As Elizabeth Wilkins walked out of the sanctuary of University Church of Chicago on Sunday, she paused to grasp the Rev. Julian DeShazier’s hand with both of her own.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up at him. “We needed to hear that today.”
Wilkins, along with about 150 fellow worshippers, gathered at the beautiful old church in the Hyde Park neighborhood hoping to hear something that would help them make sense of — and move forward from — an election result that many of them thought was impossible.
And they got what they wanted.
As protests against the election of Donald Trump continued to erupt across the nation — along with reports of harassment of minorities and voters on both sides of the political spectrum — DeShazier led worshippers through a time of reflection and prayer in which they acknowledged the anger and disbelief the presidential election has caused for many.
“It has come to pass what none had thought could come to pass,” DeShazier said, as he addressed the sense of denial that some in his congregation may have been feeling. “A liberal joke has become the reality of a nation.”
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But, he said, “Do not drive deeper into isolation. Where is the empathy for an entire part of the country that we have forgotten?”
Feelings of rage are understandable, he said.
“Some were happy about the results, many were afraid, many were angry that the filters for bigotry seem to have failed us, that it was not by coercion, not by a dictator, but millions of people voted for this to come to pass — millions more now live in danger, angry that they didn’t do enough, angry that we didn’t do enough.”
DeShazier said the church, however, must not react with anger or cynicism but instead must redouble its efforts to reach out to those with whom they disagree and work to protect the most vulnerable.
“Wednesday marked the beginning of a new world; old systems that seemed to be dying off potentially given new life,” he intoned. “Don’t call it evil, and don’t call him evil. If you are a child of God, Donald Trump is a child of God. … Give him a chance, and demand that he give us a chance. Let us commit to erasing the lines of us and them, let us use our faith, not only to lament, but to push forward.”
Wilkins, 88, of Hyde Park, said she was grateful for DeShazier’s words.
“I thought it was very necessary for the healing process,” she said as she ate a postservice potluck dinner with other churchgoers in the church cafeteria. “He always can touch our feelings, especially on a day like today when we’re all wondering what happened and are grieving.”
Sitting next to Wilkins was Isaiah Blakey, 16, of the Bronzeville neighborhood, who said the pastor’s words helped him see a more peaceful path forward.
“It kind of changed the way I feel about the whole outcome of the election,” he said. “I went from feeling so angry that America could let this happen. Like when he said you can’t go forward in isolation. … It was a more peaceful and inviting way for me to go about the situation instead of being so hostile.”
A few miles south at St. Sabina Church, the Rev. Michael Pfleger was less conciliatory as he delivered a blistering rebuke of the president-elect and said he’d heard from many parishioners who felt frightened and anxious about what Trump’s presidency would mean.
“Those fears that people have are especially voiced by those who were attacked by Mr. Trump in this campaign,” Pfleger said during his sermon. “They are the voices of black and brown people who fear their children will be further targeted by militarized police departments. Those fears are felt by Hispanic pastors who are dealing with terrified undocumented families. Those fears cause many of our Muslim brothers and sisters to wonder if this country can be a place where they can live anymore.”
But Pfleger cautioned worshippers about thinking of Trump’s victory in overly religious terms.
“Some have called me and said, ‘My faith is shaken. Why would God allow this, why would God do this?'” Pfleger said. “God did not elect Donald Trump. We did. A country that has become so full of itself and drowning in its ego, its arrogance and in its self-righteousness, that’s who elected Donald Trump.”
In response, Pfleger urged parishioners to practice their faith with more vigor, promise to protect people who have been discriminated against, and push back against injustice and intolerance.
“We, the church, must be willing to confront powers and principalities that are using (Donald Trump) for their agenda,” he said. “We must face violence with peace. We must face injustice with justice. We must face fear with faith. We must declare we will fight until righteousness flows like a river and justice like a mighty stream. Don’t hang up your hearts. Pick them up. Put on your armor. Get ready to fight.”
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