A Letter From A Concerned Seminary Student

To Whom It May Concern,

           My name is Bradley Wayne Havenar, and I have been a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) my entire life. I am the grandson of the late Rev. Jeff Hamilton who served First Christian Church of Oklahoma City until his death and as a State Representative from 1986-1994 for Oklahoma District 101. I received my BA in History with a minor in Race and Ethnic Studies from the University of Central Oklahoma, and I am currently in the process of getting my MDiv from Phillips Theological Seminary. I am actively seeking ordination as a minister in the church, but before I was headed down this road, I was a United States Marine for nearly 15 years before I was medically retired for both mental and physical disabilities. I have been to combat 3 times in Iraq, I have been a drill instructor and trained over 500 men to become United States Marines, and I have trained the Marines that guard the President of the United States (under both Bush and Obama). I have seen much of the world and the people in it, and I only say all this to help you understand who I am and where I am coming from.

            Right now, our country is in shambles. We are being pulled apart by the political leaders at ALL levels, and from what I am witnessing, the Church is doing very little to fix it. That is where I call on each of us to make a change! We are the leaders of the church and the people we lead need to hear us speak out about what is going on in our country, and what changes could be made. Every Sunday we give our sermons to the masses, but what are we doing the other days of the week? Are we protesting? Are we speaking out about the injustices occurring to minorities in America? If we are, are we doing it where others can see us, or are we doing it quietly, so we don’t offend certain patrons of our congregations? If we are not out there doing these things, how can we expect our congregants to help mend a broken and fragmented world?

            The time for taking a safe and quiet stance has come and gone. Now is the time for leaders of the church to walk hand in hand with Black Lives Matter, with the Poor People’s Campaign, and with any other groups/organizations that are out fighting for our marginalized, oppressed, and unwanted. Now is the time for us to actively inspire our congregations to struggle alongside those whom society has oppressed, to get out there and become uncomfortable. Now is the time to stand up in the face of everyone we know, and as a leader in the church, say something worth saying. We can no longer sit here and let people in our congregations remain comfortable. It is our responsibility to help them to grow spiritually, to push them to live like Jesus! 

            To those of you doing these things already, thank you! I see you! And to those of you not doing these things, what are you waiting for? There has never been a time in our lives as important as right now. The church has a responsibility to stand up and fight the injustices occurring across our country and across the world. If we are not willing to do these things, then we need to take a deep and personal look at ourselves and your positions in the church. I am calling us out, myself included! Jesus would have marched, protested, and fought for these people, so what are we waiting for? 

            I have seen Imams and Rabbis live stream from protests, and black church leaders shouting from the mountain tops about everything that is happening, but my fellow white leaders have remained fairly silent about it all, and that has to change! Why are we not screaming and fighting alongside our brothers and sisters of color, of other faiths, to undo the systems of oppression this country thrives on? Where are my fellow white leaders? Christians act like there is an attack on Christianity and I say there is, and it is being led by the silent white leaders of our churches. Those leaders who remain quiet now, are attacking the legacy and reality of what Christianity really is, of how Jesus showed us to live! 

            I want to conclude this letter by saying that I am angry, and you should be too. If we are not angry then I question what we are really doing here as leaders of the church. I call on you to join me in this fight, to become uncomfortable, and to get out of your offices and get in the streets! It is all our responsibility to show the world that our churches stand for something, that we as Christians, as humans, stand for something. We must all quit hiding behind our pulpits and lead our flocks in the way of Christ. Show them how Jesus would have done things! LOVE YOUR NEIGHBORS!

 

Thank you for your time,

Bradley W. Havenar

SSgt/USMC (Ret.)