Phillips Seminary Stands in Solidarity with Minneapolis Protestors, Calls for Collective Stand to Affirm Beloved Community and Shared Humanity

By Trista Soendker Nicholson, Interim Director

Phillips Theological Seminary continues to stand in solidarity with the overwhelming show of support for beloved community in Minneapolis and calls for continued peaceful protests against government leaders and policies dehumanizing our neighbors throughout the country.

The right to protest is Constitutionally protected, and Phillips supports nonviolent protests. The right to peacefully resist should be protected by our civil authorities, and community members who are standing up for the rights and humanity of our neighbors should never be attacked by their government.

The actions of the Trump Administration threaten our communities and our rights to protest unjust government actions.  The activities of ICE, including the detention of children, citizens and legal immigrants, have already tried to foster an “us vs. them” mentality. Recent actions have exacerbated these divisions, with government officials even demonizing the victims of violence as “domestic terrorists.” LINK

Several of our Phillips Theological Seminary alums are in Minnesota putting their faith into action and also supporting our alum, Dan Adolphson, Associate Pastor of First Christian Church in Minneapolis.
The photo shows our alums (left to right) Joshua Shawnee, Chris Moore, Kelley Becker and Dan Adolphson. Other alums we know who are or have been in Minneapolis taking part in protection and protests include: Michelle Scott-Huffman, David Wheeler, Lori Walke, Sherri Curry and Bob Barrett.

Phillips also reaffirms the call for all of us to live into a vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Beloved Community. This vision, commemorated earlier this week, includes standing up against injustice and seeking to create a community bound together by love. A first step of living into this vision together is to courageously stand for nonviolent resistance in the face of horrifically violent acts. We are grateful for the witness of our alums and students in Minneapolis supporting this work in the midst of personal risk.

The King Center teaches the fundamental principles of nonviolent resistance, building on Dr. King’s work to forge beloved communities as we resist injustice. In a 1957 speech, “Birth of A New Nation,” Dr. King said, “The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community. The aftermath of nonviolence is redemption. The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation. The aftermath of violence is emptiness and bitterness.” LINK

The Phillips community is invited to review the tenets of King’s philosophy as we continue to resist the policies of the Administration that seek to divide us from one another. The King Center offers resources to help us meet this historical moment and encourages us to reclaim the vision of the Beloved Community again today as we challenge systems of injustice.

Engaging this work not only allows us to live into King’s vision of Beloved Community, but more importantly to follow Christ’s call. May we continue to resist situations of injustice and oppression as agents of Christ’s peace.