Georgia U.S. Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock Preaches Against Inequality at Marsh Chapel 75th Anniversary Service

Georgia U.S. Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock Preaches Against Inequality at Marsh Chapel 75th Anniversary Service

BU President Melissa Gilliam echoes call for inclusivity, adding, "We should not fear discord and struggle"

At a Service of Celebration for the 75th anniversary of Boston University's Marsh Chapel on Sunday, U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, a Baptist pastor, condemned economic inequality, saying, "We live in a political moment when the poor have been maligned." But he urged those who filled the pews to shun despair and follow biblical commands to lift up the needy.

"I'm not asking you to take sides with the Democrats or Republicans, because God is too big for that," Warnock (D-Ga.) said in a sermon that was interrupted multiple times by applause, standing ovations, and assents of "hm-hmm" from the congregation. "There is in God's order a decided reversal of things," he said. "The low get to come up a little higher, and the high have to give some to the low."

Warnock's homily was followed by a luncheon, where University President Melissa Gilliam made her own impassioned call for inclusivity.

"We are struggling with issues of identity, belonging, and political perspectives," Gilliam said. "As a leader, my mind goes to security and the deep responsibility of ensuring the safety of each and every one of our community members no matter their viewpoint or actions. And yes, I feel sadness, knowing there is discord among people who view the world differently. I am pained by the inability to see our common humanity."

[Read more of Gilliam's remarks here; she referenced current events.]

Turning to the importance of Marsh Chapel, Gilliam called it a guiding light in this tense campus moment. "When we are sometimes confused and divided, at the heart of our campus is this chapel that has stood strong throughout times of trial and triumph," she said. "We come from across the country and around the world to form this community… Sometimes our community is harmonious, and sometimes our community erupts with misunderstanding and anger. But we should not fear discord and struggle. Because in the wake of struggle, we can reflect. Marsh Chapel is a symbol of that reflection."

Gilliam quoted the Rev. Howard Thurman (Hon.'67), Marsh's dean from 1953 to 1965 and the first Black dean at a predominantly white US university, who defined compassion as "the awareness that where my life begins is where your life begins." Turning to Warnock, Gilliam recalled words from his acceptance speech upon winning his Senate seat: "'Each of us has value. And if we have value, we ought to have a voice.'"

She then said, "Yes. This is the kind of community we must aspire to at Boston University."

Warnock: ties to BU through MLK

Warnock's invitation to speak was rooted in his ties to BU. He is senior pastor at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church-once co-pastored by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS'55, Hon.'59). In 2021, Warnock was elected Georgia's junior US senator. His sermon, delivered in the thundering cadences of the Baptist tradition, invoked a passage from the Book of Isaiah, which he read before speaking: "A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

More than an hour before the service, two lines of congregants had formed outside the chapel. The sanctuary, which seats 380, was packed; the service was beamed into the nearby School of Law auditorium to accommodate an overflow of more than 100 people.

Warnock's words touched on the record-long government shutdown, which had just ended. That fight involved whether to maintain expanded health care insurance subsidies, he noted, but wound up hurting Americans dependent on federal food assistance (SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program]).

"How do you drag SNAP recipients into the fight?" he asked. "They were not there. They were dragged into the fight." Although the aid resumed when the government reopened, he noted, the increased health insurance subsidies were not extended.

"We live in a political moment when the poor have been maligned, especially by Christians," some of whom believe the poor deserve their fate, Warnock said. "We have turned poverty into a crime."

He went on to say that people working every day are still facing food insecurity. "You want to know who you're subsidizing? You're subsidizing the wealthiest corporations in the United States of America, who will not pay their people a living wage."

Yet Warnock urged hope. He said he has lived to see the country become more equal. When he was born in 1969, both Georgia senators were segregationists.

"I've seen God take rough places and make them smooth," he said, quoting Isaiah.

He closed with a lesson from creation. "I love to see geese flying," he said, "because geese fly in a V-formation, and the one out front…is actually working the hardest," having to lead the others. When the leader tires, another takes its place. "Geese do that without engaging in geese gerrymandering," Warnock said. "Geese do that without shutting the whole goose government down. Because geese understand that an individual's location is not as important as our connected destination."

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