2 Kings 5:1–14
In this passage from 2 Kings, we see Naaman, an Aramean, come to the prophet Elisha seeking healing for leprosy. When Elisha tells him to wash in the Jordan River and be healed, he is angry, saying: “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!”
How often, I wonder, is our advocacy for abolition in Christian contexts slowed by wanting to see the distinctive work of liberation of God in a way that is comfortable to us, rather than by following the lead of those already doing the work?
One of the key principles of abolitionist advocacy is to engage in solidarity, not allyship, following the lead of most-affected people. Abolitionist work is led by Black people and incarcerated people engaged in the struggle for their own liberation. Churches and faith communities come into the movement most effectively by joining existing coalitions and supporting the demands already being made.
Often, I think, our desire in the mainline church is for something “different” in our advocacy — we admit the problems with police violence but do not want to follow the lead of activists calling to defund the police. We disengage from protestors if we think their tactics are too harsh, yet, as I recently wrote, our response to disruptive protest should be to listen to the prophetic voices.
The “hermeneutical privilege of the oppressed” means that prophetic voices come from those most affected by current systems of oppression, and any analysis of how to act should start by listening to those most affected. What Naaman learns in this text is to listen to the prophetic voices even if they do not say what he wants, expects, or is comfortable with.
Hannah Bowman is the founder and director of Christians for Abolition.