I received this song [Download] as gift from Zach Hamilton, a faithful participant in the Street Psalms training series offered by Center for Transforming Mission. Zach lives and works in White Center, WA. He is a gifted youthworker and musician. He is also a street poet and a great example of a “grassroots theologian. “ Zach and his friends (along with Keilah Fanene who accompanies Zach on this piece) have been wrestling with what it means to teach and preach Good News in hard places, recognizing that a vital part of Good News includes the space and grace to give voice to pain.
Kathleen O’Connor said, “The first condition of healing is to give voice to pain.” The ancient Hebrews understood this and apparently so did God when he made room in Scripture for the practice of lament. Laments are the “blue notes” of Scripture that give voice pain. Laments also give structure to pain. This is no easy task, especially because pain resists structure and is always unraveling us. Abraham Heschel described the prophetic voice that communicates such pain as an “octave too high.” It is a voice that is hard to hear and, more often than not, is systematically denied or muted by the dominant culture.
People like Douglas John Hall have done a lot of thinking about this issue and its impact on the spirituality of North America. He suggests that three things happen when a culture systematically denies the voice of pain. The first thing that happens is that we are cut off from our own experience of pain. When we are cut off from our own experience of pain and lose our ability to give voice to that experience, a second thing happens; we are incapable of entering meaningfully into the pain of another. These first two movements produce isolation. Isolation is the pain within the pain that breeds so much despair. But it is the third step that is most troubling and terrifying. Hall suggests that if we are cut off from our own pain, and we are cut off from the pain of another, something demonic is unleashed. He suggests that (unconsciously) we go searching for an enemy, a scapegoat upon which to project our unresolved pain. There, we visit the denied anger and wrath that consume us.
Something must happen with the stuff that we can’t or won’t deal with. Psychologists call it displaced aggression. We either, turn inward and do violence to the most vulnerable and defenseless aspects of ourselves, (depression) or we turn outward (oppression) and do the same. The scapegoat is always a vulnerable person or group that is not strong enough to defend itself against the unresolved and denied pain of the dominant culture. We blame others for stuff we can’t or won’t deal with and we develop a spiritual framework that justifies this. In the end, a culture of denial becomes a violent culture. This, Hall suggests, is the primary deficiency of the spirituality of North America and it explains why so many of the “gospel seeds” we sow, unwittingly bear the fruit of violence. Perhaps this is why Scripture takes seriously the ministry of lament.
Ironically, laments, which are so full of anger, bitterness, and pain, can actually lead us towards peace. As difficult as they can be to hear, they function as safeguards to unrestrained violence.
The Church, in her wisdom, has used the Psalms as a prayer book for thousands of years. Monks pray them daily. Two-thirds of the Psalms are laments. They are not mere rants and raves. They are highly structured and disciplined forms of prayer that are worthy of our best attention. They hold great promise for those who, like Job, sit on the dung heap of pain and despair. All laments share the following elements.
- Direct Address – Laments are directed to God. They avoid theologizing about God, but speak directly to God.
- Voicing Pain – Laments give voice to pain and make concrete complaints – never just generalized malaise. It’s not whiny, but real.
- Demand for Action – Laments call on God to act decisively.
- Honesty Over Orthodoxy: Laments are not concerned with good theology. When the Hebrew’s asked God to dash the heads of Babylonian babies against the rocks (Ps. 137) we are not to conclude that this petition reflects God’s heart. It is the honest anger of a brutalized people, not commentary on orthodoxy.
- God’s Respectful Silence. God is silent during lament. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” The silence of God gives room and dignity to the experience of pain. Giving voice to that experience is its own comfort and reassurance. Sometimes God’s silence is an act of respect.
I am grateful for Zach’s lament and other street poets like Keilah who are risking their voice on behalf of the voiceless. It is a beautiful example of Good News in hard places. Thanks Z.
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Kris Rocke
Serves as director of Center for Transforming Mission
Bumps into Reality by accident, most of the time
Heard God laugh once
Comments (2)
Excellent, thoughtful article! Thank you.
May I add related food for more thought? The Church also has its deep healing to do as it voices its pain. Its extremely violent past (along with the good) must be taught to, or learned by, church-goers in order to comprehend the roots of today's violent society and its ills. People must know more about how its historical 'conquering' foundation negatively impacts people today (as per this article) and decide what kind of future society to co-create. A question raised during a grad course on church history: Why don't people (more or less of the same faith people) know this crucial aspect of history?
Voicing its pain will heal the Church as it laments. Its own healing would certainly contribute to healing much and many in today's modern dominant culture not to mention the division within Christianity itself.
The Church and the world would benefit by knowing Christians only by their Love now, reflected in local and global social policy and social justice, as we work as agents of systemic social change (as Jesus did) in addition to taking care of society's down and out, marginalized, and poor, etc. People are either lamenting and begging for all assistance just to meet basic human needs while others are lamenting and risking ridicule to help address systemic issues. To begin, a healed voice and a new kind of kindness, courage and compassion to confront the political and entertainment and consumer industries is needed everywhere.
ps: today is Gandhi's birthday and we are again reminded to be the change we want to see in the world.
Posted by Patricia van Berkel | October 2, 2009 9:24 AM
Posted on October 2, 2009 09:24
ps: Sorry. Re/ your article, it's a given, no doubt, ...yet I regretfully forgot to express that there are persons born with depressive disorders, while various other disorders develop as a result of terrible trauma, grief, physical challenges, oppression, job loss, and more. Some disorders are temporary; some are not. Medical research is helping. Medication can help. As your site suggests: Lamenting helps. Acceptance helps. Listening helps. Laughter helps. Prayer helps. Creative expressions help. Helping helps. Alternative therapies help. The church helps. And, there are many things that do not help. Etc. There are many stresses and dis-eases of living in this world. No blame nor judgment; ideally, just understanding all of humanity regardless of class or ability or whatever... so that all persons might equally get to experience peace, love and joy.
Posted by Patricia vB | October 5, 2009 2:39 PM
Posted on October 5, 2009 14:39