I have a vague memory of some Sunday School lessons from my childhood. I was only six years old when the Evangelical and Reformed Church joined in union with the Congregational Christian Church to form the United Church of Christ. I was ten years old when the “new” curriculum began to appear. One of the first tasks of the newly formed denomination was to produce a comprehensive set of graded Sunday School curricula. The curricula featured a guide to preschool education titled “3s in the Christian Community,” hard-backed books for elementary children, soft-bound take-home books, music books, and more. However, the memory to which I am referring is of a set of Sunday School lessons that were presented before that new curriculum was produced. Since I can remember the comic book style lessons, I believe the David C. Cook company produced the curriculum. I remember that it was a set of lessons featuring biblical heroes. Noah built a boat and rounded up a pair of every animal on earth. Moses was presented as a larger-than-life leader of the people who dared to stand up to Pharaoh. David was a nearly superhuman character who brought down the giant Goliath with a slingshot and a stone. Elijah defeated 450 Baal prophets on Mount Carmel by magically producing fire. Daniel faced the lion’s den unarmed and prevailed. I suppose there were New Testament heroes in the curriculum, but I don’t remember them. I wonder if the material presented female biblical heroes such as Esther, Ruth, and Deborah. I can’t remember any.

Over the years, as a teacher and writer of curricula for Christian education and faith formation, I have written lessons about biblical heroes. One series published by the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, was called the Storyteller Series, and I wrote lessons featuring Eli, Samuel, and others.

The problem with teaching children about biblical heroes is that it is too easy to focus attention on human strength, cunning, leadership, and wisdom. While those qualities are to be celebrated, the core of faith formation must be God. God, not Noah, provided salvation for the earth's creatures. God made a covenant promise never to destroy the world again. It was God who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, not Moses. It was God who allowed Israel to prevail over the Philistine Army, not David. It was God who guided and protected Elijah. It was God who gave Esther the courage to save her people. God blessed Ruth’s commitment to her mother-in-law and provided a future for her people. It was God who granted wisdom to Deborah. If our goal is to enable faith formation in those we teach, we must remember where that faith must be focused.

I believe that this has real-world consequences in our time. I am in conversation with a lot of Christians in these particularly troubled times. People of faith are wrestling with their genuine desire to avoid anti-semitism and their willingness to feed and protect innocent children and families in Gaza. People of faith feel called by that faith to stand with immigrants who are being rounded up and detained without due process. They are angry at the illegal and immoral abuse of power demonstrated by a lawless president and the abdication of responsibility by Senators and congresspersons. I’ve read and heard several sermons calling for Christians to rise, participate in protests, and engage in civil disobedience.

I agree that now is the time for Christians to act on their faith. I believe in Christian social action. I have preached and written about the need to speak up in defense of God’s creation, against the injustices of pollution, and against the consequences of global warming. I believe Christians have a solid example in the actions of brave preachers and leaders of the Civil Rights movement.

However, I worry that some of my faithful colleagues have missed an essential part of that action. When armed National Guard troops confront those engaging in protest, when the president illegally orders military to stand against the people, the temptation is to fall into the trap of increased violence. At this critical juncture in American History, nonviolent action is most needed. Despite the administration’s attempts to ramp up violence in search of made-for-television video clips for Fox News, lasting change will not come through violence. The few protesters who have lit fires and thrown rocks are playing into the hands of the media manipulators. They are giving the president exactly what he wants to deflect the news cycle away from the news of his active participation with Jeffrey Epstein in the sexual abuse of minors and the enslavement of women.

More importantly, sustained action over a long period of time will be demanded of us. The current waves of injustice and oppression sweeping across our land could persist for a long time. Those who seek freedom for all will need strength for the long haul. To sustain that strength, one must have firm faith in God and an understanding that, despite how it now seems, justice will prevail, and peace is possible.

We must be firmly rooted in the faith that God can bring about the required change. Of course, we need to stand with God and be open to the movement of the Spirit. We are not called to be passive in the face of injustice and authoritarianism. But we must understand that we cannot prevail by ourselves. If we place our faith in our abilities, we will fail. Suppose we forget that God could sort out the human folly of the Tower of Babel, or forget that God could guide the survival of Israel through defeat and exile, or forget that God could bring about resurrection in the face of the cross. In that case, we might convince ourselves that it falls to us to bring salvation to our people.

God will provide the leaders we need in this critical time. We are called to faith that God is still in charge of this world. That faith will give us the resilience and strength for the difficult times that lie ahead.