Living Hope Church - A Free Methodist Congregation in Eugene, OR.

Occupy Movement

So, I visited the “Occupy Eugene” camp last night. It was interesting and not what I expected.
I have lived in Eugene for three quarters of my life, so I have seen my fair share of protests. Years ago a co-worker from out of state commented that in Eugene you can put up posters inviting people to protest and not say what it was for, and still have several hundred people show up. That is Eugene (aka. The Berkley of the North)! Growing up in this environment has desensitized me to most protest movements. Call it the “Cry Wolf” effect.
When the “Occupy Wall Street” moment started nearly two months ago I didn’t pay too much attention to it. As it spread and demonstrated staying power, I became more interested. An article I read on line, “You Say You Want A Revolution“ really helped me understand what the movement was all about and how I might identify with it.
So last night, my 17 year old daughter and I went down to the encampment to see what it was like. What I expected was a radical, angry, dogmatic group of people. What I found was a well organized camp of thoughtful individuals who are genuinely concerned with the condition of our nation and community.
One of the organizers allowed us to interview her for a good 30 minutes. She was calm, articulate, and even had a job (despite the stereotype of protestors in this movement). Her hope is to see the movement change our system of government to make it more democratic, (less power and influence in hands of a few extremely wealthy individuals and corporations), and make our system of government more fair economically (shrink the growing gap between the poor and rich).
The camp itself was not what I expected. They have set up a small community with its own security, first aid facility, food kitchen, and even childcare. The “Occupy Eugene” movement has been very conscientious to make sure that their previous sites have been cleaned up and have taken precautions to make sure they don’t damage the park they are currently occupying. They are also caring for the homeless that have wandered into the camp and plan on setting up an education center for people to learn more about the issues they are concerned with.
Instead of dogma, we found our interviewee more interested in having a dialogue with us about the state of our nation and community. My religious views were welcome and I was even invited to participate in a forum that they want to hold to discuss the homeless issue in our community.
I found more common ground with this movement than I expected. As a Christian I try to think biblically. And from my church tradition I think a lot about the poor and disenfranchised, (the latter being a term that I had not heard outside of my church tradition until seeing it in the Occupy Movement). Although “Occupy” is uncomfortable associating their movement with “taking a moral stand” against greed, corruption, and inequality; that is in essence what they are doing. They are seeking to change the hearts and minds of people so that our system of governance would become more democratic and fair. Although I think that the movement fails to go deep enough in its understanding of why we are where we are as nation, (the brokenness of humanity), I can certainly agree on the issues of justice, greed, and fairness as a Christian.
Even the methodology of their protest reminds me of the abolitionist, suffrage, and civil rights movements in our nation’s history. But those movements all had a distinct religious base and were often led by Christians and clergy. Some people forget that Martin Luther King Jr. was an ordained minister who drew his inspiration and arguments from the Bible. Read his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. He writes to other clergy about the civil rights movement and justifies it with teachings of scripture.
I came away from the encampment last night a little sad that the church has not been the one to lead the way in this movement to confront greed, corruption, and inequality. Instead, others that are afraid of talking in terms of morals and values, will try to go forward and change our government system and culture without addressing the underlying issues that we as pastor’s and Christians deal with everyday (our propensity to do what we know is wrong; aka sin). Have we failed to talk enough about greed and coveting (the 10th commandment)? Have we stood idly by and allowed our country to develop an economic system that is dependent on both without saying a word?
Much for me to ponder.