Would I Be Willing to Kiss Someone I'd Rather Kill?

 (Here's a brief but poignant post from Greg Boyd.  His words and the following photo capture my heart.)






A Revolutionary Kiss

Posted: 29 Jan 2011 10:40 AM PST

Amidst the violent protests calling for a revolution in Egypt we find a reminder of the utterly unique kind of revolution Jesus calls us to. Love, bless, pray for, do good to — and yes, even KISS — our enemies (Lk 6:27-38).

(An Egyptian anti-government activist kisses a riot police officer following clashes in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011.MSNBC.COM)

 

Peace
Greg

War Does Not Determine Who is Right--Only Who is Left

I submit that you could insert  "Guns" for "War."   The attempted murder of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the accomplished murder of six others constitute an unconscionable tragedy.  I wish I had an answer.  I think I know what the answer isn't and I know there are many who would disagree with me.  The solution isn't more guns for us all.  The answer isn't  pack 'n carry.  That soon can turn into vigilante justice which, I fear, would lead to anarchy--every man for himself.  Imagine the scenario if every person within 50 yards of that shooting scene was carrying a weapon and unloaded their gun in the direction of the person(s) they thought had opened fire initially.  Have you ever reacted in panic, only seconds later to realize your clouded judgment in that state of mind?  Have you ever impulsively responded in anger or rage, only to regret the outcome of your actions?  Imagine the consequences with a Glock 9mm in your hand.   

The answer isn't more weapons in the hands of more people.   I don't understand the logic of that position.  That option frightens me rather than reassures me. I think it was former President Jimmy Carter who said, "War does not beget peace; war begets other wars."  I would opine that guns do not beget peace; more weapons of violence beget more violence.

How do we restore civility in the media, in the government, in our conversations and interactions with each other?   If we don't figure this out, there will be very few left to ponder the problem.  In a scene from Fiddler on the Roof the villager demands revenge and justice.

Villager: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth! 
Tevye: Very good. That way the whole world will be blind and toothless.

God, have mercy on us all.  God, have mercy on those today who are burying people they have loved and lost.  Caress their hearts and comfort their homes.  God, give us grace to bestow grace toward those with whom we differ. 

My Model of a Man

 I'm inviting you to watch the video that follows. I aspire to be possess the gentleness and the peacemaking spirit of this man (and his wife) while I still have my senses. I don't want to reach a point of old age and senility where I'm  harmless and incapacitated, reduced to a continual smile while I soil myself and salivate down my chin, and people remarking, "He' so happy and peaceful. . . and delusional."  I want to still have fire in my belly--I want to have my senses and all my passion-- yet be consumed by a gentle, peacemaking spirit toward others.  This man inspires me and gives me hope that maybe I, too, can become such a person.


Old Radicals

www.noondayfilms.com

Civility: Am I In your Face--Or--In Your Corner?

Whether it's a ballgame, a political speech, a hockey mom, a PTA meeting, a church board meeting, civility has become a four syllable as well as a four letter word. Abrasiveness is in; diplomacy is out. Speech that is incendiary is chosen over talk that might calm the atmosphere. Light the fire, fan it, stoke it--add gas not water. Words are intended to incite and provoke, rather than promote understanding. When is the last time you saw a political ad that was about issues rather than character assassination? (I can't recall, either.)


Sojourners, an organization whose mission "is to articulate the biblical call to social justice. . . ," has formulated a "covenant of civility" in an effort to counter the prevailing cultural tide. Here are the guiding principles of this covenant. I invite you to consider these Biblically-based determinations.

1. We commit that our dialogue with each other will reflect the spirit of the scriptures, where our posture toward each other is to be "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry" (James 1:19).
2. We believe that each of us, and our fellow human beings, are created in the image of God. The respect we owe to God should be reflected in the honor and respect we show to each other in our common humanity, particularly in how we speak to each other. "With the tongue we bless the Lord and [God], and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God ... this ought not to be so" (James 3:9-10).
3. We pledge that when we disagree, we will do so respectfully, without falsely impugning the other's motives, attacking the other's character, or questioning the other's faith, and recognizing in humility that in our limited, human opinions, "we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror" (1 Corinthians 13:12). We will therefore "be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
4. We will ever be mindful of the language we use in expressing our disagreements, being neither arrogant nor boastful in our beliefs: "Before destruction one's heart is haughty, but humility goes before honor" (Proverbs 18:12).
5. We recognize that we cannot function together as citizens of the same community, whether local or national, unless we are mindful of how we treat each other in pursuit of the common good, in the common life we share together. Each of us must therefore "put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body" (Ephesians 4:25).
6. We commit to pray for our political leaders -- those with whom we may agree, as well as those with whom we may disagree. "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made -- for kings and all who are in high positions" (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
7. We believe that it is more difficult to hate others, even our adversaries and our enemies, when we are praying for them. We commit to pray for each other, those with whom we agree and those with whom we may disagree, so that together we may strive to be faithful witnesses to our Lord, who prayed "that they may be one" (John 17:22).

Can you imagine the next PTA meeting or hockey game or church board meeting if those attending were taking these "steps?"

I wonder what I would be like if I were practicing these steps.

Creating God In My Image

Revisionism is in vogue these days. We revise history to fit our biases. We can also revise the very heart and soul of Jesus' intent by insisting on OUR way of doing life and religion. I've created a couple examples of gospel revisionism.

Jesus' words: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Revised version: " You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." I tell you to go for it, even if you end up blind and toothless. I tell you, resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, you don't have to take that from anybody--tap him out. And if someone wants to sue you, drag his butt into court before he can even spell "litigation." If someone forces you to go one mile kick your heels into the ground and his groin for two miles. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Remember, you will have the last laugh; payback shall be yours. After you have gotten revenge, rejoice and be glad because it feels so good here on earth and great is your reward in heaven."

Jesus' words: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Revised version: " You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' I tell you-- you have heard correctly. Hate your enemies and prey upon those who persecute you, that you may be pawns of your culture on earth. God causes his sun to rise on the good people and earthquakes and hurricanes to fall upon the evil ones. If you love those who hate you, where will that get you? What's the reward in that? And it is all about you, after all. And if you greet only your brothers it's a lot safer. Do not even pagans do that? Catch on!! Be perturbed, therefore, just as your heavenly Father is perturbed."

Christian Peacemaking: Is the Enemy to be Loved or Leveled?

If you haven't heard of the Hutaree, I hope it is because they are a peripheral fringe group with no impact or relevance, and may they stay that way. The Hutaree is what I would call a Christian militia, even though in my world that is self-contradicting--an oxymoron. Their website contains pics and videos of men in military fatigues, toting their rifles, running through the brush, I assume, in pursuit of "the enemy." They are preparing for the "end times" apocalyptic war heralded by Christ's second coming. They seem to relish and eagerly anticipate the bloodshed that will ensue.

They are very confusing to me. They speak of "carrying one's cross" but those sure look like, sound like, and kill like M16A4's or some military rifle in all their pics and videos. I didn't see a single cross being toted. I suppose all you can do with a cross is bludgeon someone with it--or die on it.They're carrying instruments of death as agents of death ; Jesus carried an instrument of death, as well. He was on the receiving end of death; he didn't administer or inflict it. He calls his followers to embrace a similar lifestyle in imitating him.

I have acknowledged in a previous blog that there is a disparity between what I aspire to be and live like as a Christ-follower and what, indeed, I truly am. It frustrates me about myself and about the church that we often look so unlike the One we claim to follow. One of the Old Testament prophecies about Christ describes him in this manner, "He will not cry or shout out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out." (Isaiah 42:2-3) A person who is unassuming. Nothing abrasive about him (unless he was dealing with the religious establishment.) Gentle and meek--a bruised reed he will not break. That poetic language is a moving depiction of Christ's tenderness and regard for others. In contrast, so many Christ-followers today are "shouting" individuals. Today so many of his followers are not only raising our voices but raising our rifles at our enemy whom Christ commanded us to somehow love rather than obliterate.

At the very top of the Hutaree web site, as a banner, is John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." I'm amazed at the degree to which we all twist texts and contexts to make them mean what we desire. This is certainly twisted. Somehow laying down our life has now become the justification for the taking of a life. Jesus was all about giving life, not taking it. His command was not, "Minimize the collateral damage but, by all means, take out the enemy." He said, "Love your enemy." How is it that some of us claim to follow Christ but talk and walk the very antithesis of what he talked and walked?

The Hutaree are the extreme. This isn't merely about them. I'm concerned that all-to-eagerly the mainstream church is ready to disregard all that Jesus Christ taught and all that he fleshed out in everyday life. I'm concerned that we are so willing to trade in our own cross for an M16A4.

This is a complex issue with numerous layers to peel. I don't claim to have all the answers nor do I think my own position is iron-clad, free of any and all incomsistencies or dangers. But I can't escape this haunting fear that we are claiming to follow Christ, but are looking nothing like him.

Am I on a cross or do I have someone in the crosshairs?