HELLO!

The word injustice is used a great deal, and in this time in history the emphasis seems to be on a) billionaires who are hoarding wealth at the expense of the many or b) the elites who are looking down on the rest of us. When I watch a YouTube interview on politics or social issues these are the two dominant themes, usually a) coming from left-wing progressive voices and b) coming from more right-wing populist ones. Obviously, I lean to a), my theological, political and social views lean left. It would be impossible, in 2026, to be an active UCC minister and he otherwise.

Those active in our denomination for decades will know this was not always the case. In the 80’s we had strong conservative and evangelical voices in the UCC. But the ordination of gays and lesbians changed all of that. For reasons I will never understand, that was issue conservatives and evangelicals chose to make “their issue”, and most existed the UCC for other denominations. I confess my patience with these folks, many I call friends and many are very active supporting persons in need, grew thin when their notion of Biblical fidelity focused exclusively on who slept with who, and matters of economic injustice were pushed to the side. If you tell me, you are a Biblical literalist, you will need to demonstrate to me your passion is more than being anxious about gays and lesbians. The Bible says far more about the poor than sexuality, so you need to ask why the focus on the latter. In any case, the “right side” of our denomination simply walked away, making our denomination more progressive.

I support this. Still, I think it is important, given our limited reach, resources and expertise, to focus on ways we as a denomination can promote justice in a time of great economic and social anxiety. For me, the most important narrative to underline is our collective responsibility as kin, as siblings, as children of a living God who gave us life to be in relationship. If we do not see each other as kin, but rather as competition or worse, as “other”, we are doomed to the economic injustice that conspires to privilege the few at the expense of the many. Why would people care about those who have less than them if they do not feel some connection? Churches have a unique opportunity to voice that connection.

The same can be said of Creation, if we do not feel a connection to nature and landscape, then we are doomed to the kind of political conversations we have witnessed for decades, namely when the economy is strong we care about the earth, when the economy is fragile we toss the earth into a disposable container. The earth is always the last constituency group to be championed. And the reason, I feel, is our lack of connection. The church can, and does, change this. I love Creation.

And love remains the connecting tissue. It’s the air we breathe.

Peace, Kevin