You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice. You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt (Exodus 23:2, 9).
These are interesting words of wisdom from Exodus. Don’t just go along with the crowd. Bear witness–put yourself in a situation where you can see and hear and speak with your neighbors–the neighbors you avoid as well as the neighbors who think as you do. Don’t oppress those you call outsiders.
What if we engaged in conversation across the lines drawn in the sand? What if we didn’t avoid possible conflict in talking about candidates and important issues with our neighbors, our families, our congregations? What if in these conversations we were less concerned about winning, about being right? What if we were more concerned about everyone having a voice than whose voice was loudest?
This message is an excerpt from “May we use our voices” by Joy McDonald Coltvet in the September 2020 issue of Café.
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