I’ve followed the recent events surrounding Tookie Williams’ life and death with interest and sadness; I am not impressed with how our country handles capital punishment, nor its adeptness at preventing youth violence. I’ve also been surprised at some of the (pretty negative) dialogue that this issue brought out from society – and I am also reminded of how much work the church has to do in this arena. How do we respond or engage in issues of death, judgement, justice, punishment, and violence? Are we even aware that violence and power struggles over meager resources and death and judgment are affecting thousands of lives every day in our country? Does it break God’s heart? Does it even make us blink? How should it bother us; how should we grieve, respond, or react?
A friend of mine blogged on the potential positive legacy that Tookie might have; read his blog entry for at least one take on how people who say they care about these issues and about our society’s future might act. Redemption, right? That is the business God is in; thankfully.
Amen to redemption. Amen to forgiveness. Amen to grace.
“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate…Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.” — Dr. King