Quoting Deuteronomy to the Devil
Parenting and yelling at the government.
From 2017-2020 I called and/or wrote to my elected officials in the House and Senate pretty much every day. I often left messages because I would call as I was driving to my work at a school and we were open much earlier than their offices were open. I called about everything - guns, education, immigration, budgets, women’s rights . . . you name it and I was on the phone about it. I did call during their office hours sometimes and I know this because one of my senators employed a gentleman named Ryan and Ryan sighed when he heard my voice. I get it, Ryan, I was also tired of me (but that didn’t stop me).
I have a lot of memories of calling at one particular turn on my commute but I also have memories of my son hearing me call my elected officials from our house. I am not, generally, warm and fuzzy on the calls. Your mileage might vary but I live in a gerrymandered state where the representatives choose their constituents so I express my discontent with that situation. I think it is important to remind them that people like me exist.
I am typically the deescalating parent in our house but when I call my elected officials I am a little more spicy. I let them know how far they are from my values as a Christian. It must have made an impression because when the current administration took office again and I resumed my daily calls, my (now) teenager said, “Another four years of yelling at our senators?” and I was like, correctly spotted, sir. Here we go again.
On Wednesday, as I waited for my son to get ready for school, I sat on our couch and I called Thom Tillis’s office (nobody has answered the phone at any of his offices in as long as I can remember so I just leave messages now). This is what I said into his voicemail as the Senate considers their own budget resolution:
I am disgusted by the budget resolution that was passed in the House. Budgets are moral documents and this document shows the immorality of those who would choose to take from the poor to give to the rich. Again and again we see religion brought into our political conversations when it is convenient for power, but never when we are talking about caring for those in need. The Bible has very little to say about most of the topics that animate our politics (other than to respect the dignity of all) but it says repeatedly that we are to care for those in need and that God identifies with those who are in need. It is to our shame as a nation that we are willing to cut healthcare from low-income families and those with disabilities and that we prioritize deporting undocumented folks while lining the pockets of the rich. The book of Luke says, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.” America is on a terrible and destructive path.
Our family went to dinner that night and I mentioned that I had also called and said this same thing to my congressional rep (someone still answers the phone there, and they do seem like they are starting to recognize me). We talked about how I decided what to say and my decision to indicate my title as a Reverend and to use scripture on the call.
My son said, “You should only say Bible verses to them.” I loved that, and told him so, because I had thought about only reading Bible verses about aiding those in need because there are SO MANY. He said, “You should do that tomorrow.”
When I was 14, I did not see the Bible as a way to speak truth to the powerful. I did not know it was a handbook for caring about the marginalized. I did not understand that there were many Bible verses about supporting those in need. I cared about the Bible a lot, and I personally got up every morning to read the Bible before school. But I also experienced the Bible as a book that told me what I was doing wrong, where I was failing. Instead of caring for those in need, I thought it was telling me how to stay “inside” Christianity and I was anxious to be sure I was following the rules. I also experienced the Bible as a girl, shamed for having a body that might tempt men. The Bible told me so.
We try not to pressure our son when it comes to our faith. What that conversation showed me is that he has been paying attention. His years in our church (since his birth) have taught him that the Bible is important. They taught him that the Bible is a lot more than a tool to be used against girls in the youth group who wear tank tops. He understands that the Bible cares about the marginalized. He knows that we care about feeding people and clothing people because of what we read in the Bible. He sees that our values of welcome and inclusion are because we take the Bible seriously, not because we are ignoring it.
I am not foolish enough to believe that quoting scripture into my senators’ voicemail will make them change their minds about anything. As far as I know, it never has made a bit of difference. But I do think that my time reading the Bible and thinking about how far we are from God’s vision for the world matters for my faith and for my parenting. Articulating those values is important, and I am glad my son is listening in.