raised with which i could not deal in a sermon even war i qualified and i would remind though that you're maybe lawyers but in the eighteenth century and comcast to laguardia lawyers were the leaders in their legal theological and political those questions having to do with the revolution and civil disobedience it was apparently an easier thing for a lawyer to do then lennon appears to be now

or i would remind you that an eighteenth century jurisprudence almost all of the lawyers thought of the statute law on the books as based upon or arising out of common law which in turn was thought to arrest on natural law something object is given by nature are more often by nature's god in the twentieth century most lawyers have been taught to think that we are in what are called positive terms only what is law is determined by what the legislatures have passed and what has been interpreted by courts period thus the twentieth century lawyer has made his day by day task easier by eliminating from

consideration such concepts as abstract justice or natural law the effect of this means that most protestant lawyers today as lawyers have not thought very much about the question of a sermon my correspondent since july fourth revealed a rather naive shock in the minds of many lawyers that anybody like me and my position good deliberately break the law all i can say here this morning is that i wish more lawyers today would buckle down to the ultimate task of harmonizing theology on law orion contours of the fact that lawyers will pay little heed to theologians or ministers in their own feet and some appear especially to fear the breaking of a trespass law they say that in our free society all freedom is based

upon the protection of property rights this is partly true but i would remind you all that no christian there ultimately are finally put property rights above human rights it is one thing to argue for property rights in order to ensure human rights but it is another thing to argue for property rights as against human rights and the distinction is perfectly clear you never read les miserables the most conservative of us knows that property rights are not absolute no one has an absolute right that would allow him to use his properly however great or small against the general welfare of the community or the general dignity of the citizen that is

why i suppose that a quality in public accommodations is one of the most crucial even though as we're not analyze it not so fruitful in terms of long range development of civil rights in this nation will return to my question whatever is it right to break the law first let me make it perfectly clear that breaking law is not something to be done lightly anarchy as a terrible play disorder doesn't make civil life impossible and anyone who has lived through right apple revolution in congo or anyone else knows how much all of us whoever we are ought to appreciate the civil order of our communities and the police who enforce it for us all

but let us be entirely clear that law is not rock it has always been from the first a basic christian conviction that there are times when a christian ought to break the law and the law that us look briefly at the new testament precedent peter and some of his fellow apostles have been old fashioned way and legally ordered not to breech publicly that jesus the christ had been raised from the dead they were in and out of jail several times refusing to obey that injunction and i remind you that lawyers in to get more excited when people threatened to disobey an injunction than any other one thing they have refused to obey the injunction

established by the church and state officials high priest council and senate as christians peter the apostles believed that they could not obey and alun are however legal which would stop them from making their weapons to the lord jesus christ and so they said we must obey god rather than men i do not believe that an ev you seriously would argue in general and it's never right to break the law what about christians or jews under hitler what about you have no friends or in the underground in france or switzerland during world war two or what about the boston tea party what about the whole series of arrests in the new testament when

christians regulate refused to obey some laws even though they were taught through the apostle that the powers that be are ordained of god but perhaps some of you ask has the present day effort by american negroes to winning equality now in building an education in job opportunities and advancement in housing and in public facilities even amusement parks as is anything to do with witnessing to jesus christ as the apostles in the first century well it's quite clear that all of the highest authority is in the church of jesus christ do so billy the general assembly of my own church has repeatedly made it clear

that the white man's treatment of the negro in our free nation is morally and spiritually wrong and that our culture our pattern our normal treatment of the negro within the church itself is morally wrong the world council of churches said that this summer in rochester new york that it is a betrayal of christ the pope has made it clear that this is the roman catholic understanding the presiding bishop of the promise of the possible church they see as they've been on the scripture as an on the actions of their convention spoke most eloquently and officially this spring in the same vein so all the major christian churches in the whole

wide world world council of churches has been willing to lose from its membership several south african churches rather than in any way to weaken its witness do the specifically christian importance of racial equality and racial justice and human freedom the general board of the national council of churches has asked us all to begin now to act in a family with this christian procession but why just now why do we act now for action now apparently encourages an increasing lawlessness on the part of the negro community it's clear enough that we should have begun to witness our convictions in this matter much more effectively sooner but there are at least two reasons why plead

with each of you today to consider what maybe your question do they end this critical time of these month's this fall of nineteen sixty three in the battle for justice and equality the first reason is the nation is facing a crisis i began with that everybody knows that i suppose i were him i'd do however it's not a sexual prices and national crises it is a crisis in every community even in advance communities like new york or one hundred years since their fathers were freed from chattel slavery the negro community has on the whole followed christian leadership nonviolent leadership in trying to win a place of dignity and equality as guaranteed at last by our american

constitution in some states they do not yet have the right to vote either because of laws on just one song because of intimidation analyze a intimidation i mean murder totally interrelated discrimination in getting jobs in finding housing and good opportunities for education most negroes as members of the community find it almost impossible to move out of the lower social and economic straighter in our society not too long ago when i was a pastor in california that i found we had in my town a negro college graduate driving a garbage truck y well because he was in fact discriminated against

in a job for which he had been prepared by great effort on his part and by real sacrifice on the part of his family isn't surprising than that many other negroes drop out of high school when i have seen how hard it is to get an even when you qualified and we're going it's surprising that there are not enough negroes reading for the good jobs when suddenly for some reason some jobs are opened up and why are we surprised that negroes generally have been forced into high priced crowded housing because they do not qualify for other communities as our kind of people i say these inquiries inequalities are all

interrelated and they push towards solving them all together and quickly along with the right to vote everywhere and the right to public accommodation everywhere is the only solution that will solve the problems that america faces the people are preventing this national and this christian solution i would remind you this morning are not essentially the governor faubus is and the governor wallace's away off in arkansas or alabama the responsible people for that a stalemate in the autumn of nineteen sixty three are we fight christians who have isolated arbor bodies from the realities of most cities by largely living in the suburbs or by a doorman at a high rise apartments and a lab isolated are my news

from the realities of the injustice of our laws and our social patterns impose upon negroes by forgetting all about them every time they become quiet your patient we have a national crisis which may lead to all kinds of violence and even the revolution if we do not decide this fall a hero are persons and our influence into changing the segregated pattern of too much of american life for the negro community is tired of being patient under a century of excessive noise slow progress and they'll say much less qualified people's of their own race and color have done in africa to become free an american negroes don't intend

to wait any longer if there is increasing violence in the united states and i pray god there may not be but if there is it will not be the fault of negroes striving for fairness and justice it will be the fault of all of us who in apathy and ignorance let that in justice continue i might say that if any of you are worried from time to time about the lack of popularity of our american way of life in asia africa and even in europe you could do more to make the free world strong by helping establish justice and dignity in our land for colored peoples in it than in any other way i know or communism makes worldwide

progress with each headline of violence whether it be in alabama mississippi or new york without an international crisis it'll be solved i have confidence the second reason why you and i must act now in nineteen sixty three no later to establish justice and the second reason is the first importance for any christian is that there is an equally grave crisis within the christian church in america part of the crisis that we face in the churches of negro christians by now have largely lost their faith in this and serve the other professions of white christians in this whole matter that we do not act the way we have a long talk it is clear that the

negro community will turn increasingly from the christian church and their own christian leaders there which up until law negroes have been amazingly loyal but there's a greater crisis that exists in the christian church would be my estimate that there are at least five thousand presbyterian pastors who have a bad conscience about what they're doing and what they're failing to do in this matter the reason they have this bad conscience of the reason they haven't been doing something about it is they're fearful of their congregations won't support them if they simply obeyed the gospel and lead in their congregation to move forward in this can pass for human dignity for all men for whom christ died i estimate that five thousand

presbyterian minister is hesitate to lead in this effort because they're afraid of their jobs and they have good reason our conscious and unconscious prejudices to guide us in our actions and in our building and an eyewitness saying and if when our lack of actions these are the things that have moved us rather than the christian faith we broadcast on a sunday morning frankly the christian church in america doesn't look much like a christian church as far as race is concerned even then advanced coloration like this has only begun beyond the token integration of the church mostly we looked like religious clubs for our own kinds of people the religious secular culture

which is essentially more and more fearful and more and more selfish the wealthier and more affluent we become i say that the reason people like you and me should stand with our negro brother and in their effort to achieve equality is that if we do not we shall reveal ourselves a blast was it regrets and we shall fail on our day to witness joe jesus christ on so easily we proclaim to be the savior of the world one of my correspondence after july fourth me to inquire why the jesus christ would ever demonstrate and cause violence i wrote in that was entirely too simple a way to put any question but i am sure of this that the white and negroes school kids who have gathered in churches all over the south in got up to sit in

in physical danger indignities and protests at lunch counters are narrative backing down than most christian congregations which mile what can you do that may conclude quickly the sermon by suggesting very concrete actions for all of us you can try to get the congress to pass stronger civil rights legislation if you are one of buzzer does bin laden upholding the law where you're not do your part to get the laws in this matters right write your two senators your congressman ryan today element you believe that civil rights are a moral matter that you want good legislation passed this fall which you do not want your representatives to make as a partisan issue but you will not countenance a filibuster in the senate to prevent needed legislation this effort will cost you fifteen cents on an hour's time to write good letters and this is of

vital action by people like you and me in fifty states begin to demonstrate is the second thing you can do let there be no a segregated marches ever again for this cause the invitation is do you want unless people like you'll begin to demonstrate it's not frilly predicted that no civil rights legislation will pass and if the congress is unable or unwilling to legislators really predicted that no and more violent phase is in demonstrations will then begin again join the naacp know that you can make a whopping big competition to its legal and defense fund again let me say to any of you really went up old the law

for the national association for the advancement of colored people's for a quarter of a century and mark as breast and clark after court trying to honor the law by seeking justice and equality as the constitution guarantees on tuesday john urban league the national organization has been working for years to make a break for negroes and getting jobs and being advanced according to their merit make a contribution to the urban league and add to your church isn't all are deductibles upwards it very hard for a christian to get to things that are not deductible add the southern leadership conference with martin luther king the congress the racial equality headed by james farmer the student nonviolent coordinating committee as the most radical of law as you would guess these are that i should be these are the organizations that are leading this effort for justice

and equality now you're unwilling to give them give to the national council churches across the street and earmarked funds for its commission on religion and race what else can you do besides writing letters and joining organizations and supporting them when you can make it your project where you work see that jobs are open to nigro those who are qualified and that your business will drain on qualified negroes the same way you've been training and upgrading presently on qualified white people if you don't work on or a stockholder ok write the management and tell management her own or that you're you want your company to be a leader in enlightened employment policies as to race it may begin to lose a bit of your popularity if you're really take this seriously what you must begin each one of you wherever you have any end phones at all

you can pray each night for the negro community and its leaders and pray for those who are still in mississippi jails under excessive on them have been there for weeks a month you don't believe this really do you people got arrested coming out of church and were there for months until finally the commission on religion and race was able legally and that money gets seventy five people out just last week you can pray for a male boss who may day by day after make hard decisions realizing that will likely be wrong and some of them surely but nevertheless must make them we hope in the light of the gospel and finally you could begin to make it possible for anyone

who has the money to buy and rent in your town your apartment your community or know i'm leaving preaching and moving into modeling now for i speak not to you but to myself i have a residence in a lovely suburban spot of isolation and retreat and that is a place that we have fallen london to have our own family's peace and development don't make us role in our communities but living in suburbs by the power structure of our society is one of the causes of racial crisis because i married a girl i've driven off along from new york into southern connecticut for thirty years i noticed that recent racial disturbances on ford wrote as i was reading about them this summer

in the bronx i remembered that was part of the city i used regularly to drive through i don't believe i've driven on for the road and fifteen years we have for away is now one goes by here and expressways which make it possible almost completely if we will to isolate ourselves from an eerie allocate that has any ugliness in it and in these years more and more americans are driven however from world to urban life and all those who are both live increasingly and crowded cities where no one in conditions that no one should have to live and you will find you will not increase your popularity in your town or in your white community if you really mean to

back the open housing program already begun by many churches as being a concrete place to begin at least you can protest anytime you hear any one lady negroes for education or say that they're asking too much some of course you ask too much some ask for the wrong things of course what the cause of extremism as justice delayed and wayne that they are responsible for about what you can do is to begin to act your faith into the melee due to ridicule or poverty or danger or arrests a widely publicized march of august twenty eight and washington will not be important unless it symbolizes it encourages the members of churches you act in a new pattern and witnessed of jesus christ

this happens why do they not only among the few ministers and a few members and radicals very new the church by the holy spirit in faith and an open and love it's time for us all to stand up and be counted we must obey god rather than manned said later in the apostles' about simple decision became the foundation of the church of jesus christ and the reason why the world was wanting to him not always easy to know how to obey god but no otto is failing to try to find a way to change their racially segregated pattern of american life and claim these days to be trying very hard to obey him then on without our best will still be centers as a gospel reminds us

will need each other's from a ship and prayers us sinners you are forgiven freely one week to repent of evil and turned to god through jesus christ for this gospel is a part for reconciliation reconciliation of centers to god and all men to all men in worship here in the sanctuary or in any christian church we need to be helped to be agents of that divine reconciliation loving one another even when we deeply disagree loving the enemy's we make and those to lagos their enemies the sound on with us the church of jesus christ will be his church bus will the church witness to its lord let us pray

oh god our father give us faith that we maybe converted to give us courage and yes i lost wisdom says xu all men