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An antisemitic incident from December has surfaced this week. A retired United Methodist pastor was caught on camera marking a Jewish neighbor's groceries with a swastika.
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I’ll have some comments below.
If you want to jump to a news source, here is a link.
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And if you want to read the statement from the conference where the pastor has served, here is a link.
https://www.calpacumc.org/news/statement-regarding-rev-mark-nakagawa/
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Pastor Nakagawa was wrong in this act and his attempts to sugarcoat it are misplaced, deceiving, hurtful, and unconvincing.
What are some lessons we can take from this incident, especially those of us who are involved in the life of a congregation?
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1. When a collective body of some sort has oversight of clergy (i.e. in their education and training, and in issues of reprimanding) it is a good thing. Not having that oversight is dangerous, because that one voice often becomes immune to any legitimate criticism. Are these bodies always perfect? No, they aren’t. But at their best, these bodies prioritize people’s safety, which is of fundamental importance. (I can expound on this more if someone wants.)
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2. Lay people need to hear and to know where their clergy stand on issues of hate. If it is Christian clergy, the people really need to know where the clergy stands on antisemitism. People will often assume that the clergy in their congregation are incapable of harboring hate. That should not be assumed; the clergy need to be clear through consistent words and actions where their hearts are.
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3. I encourage lay people to speak with clergy if they are not certain where the clergy stand on antisemitism. The healthiest way to go about this is to give them some warning about what the conversation will involve, like “I’d like to set up a time to talk about hate and antisemitism, and what our congregation should be doing about it.”
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