Each day the news brings additional atrocities to the forefront of this unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The killing of civilians and especially children is simply gut-wrenching. Watching helplessly as the news unfolds, I seek to better understand this aggression and hope against hope that the bloodshed will end soon.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is complicated with a difficult history. I do not pretend to know all the nuances of this aggression against the Ukrainian government and its people. But there is one aspect to which I’d like to give voice: the entanglement of religion in this political and military conflict.

Today, the largest branches of Christianity are Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox. There are 260 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world, with half of them living in Russia and 30 million living in Ukraine. Beginning in the year 451, the spiritual leader of all Orthodox churches became known as the Patriarch of Constantinople. Some Orthodox churches are more directly influenced by the Patriarch of Constantinople while others are more autonomous. The city of Istanbul, Turkey, formerly Constantinople, is the headquarters of the Orthodox Church.

In about 980, Prince Vladimir of Kyiv (Prince Volodymyr in Ukrainian) decided to strengthen his control over his kingdom in what is now Ukraine by instituting a state religion. It was part of a bargain with Emperor Basil II of Constantinople. Prince Vladimir himself became a Christian and was baptized into this new religion while establishing the first Orthodox Church in Kyiv for his subjects, the Rus people, at a time before Russia existed. Prince Vladimir was later named Vladimir the Great and canonized as St Vladimir by the Orthodox Church. Today, he is considered a saint in both Ukraine and Russia.

In the 1200’s, due to war, people were scattered and those who took up residence in what is now Moscow started the Russian Orthodox Church as the seat of this branch of Orthodox Christianity. Over the centuries, there has been tension between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow as the latter controlled the former. The Moscow branch is significantly more conservative than some of the more Westernized Ukrainian churches.

In 2018, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Kyiv, along with other Ukrainian Orthodox churches, even some Moscow-leaning ones, banded together to create the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. They sought and received the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople who established the sovereignty of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and removed it from the control of the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow.

The establishment of the autonomous Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Kyiv diminished some of the control over Ukraine by the Russian government which reportedly infuriated Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since the Russian Orthodox Church is one of many tools in his tool box to control the Russian people as well as those in Ukraine, Putin had just lost some of his authority. In retaliation, Putin tried to rewrite history by installing a humongous statue of Vladimir the Great right outside of the Kremlin. He was saying, in effect, that he is still in control of the church and that the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow was the only valid church descended from Prince Vladimir, effectively removing Ukraine from that important part of history. With a statue having the same name as his own, perhaps he also intends to write himself into history as potentially Vladimir the Great II. His known obsession with Peter the Great and Catherine the Great would make that seem plausible.

Since 2018, this loss of control over a swath of Ukrainians contributes to this power play to regain control over Ukraine today. In the eyes of the Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow, both Ukraine and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine have become too Westernized and tainted by the “evil” West with values that don’t line up with the more conservative Russian government and church. Indeed, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow, reportedly said that holding gay parades in Donbas (southeastern region of Ukraine) is part of the reason for the “peacekeeping mission” by Russia in Ukraine. Because of his public support of this mission, he is currently experiencing backlash from other Orthodox leaders from within Russia and around the world.

From the Russian government and church’s perspective, the fact that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is Jewish is further evidence that Ukraine, in electing a Jewish leader rather than an Orthodox one, is aligning more with the West and less with the Russian Orthodox Church and its values.

So how does all this play into the current conflict? Putin has said that the greatest catastrophe in the last century is the collapse for the former Soviet Union. He is challenging the West’s world order of democracy and apparently believes that the Rus people, those primarily in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, should be reunited again, ostensibly under his control via domination, along with complicity from the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church. This national identity of both Rus and Russian Orthodoxy is so intertwined that it is difficult to separate the two, a point that Putin seeks to use to his advantage. To gain control over the Orthodox Church of Ukraine may not be Putin’s main objective, but it certainly plays an important role in today’s conflict.

Interestingly, over a millennium ago, Prince Vladimir was baptized in Crimea. Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 is viewed by some as a proper returning of that piece of Orthodox history to the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow. The fact that there was no international interference to Russia’s annexation of Crimea has helped to fuel his plans to overtake the rest of Ukraine, particularly Kyiv.

Today’s invasion is a desperate attempt to regain control, rewrite history, and recreate a new Russia, all under the thumb of an authoritarian dictator. Using religion to tie the destiny of Ukraine to Russia is not new. Nor is using religion to create a nationalist movement. To history students, however, this may feel like a modern-day crusade, not unlike the ones from the Middle Ages where neighboring people groups were either conquered or killed in the name of Jesus. Sadly, today, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Orthodox Christians are killing other Orthodox Christians for the sake of creating a new nationalistic world order controlled by the Russian government with the complicity and blessing of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The fact that the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church has blessed the government’s invasion (or “peacekeeping mission”) of Ukraine is important. If Putin actually believes that he is doing God’s will in invading, destroying, and conquering Ukraine, then nothing will stop him. We can only hope for divine intervention. And soon.
 

Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of a crucifix at a bridge over the River Inn, Innsbruck, Austria.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  Matthew 25:40
 
 
“Eat your dinner. There are starving children in this world.” Being a picky eater as a child, I heard that refrain a lot. I could not fathom how eating everything on my plate could help a starving child in a faraway country. But I did as I was told. Mom obviously wanted to instill in me the good value of not wasting food and her motto was definitely “waste not, want not.”
 
Today there are hundreds of millions of starving children and adults in the world. I find it shocking that 37 million* of them live in the US. Why does 11.4%* of the world’s wealthiest nation live in poverty, a percentage that’s higher than many other wealthy countries?
 
I believe the answer to that question is hiding in plain sight within the issue of social justice. While many may think of “social justice” as some liberal cause, the term was coined in the 1840’s by a Jesuit priest. But its roots go back further than that, all the way to Bible times.
 
But first, what is social justice? Simply defined, social justice is applying justice to society. It means bringing fairness and equity to all persons in a society, treating all with dignity and fairness.
 
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word mishpat means “justice” or “judgment” and occurs over 400 times. Tzedekah, found over 300 times in the Old Testament, is Hebrew for “righteousness” but it is not personal righteousness or piety. This word is used in the context of community, as in “doing what is right” or “justice in action”. Whenever these two Hebrew words are paired, the meaning is social justice. Given the frequency of these words in the Bible, it’s clear that God is serious about social justice.
 
The Greek word dikaiosune in the New Testament is often translated as “righteousness,” but its meaning is closer to the word “justice.” For example, in Matthew 5:6, when Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled,” He is saying that those who hunger and thirst after social justice (not personal piety) will be satisfied.
 
The Latin phrase imago Dei literally means “image of God” and comes from Genesis 1:27 which says God created humans in His image. The concept of imago Dei means that every person is created in the image of God. When we honor the imago Dei in each other, we are honoring God. In our pursuit of godliness, I wonder if we sometimes focus on the imago Dei in ourselves to the exclusion of imago Dei in others.
 
When society hinders certain of its members from becoming all they were created to be as God’s image bearers, the society as a whole will struggle to live up to its potential with certain members becoming “the least of these.” To glimpse the heart and soul of a society, of a nation, one only needs to take a look at how it treats its members deemed least worthy.
 
In Matthew 25:31-46**, Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats where He, the Son of Man, will gather all nations and either commend or condemn them for how they treated their least worthy members. As He sorts them to the right and to the left, He says to those deemed righteous (e.g., who acted justly) that they provided food and drink when He was hungry and thirsty, invited Him in when He was a stranger, clothed Him when He was naked, helped Him when He was sick, and visited Him when He was in prison. The astonished people ask Him when it was that they saw Him in such need. Jesus replies in verse 40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” To those on His left who did not do for the least of these, Jesus does not mince words. In verse 41, He says, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
 
The litmus test of faith is found in verse 46 where Jesus starkly contrasts the actions of both groups to show there are eternal consequences for doing or not doing “for the least of these.” Those who actually helped the needy are granted eternal life. Those who did not are condemned to eternal punishment. Faith without works is indeed dead (James 2:17**).
 
The work of social justice as outlined in Matthew 25 doesn’t take place within the walls of a church building. No amount of Bible study and prayer can substitute for the actual aid given to those in need and for the tireless work to pursue justice for them. Jesus states in Matthew 22:37-40** that the greatest commandment is to love God with our whole being. And He adds, the second commandment is like it: to love our neighbors as ourselves. Both of these are commands and both are holy pursuits. Often, we focus on the first commandment but ignore or neglect the second one. Sometimes “neighbor” is so narrowly defined that we let ourselves off the hook to help.
 
Social justice is not a liberal cause. It is the Christian’s response to the injustices in our society. It is the holy and radical pursuit of loving our neighbors. It is simply love in action. And it is indeed the way of Jesus.
 
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent and a day of repentance. May reflection and repentance spur us anew in the holy pursuit of social justice. May we view social justice as the way to love our neighbors as we follow Jesus.
 
 
Lord Jesus, although eating my childhood dinners didn’t directly impact a starving child, my actions today can help the least of these by alleviating poverty and promoting justice when I choose to love my neighbors in my community and around the world. May the good work of social justice rise from the ashes of poverty, prejudice, and hatred to create a better world for all of Your image bearers. Amen.
 
 
*Per the 2020 US Census report
 
**Matthew 25:31-46:  31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
 
**James 2:15-17: Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
 
**Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of an inspiring sculpture by Agustín Riganelli that guards a tomb in Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires. Discovering the plethora of sculpture and interesting architecture among this maze of mausoleums was an incredible surprise and a highlight of my trip to Argentina a few years ago.
 
 
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MARCH IS NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH! Learn more about it here: https://womenshistorymonth.gov/ and  https://www.pbs.org/show/womens-history-month/
 
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™