![\"Occupy](\"\/sthconnect\/files\/2011\/11\/Occupy-Article-Image-636x522.jpg\" "\\"Occupy")
<\/a><\/li>\nThe Occupy Wall Street movement is not one homogenous movement. The diversity of voices within the Occupy movement has been formed by the diversity of lived experiences among its participants, and while the inclusion all of these voices in the movement has been a great plus, they can also cause confusion or division within the movement as it grows.<\/p>\n
Should seminarians and faith leaders engage this seemingly disparate, chaotic Occupy movement?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Already, believers from many faith backgrounds (e.g. Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist) have shown their solidarity with the movement. The presence of a faith and spirituality tent at some rallies, as well as protest chaplains from various faith and denominational backgrounds, beckons seminarians to become involved with the movement. Among Christian groups, organizations and seminaries such as #occupychurch, Sojourners, and Union Theological Seminary, have made particularly vocal statements of support for the Occupy movement.<\/p>\n
Whether or not we agree with the mission or the means of the Occupy movement, as leaders of faith, are we not called to respond to the contentious and significant issues of our time? This is an opportunity and challenge \u2013 not only to make \u2018Occupy\u2019 relevant to church, but for Christianity to be relevant within and for the generation of \u2018Occupy.\u2019<\/p>\n
Here are a few ways we can engage \u2018Occupy\u2019 as part of a theological community. <\/strong><\/p>\n If you are in seminary or graduate school, you\u2019re likely already generally informed about many of the social and economic issues of our country today. But truly knowing and understanding the issues is different from being informed by the scholarly articles, news articles, and blogs which so often fill the life of a graduate student. To truly understand the movement means to stand beside those involved with and impacted by the movement, and to listen to them and to engage them in dialogue.<\/p>\n So if you haven\u2019t already had a chance to go down to one of the \u2018Occupy\u2019 protests or encampments, I encourage you to do so.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to hold a sign at first \u2013 or ever. Simply engage in the practice of active listening, ask participants about their involvement, and dialogue with others who are for or against the movement. Where do their critiques and\/or supports come from \u2013 a logical or emotional stance?<\/p>\n If they are coming from a place of logic, research their data.<\/p>\n If they are coming from a place of emotion, don\u2019t cast their argument aside; take into account their story and the richness that it brings. Only then can we truly understand the richness and diversity of this movement, and, ultimately, the good it may do.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not enough just to educate ourselves through listening and dialogue. We also have to practice the art of personally reflecting upon each of our backgrounds, experiences and privilege, and understand how those have formed our personal understanding of the movement.<\/p>\n How has your privilege affected our understanding of the Occupy movement? If you\u2019re in seminary, this likely means that you\u2019re working towards at least your second degree in higher education. Can you truly call yourself underprivileged compared to persons who have not had the opportunity or means to pursue a graduate degree, or even a college degree?<\/p>\n Whether through education, class, gender, race, religious background, and\/or sexuality, how have these privileges affected those outside and within the Occupy movement? How has it informed your varied and diverse understandings of the systemic oppressions which the Occupy movement is protesting? \u00a0Your diverse experiences have surely contributed to your willingness to be open to and trust certain perspectives of the \u2018Occupy\u2019 movement and to discredit or reject other perspectives (particularly those that push you outside of your comfort zone).<\/p>\n Rather than being discouraged that we are all at times blinded by our own privilege and experience, we must lend ourselves to a practice of humility. Humility in the context of \u2018Occupy\u2019 can be enacted through a willingness and openness to learn from others who have had different experiences and perspectives than your own. We can also be hopeful that that our experiences and privilege \u2013 which at times may have contributed to our own blindness \u2013 will provide us gifts to promote the message and mission of Christ within the world. \u00a0<\/p>\n Life experience, education, dialogue, and reflection equip us with a critical understanding of how we might best engage the Occupy movement and use our gifts. The gifts you bring to the table are unique, as are the gifts of your congregation or faith community. Just because you\u2019re not camping out at Dewey Square doesn\u2019t meant that you\u2019re not part of the movement. Dialogue and action \u2013 whether in the blogosphere, in your local university general assemblies, in classrooms, or through community activism \u2013 are all critical components of this movement.<\/p>\n Furthermore, as the winter weather comes and more measures are taken to ensure the \u2018security\u2019 of the Occupy encampments, the physical presence of occupiers in the downtown financial districts throughout the United States will inevitably come to an end. What happens then \u2013 in the next phase of the movement \u2013 will be critical in determining the significance and success of the movement in actualizing change.<\/p>\n If you aren\u2019t quite sure of the movement yet, your critical voice is still valuable. Each skeptic who critiques the movement sharpens the movement by questioning its weaknesses and activating untapped imaginative possibilities.<\/p>\n Which issues of the Occupy movement speak to the experiences of those in your congregations, and how can you engage the questions of the Occupy movement with your congregations across lived experiences of class, race, gender, sexuality and politics? How can you make your faith relevant to a movement which has already made itself relevant to multiple experiences of faith?<\/p>\n For seminarians, this is a great opportunity for education and training. This will not be the last socially contentious event you will have to deal with as a leader of a community of faith, so embrace this opportunity, even if you don\u2019t find yourself embracing every aspect of the movement itself.<\/p>\nEducate Yourself<\/h2>\n
Reflect on Your Own Position<\/h2>\n
Take Action<\/h2>\n
Be Critical<\/h2>\n