Interrogate Power (Erin Jean Warde)

Start interrogating the news you read, the stories you hear, and more. Start to really look for the power. Where is the power located? Who is wielding it? Is it the power of love or hate?

The Salem Witch Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Interrogate Power

In January, I was invited to speak at a beautiful church in Beverly, MA, right outside of Boston.  I’m good friends with the pastor who graciously extended the invitation, and her husband, so for my one day off during my trip, we agreed to spend the day together.  Having never been to Boston, I was overwhelmed by all the possible sights I could see.  But, as I started Googling my way into a plan for the day, something geographically clicked.

I WAS REALLY CLOSE TO SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

It was set: I wanted to spend the day in Salem.  (I would later realize my pastor friend had lived in Salem for years after planting a church there, so I got a real “local’s guide” visit!)

You must understand: I have always had a deep curiosity regarding all things haunted, witchy, ghostly, and more.  The first movie I ever saw in a movie theater was Hocus Pocus (I was 7!) a memory I now hold tenderly, as the reason we went was to celebrate my late sister’s birthday. 

Or how about the time (before I was Christian, if that matters?) I was invited to go play with a Ouiji board out in the woods, which I gleefully accepted. 

I would even tear through Stephen King’s Carrie in sixth grade, then wonder why none of the other 12 year olds seemed to care about telekinesis? 

To this day, I love scary movies (but I’m picky lol) and all things ghoulish.  So, when I realized I could visit Salem, I was overjoyed.  Upon arrival, I knew what most people know about the Salem Witch Trials, but surprisingly I had only engaged with it on a pretty superficial level.  Turns out I had only loosely remembered the insight offered from Daniel Day-Lewis’s iconic performance in The Crucible, though I had definitely seen it.  I just missed much of the deeper, more subtextual parts of Arthur Miller’s work set to screen.  (In my defense, I was only 10 when I saw it on VHS!)

Visiting Salem was such a joy for me, but mostly because of our visit to the Salem Witch Museum.  While I certainly went in with the awareness that the people accused of being witches weren’t the evil ones, I was deeply intrigued by everything else I learned.

Today, I want to reflect on something that was specifically powerful for me to learn: much of this was about LAND.  Did you know that if you were accused of witchcraft, the government could take ownership of all your property?  So you could be accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death, which of course meant the government could take your land.  But if you were accused of witchcraft and were not sentenced to death, even if you were released, your land was still gone—you’d be released to no property, belongings, etc.

It was never about witchcraft.  It was about colonization.  And this is a common trend, right?  If those with power want something that is not theirs, they will often take it, and by force.  

Religion is a force in and of itself, so it became the “reason,” because those with power will often use whatever they can find that is powerful to bring more power to themselves, even if it means lies, deceit, murder, and using religion for harm instead of good.  Now, certainly this is not how all power is wielded, but it’s common enough within history–and colonization is an obvious enough part of history–for us to acknowledge this way of gaining power through harm when we see it.

I don’t know why this was such a shocker to me, but for some reason I had never connected the dots enough to see how the Salem Witch Trials were an all too common land grab.  

I lament the Salem Witch Trials deeply, as a human who understands the terror they caused, as a Christian who never wants her faith used for harm, and as a priest who feels at least some responsibility for trying to heal the ills caused by the times when Christianity is used for harm.

In light of our exploration this month, I encourage you to start interrogating the news you read, the stories you hear, and more.  Interrogate the stories of history, both renown and quietly local, from past and in present, and start to really look for the power.  Where is the power located?  Who is wielding it?  Is it the power of love or the power of hate?  Is this power encouraging us or making us brace in fear?  Does this power seem to be causing harm or good?  

One way we can choose to not repeat the parts of our history that look an awful lot like the Salem Witch Trials is to interrogate the stories and the news in front of us, notice how power is being used, and try to figure out how we can use whatever power we hold for good, not for harm.

May we be inspired by this history to not repeat it, especially those of us who claim Christianity as our faith. 

With care,
EJW

PS: We’ll continue exploring this for the month, so leave any comments with questions or wonderings you have. I might end up talking through them in posts this month!

CALL TONIGHT

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MINDFUL DRINKING PODCAST WITH DEREK BROWN

I had the honor & joy of being a guest on

Derek Brown

’s Mindful Drinking podcast recently! If you don’t follow Derek’s work, I highly recommend it. He is an award winning mixologist with a heart for mindfully engaging with alcohol, which is a voice and presence I believe we really need. His Substack is very much worth subscribing too! I hope you enjoy our conversation!

COACHING

If you’re moving through this fall semester and hoping to change your relationship with alcohol, I’d love to work with you as your recovery coach. This is for anyone who wants to change their relationship with alcohol, whether that’s cutting back, quitting completely, or maintaining sobriety.

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