Without history and proximity, lamentation seems unwarranted. No one laments what they do not know, and most people gloss over statistics that they cannot associate faces with—regardless of how heartbreaking the stats are. Lamentation compels us to expose what the empire seeks to conceal and deny. It emboldens us to see suffering anew, speak truth to power, and draw near to our neighbors on the margins. When the church takes history seriously, lament will become requisite.
