Facing intimidation
Photograph by Vadim Bogulov via Unsplash
Rev. Dr. Paul Bailey
I was new in eighth grade and found myself in the “leftovers” homeroom. Walter, who should have been in high school if it wasn’t for his recent time in juvenile detention, sat behind me. That was my first real introduction to intimidation. Stealing my lunch, whacking me on the back of the head, and pushing me on the stairs were all fun for Walter. He would wait at the door for me at the end of school. Lifting me up by the collar, he would ask: “Wanna fight?” His girlfriend would usually say, “Oh Walter, put him down.” My guidance counselor told me the conflict was because I was new and that I should give it time, and surely, we would become best of friends. The intimidation continued until my real best friend suggested I leave the school building by the other door. That confused Walter, and soon he committed another crime that returned him to his previous detention.
Intimidation seems to describe life in our current culture. Masked ICE agents are waiting outside churches and Home Depots, grabbing anyone who doesn’t look European. Universities, network television companies, and private businesses are threatened with monetary punishments if they don’t line up with the administration’s priorities. Tariffs terrorize the economies of the world and pass along the pain to small businesses at home. It is the new normal. We knew intimidation was coming with our new government. It was foretold.
We can’t honestly say we are unfamiliar with the concept. Parents use intimidation. Teachers called it consequences. Our justice system is rooted in intimidation. If you commit this offence, you can expect this punishment. But the current intensity and breadth of intimidation in our country seems unfamiliar.
The question I keep trying to figure out is how to respond to intimidation. Is there a Christian response?
My family was part of a progressive mainline church that regularly wrestled with the issues of the day. We stood up for civil rights in our city and partnered with the neighboring African American churches. Women were being ordained. Sermons were critical of the Vietnam War even while engineers in the pews were designing military parts and other “nuclear powered stuff.” We were reminded of Niemöller’s words that if we did not speak up for others, then when they came for us, there would be no one left to speak for us. We regularly heard the words of the Prophets like “…seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17). Proverbs 31:8 reads “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute.” The Lord reminds Moses, “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt” (Exodus 23:9 NIV).
Active resistance means that while Jesus calls us to heal the sick and care for the poor, Christians are also called to stop the bleeding in the first place.
Moses chose active resistance towards Egyptian slavery. Esther risked her life by approaching the king uninvited after seeing the suffering of her people. Jonah was dragged into proclaiming truth to the people of Nineveh, but he did it. Attending protests and joining in boycotts, attending town halls, and standing with the victims are all biblical practices.
Active resistance means that while Jesus calls us to heal the sick and care for the poor, Christians are also called to stop the bleeding in the first place. I was taught that we are to be transformers of culture. It is fine to be the ambulances in the world picking up the afflicted, feeding the hungry, and bandaging up the injured, but our real work should be to confront who and what is causing the injustice in the first place.
Active resistance didn’t work with Walter. I tried. In my efforts to stop the cause of the intimidation, I almost got thrown down a flight of stairs.
Passive resistance is also a biblical option. It worked with Walter as long as I was able to endure the abuse. He eventually would get bored when I did not fight back. When Jesus said to turn the other cheek, it was a form of passive resistance, even though it did result in two bruised cheeks. Martin Luther King Jr.’s use of non-violent resistance required a willingness to suffer and even die for the cause of justice. Passive protest is also a biblical response to intimidation.
Hiding is a biblical practice as well. In Amos 5:12-13 God sees those “who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate.” God’s advice? “Therefore, the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time.” God can be our hiding place. In Christian history, monks, desert fathers, and religious sects chose to separate themselves from the intimidation imposed by society.
Hiding from Walter actually worked, but it involved waiting. Laying low is inextricably linked to waiting for God to handle the judgment in the end. Paul tells the Romans, “…Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19 NIV).
While teaching public speaking at community college, I had the class watch one of the many “shooter training” videos. I used it to talk about outlining and structure, but it really allowed us to talk about what to do if a shooter intimidates the school: Run, hide, fight. There is a time to run, a time to hide, and a time to fight, “…a time to keep silent and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7). What should you do in the face of the intimidation of the day?
The apostle Paul offers us a path forward. “So be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don’t be fools; be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to” (Ephesians 5:15-17 TLB).
Rev. Dr. Paul Bailey retired in 2021 from the Eastwood Baptist Church in Syracuse, NY. In addition to over 40 years of pastoral ministry, he was an adjunct instructor in Communications at Onondaga Community College for 15 years.
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
Get early access to the newest stories from Christian Citizen writers, receive contextual stories which support Christian Citizen content from the world’s top publications and join a community sharing the latest in justice, mercy and faith.