Reflections on ‘What more
in the name of love?’

Speaking of Religion
The Rev. Dr. Tim Griffin

Early morning, April four
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride
In the name of love,
What more in the name of love?
Pride (In the Name of Love) — U2

The day on which this column appears — April 4 — marks the 39th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year, April 4 is also Wednesday of Holy Week, and so, according to the Christian tradition, the anniversary of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus.
This is, then, a significant and disturbing day in humanity’s history. It is a day on which we can look back and see how two who acted "in the name of love" were executed for their attempts to share their message and their love with us.
The refrain of the song cited above addresses a challenging question to us: "What more in the name of love?" As I understand this question, we are being asked "how many more must die ‘in the name of love’ before we get the message?"
It would seem, as I reflect on the present world and the present state of our country, that we are far from that point. Perhaps we are no nearer today than we were on April 4, 1968, or on that Wednesday in circa A.D. 30. In fact, it sometimes seems that we are further from hearing and respecting and living the message of love than our counterparts in 1968 were.
I leave that question to you, but before you answer, consider what is currently being done in our names and on our behalf — and not in the name of or on behalf of love.
Tony Blair recently and justifiably decried the Iranian government televising messages from the British soldiers that they are holding. Blair noted that the world knows that the messages are not true. His implication was that the messages are coerced in some way.
I am sure that is true. I am sure that these individuals are under unimaginable stress so whatever they may say must be understood in this context. They are the victims of hatred and contempt rather than love.
But in this regard, is their plight different from the "enemy combatants" being held by our government who have recently "confessed?" Shouldn’t the context of these confessions, occurring in the aftermath of lengthy detentions without charges and amid allegations of torture, cast suspicion on their veracity and the legitimacy of the system of "justice" through which they were extracted?
I doubt that we can be sure of the truth of these confessions, but we can be sure that these prisoners are not being held "in the name of love," though they are being held in our names.
So we now have political prisoners being held indefinitely and likely being mistreated under the auspices of the American government and with the apparent approval of the American people. Is this progress in the name of love?
In 1968 we were guilty of wrongdoing — Vietnam, racial injustice, etc. But I am certain that we did not approve of torture and indefinite detentions of people who have not been charged of a crime.
And speaking of Vietnam, it would seem, in light of the situation in Iraq, that we have not learned that regime change through military force is not the way to win the hearts and minds of a people. Certainly whatever the motivation for Iraq, the war was not initiated in the name of love, though it is being conducted in our name.
These are two instances that we should reflect on. Of course, there are more.
There is the growing gap between the rich and poor in this country. There is the astounding disparity between whites and people of color in the prison system. There is the bigotry that continues to be manifest in our treatment of homosexuals. There are the problems created by inequitable trade agreements that have destroyed economies and people’s livelihoods, leading them to seek employment outside their countries.
These problems do not arise because we love our neighbors as ourselves. They do not arise in the name of love, though they are done in our name.
Perhaps during this Holy Week, and the Easter season — the season of New Life — we can reflect on where we are and ask ourselves: "What more in the name of love?" ••
Father Tim Griffin is priest-in-charge at the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, at 1946 Welsh Road in Bustleton.