The Epistle of James in the Current Crisis

The Epistle of James strikes us as a letter of perennial wisdom. James encourages his readers to rejoice in trials, speak with restraint, keep the royal law of love, and prove their faith by good works. He reminds us God exalts the humble, and warns against unchecked desire and judgmentalism. He says the rich will lose their riches, and assures us that God answers the prayers of the righteous. All very pious. All, it seems, very anodyne. 

My friend Rev. Jeff Meyers has long insisted that this is a misreading of the letter. It removes James from its first-century setting, and turns it into devout advice for suburban Christians. Once we put it back into its first-century context, the letter turns from black-and-white to color.