Psalm 7:6–11
During the Vietnam War, as bombs fell abroad and unrest simmered at home, a group of religious activists took a stand against what they saw as a moral and spiritual catastrophe. Among them were the Revs. Neil McLaughlin and Joseph Wenderoth, two Presbyterian pastors who joined priests, nuns, and peace advocates to challenge the systems that sustained war and injustice. Together, they became known as the Harrisburg Seven, indicted in 1971 under false charges of conspiracy, including a fabricated plot to kidnap Henry Kissinger and blow up the U.S. Capitol.
Their real offense? Bold and nonviolent protest: pouring blood on draft files, burning records and speaking out as people of conscience. For these activists, their faith was not separate from their resistance. It was at the very root of it. Like the psalmist, they trusted in God as the righteous judge, crying out not in hatred, but in a deep yearning for justice and peace.
Psalm 7 is the prayer of someone unjustly accused, crying to God for help, for the wickedness of the violent to be stopped and for the righteous to be upheld. The Harrisburg defendants placed their hope not in acquittal alone, but in a higher moral order born out of reverence.
Ultimately, they were found not guilty of the fabricated conspiracy. But their true vindication was deeper: a public testimony that peace rooted in faith has the power to confront empires. Their legacy reminds us that God’s judgment is not about wrath but about righteousness. Conscience matters, and sometimes to follow Christ is to disturb the peace of the world for the peace of God.
Prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit, into our tattered hearts and minds. Fill us with your divine imagination, strength and hope, as we shoulder the burdens of our struggling world. Amen.
Optional resource: time.com/archive/6639341/trials-battle-in-harrisburg
Alex Pickell is a candidate for ordination in the PC(USA). Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Alex received her B.A. in History and French from the University of Arkansas before attending Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where she graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in 2024. This summer, Alex is serving as a Peacemaking Fellow in the Office of Public Witness.
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