The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 6

Peace BreakFasTs

The Practice of Peace in
Deeply Divided Times
by Rev. Dr. Cheryl F. Dudley
At that time the Lord had spoken to Isaiah, son of Amos, saying, "Go, and loose the sackcloth from your loins
and take your sandals off your feet" and he had done so, walking naked and barefoot. (Isaiah 20:2)
Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you
since the creation of the world...I needed clothes and you clothed me. (Matthew 24:34; 36)
Editor's note: Former board president Cheryl Dudley was the speaker for
the BPFnA~Bautistas Por La Paz Peace Breakfast at the American
Baptist (ABC) Biennial Mission Summit in Portland, Oregon last July.
The following is an excerpt from her presentation. The full manuscript
can be found at www.bpfna.org.

a

s if sackcloth wasn't modest enough, God directed Isaiah to
loose the sackcloth from his body, and to remove his sandals.
Not to be fitted with better clothing, but to be (un)clothed like
a slave. Without sandals, Isaiah would have to put his bare feet
upon the ground, and without sackcloth (the fabric of mourning)
around his loins, he could hide nothing. In obedience, Isaiah
stood alone, naked, and as a mouthpiece for God.
This was a revered role, but in so doing, he exposed himself
to ridicule, compromised his health and risked his life. Some
speculate that only a handful of people ever heard him speak,
but a whole lot more saw him.
As we know, the book of Isaiah is prophetically poetic,
pointed and poignant in its various descriptions. The vision of
God that Isaiah describes is picturesque, yet it evokes all our
other senses with its words like these, found in the third and
fifth chapters:
In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles
and headbands and crescent necklaces, the earrings and bracelets
and veils, the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume
bottles and charms, the signet rings and nose rings, the fine robes
and the capes and cloaks,
the purses and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.
Instead of fragrance there will be a stench;
instead of a sash, a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;
instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;
instead of beauty, branding. (Isaiah 3:18-24)
(And also)
woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,

6

Baptist Peacemaker

JAN-MAR 2018

who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
woe to those who are wise
in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight. (Isaiah 5:20-21)

"Many of us are bone tired. We
live in a time in the USA where
there is hypersensitivity, dread,
loathing and a propensity for
holding our breath..."
even before answering God's call, Isaiah knew that God
had great expectations. yet, Isaiah responded willingly to the
grand question of God, who asked, "Whom shall I send?" by
saying, "here I am. Send me."
Isaiah wondered, after volunteering to go, "how long must
I do this?" God plaintively replied, "until the cities lie ruined,
and are uninhabited." oyyyy veyy! okayyyyy! It was going to
be a hard gig.
These are difficult times for advocates of prophetic peace.
our usual tricks and practices, which weren't that easy in the
first place, don't seem to work as well as they once did. Many
of us are bone tired. We live in a time in the uSA where there
is hypersensitivity, dread, loathing and a propensity for holding
our breath-as if we are perpetually teetering on the brink of
something potentially (more) devastating. We have adapted to
a new normal that we pray is not permanent.
It is hard to talk about peace for those of us who happen to
live in the united States. It has always been hard for Americans
with a modicum of sensitivity to join in global conversations


http://www.bpfna.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018

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The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 2
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 3
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 4
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 5
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 6
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 7
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 8
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 9
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 10
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 11
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 12
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 13
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 14
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 15
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 16
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 17
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 18
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 19
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 20
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 21
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 22
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 23
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 24
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 25
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 26
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 27
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 28
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 29
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 30
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 31
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 32
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/38-1
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/37-4
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/37-3
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/37-2
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/37-1
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/36-3
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/36-2
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/36-1
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/35-4
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/35-3
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/35-2
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/35-1
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/34-4
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/34-3
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/34-2
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/34-1
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com