MIM issues an “Interfaith Call to Love”

In the wake of the deadly protest in Charlottesville and the ongoing struggle against hatred in our nation, the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium issued the following “Interfaith Call to Love,” and has encouraged its members and other people of faith to lift it up during worship this weekend:

Interfaith Call to Love

We, as persons of faith, join together with our brothers, sisters, neighbors, and strangers, knowing that we are fundamentally and foundationally called to be persons of love.  We are called to love the divine in which we gather to worship.  We are called to love one another.  And we are called to love all of creation.

Most often our expressions of love have required little effort. We have made our predominant expressions of love toward those who love us first, have reciprocated our love, or look, speak, act, and worship like us.

However, our fundamental call to love demands much more from us.  We must always be searching within ourselves and measuring the depth of our faith and the love we profess.  As leaders of our faith communities we not only call upon our communities to self-examination; we also join in this self-examination.

Are we living up to what love demands?

Love demands that we search our hearts before we judge the heart of another.  Let us search within ourselves and where hatred, racism, bigotry, fear, animosity, and any antithesis of love is found, may it be forever cast out.

Love demands that we stand in opposition to hate.  Just as there is no place for hate in the hearts of the faithful.  There is also no place for hate reflected in speech, action, or in-action.

Love demands that we express and pour out love to silence hate.  Love is the only means for victory over hate.  May our expressions of love silence the voices of the Alt-right, Neo Nazis, Ku Kux Klan, White’s Unite, along with all forms of White Supremacy.

Love demands that we also love the hater.  No greater means exists to transform the heart of one who hates than when their actions come in contact with love.  The greatest act of faithful people is the love of those who have not, do not, and never intend on loving us.

Love demands expression.

Our expression of love must be more than mere words.  Our expression of love must be more than published statements.  Our expression of love must be more than emails, tweets, posts, and the sharing of historical quotes.  Our expression of love must be real and tangible.

We must care for, support, lift up, honor and protect victims of hate.  We must directly reject, silence, and give no affirmation of hate expressed in large scale public rhetoric or the smallest racist and hate-filled joke.  We must use our voices to speak against hate from all sources; including those from the highest of public positions to those from members of the smallest fringe group.

We must purposely show the world that persons of faith are persons of love, by celebrating our differences, being in true relationship with one another, and actively participating in the diverse communities we live.

In essence, we, people of faith, are people of love.  Love cannot and will not ever be defeated by hate.  The only way in which love will not prevail, is when we, people of faith, are not living expressions of love.

Let our prayer be, that we always be ever-flowing, ever-expressing, and ever-acting instruments of love.


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