I have spent time in the far right side of Christianity with gun-toting, King James carrying, Republican voting, love the military fundamentalists. In fact, I grew up in that and for most of my early life, did not think that you could vote Democrat and be allowed into heaven. In fact, I guess we somehow thought that when we were washed by the blood of Jesus some political red remained on those who were truly regenerate. I think it got worse during my growing up years with the national figures encouraging the church to take control of the political arena and effect change using candidates, campaigns, and every means possible to impact legislation for the cause of the kingdom.
Over the last several years I have begun a journey with God that took me some distance from that hard core Christianity to studying the life of Jesus. His life seems considerably disconnected from the life of the Christians that I have rubbed shoulders with and, more specifically, my life that is more like a frolic in the mud. His life that he offered seems like a wish as likely to be filled as a day in the candy store for my 5 year-old. I began to pursue living the teachings of Jesus and realized that, along with a mountain of attitudes and heart changes, my political views and strong emotions did not match the Jesus I wanted to follow.
I began to follow with interest the Christian authors and speakers who offered another view. I read Donald Miller’s books and enjoyed his view that Christianity includes Democrats, not just the right wing of the Republican Party.
I attended a church in Minneapolis with a pastor that was leading the church away from identifying Christians through their politics and refusing to allow the church to become a political machine. I was moved by the prayers for terrorists who need the love of Jesus as much as my neighbors. I relish the idea of being in a church that doesn’t literally or figuratively check voter registrations before allowing you to become a member.
I read McClaren who shared a view of Kingdom living that is more than individualistic. He emphasized that the true call of Jesus’ teaching is that, as families, churches, and a nation, we should turn the other cheek and overcome evil with good.
I was thrilled with a bigger view of the kingdom. I reveled in the joy of being a part of something bigger than I had ever imagined. Some things have begun to bother me.
I do believe that Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies, but the Bible also says that the role of government is to protect its citizens through the use of the sword (Romans 13). I have seen the hatred that soldiers have toward ethnic groups because of the vile nature of war. I hate war and I hate what it does to my friends who serve their country. I hate the broken bodies and minds of those injured and of their families. I hate the poison that is spread with the true spiritual enemy convincing us that the enemy we should hate is someone of a different race or religion.
So is it possible to wage war serving our nation and do it without hatred and animosity for the people on the other side? Can someone wearing the uniform of the US Armed Forces live a beautiful kingdom life? Can they, in the midst of the worst ugliness, bring beauty and the light of love and perhaps even bring Jesus right into the horrible situation? How do moderate and left-leaning evangelicals approach war, our soldiers and our Commander in Chief?
What I hear from some of the moderate or left-leaning evangelical Christians, is an attitude of disgust and hatred for the President. If he has deceived us, and if his motives have not been pure, and if you consider him worse than the terrorist, what kind of response should you show him? If Jesus calls us to pray for the terrorist, he also calls us to pray for those in positions of authority. If the kingdom is to be implemented in a corporate sense, then it can not be done selectively. We can not choose to show the love of Jesus to those who are training for terrorism and then withhold love from the President or Republicans.
It is so hard to live out the kingdom life. Some of you pray daily for the president and our troops. Some of you pray daily for the terrorist leaders that God would bring grace and salvation to their homes.
Perhaps we need to share the load equally. Those of us leaning to the left need to pray for Republicans and Democrats and leaders we believe are dishonest. Those of us leaning to the right need to pray for terrorists. Finding the passion and compassion to love justice and its application is a start in the right direction, but being unilateral in our dispensing of compassion is not our right or responsibility.
We will not share the kingdom life with terrorists by bombing and killing enough of them that they embrace our offer of God’s grace.
We will not share the kingdom life with right-leaning Christians by spewing vitriol at the leaders of the Republican Party.
Matthew 5:13-16 (MSG) “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”
We are here to reveal the beauty of God on earth and in the lives of other people. I know for me that there is a temptation to decide who is worthy of receiving the beauty of God, or maybe even I decide who has any beauty in their life. I am being pushed by God into that uncomfortable place of getting rid of my system of evaluating people. I realized that moving from the religious right to the moderate evangelical just gave me a different list of people that I disdained and had a difficult time praying for.
Matthew 5:21-26 (MSG) “You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is as much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.
This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.
Or say you’re out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don’t lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you’re likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. If that happens, you won’t get out without a stiff fine.”
I don’t think that God is so much concerned about exactly what derogatory words I used to describe the terrorist or political leaders that I don’t like, or my boss, or the guy driving next to me on the highway. God wants us to see human life as invaluable, because human life is in the image of God. When I begin to see the people around me as incredibly valuable because they were created by God and they bear his reflection, I won’t keep people off of the list because of what they have done.
As I am writing this in November of 2006, the US is days away from an election and still fighting wars in two locations with threats from at least 2 other nations. The emotions and passions are running high and both sides feel so much is at stake. Both sides are right—so much is at stake.
This is a battle of good and evil and in the spiritual conflict, the only way we can lose is by destroying/decimating the enemy. We can not win with mental conquest and verbal humiliation. The victory will come when the love of God moves us to see every person around us the way God sees them—immensely valuable and incredibly beautiful. I know that when I can look at the terrorist and George Bush and John Kerry and Kim Jong II with the eyes of Jesus, then I have found the life that I have been looking for.
No comments:
Post a Comment