But in truth the controlling power of empire extends beyond political oppression. Just as while the people of Palestine in Jesus’ time may not have daily encounters with physical representatives of the Roman Empire, they still felt the effects of its economic control over their lives , many in the world today feel the economic oppression of having to labor for little reward for the benefit of wealthier nations. Those that make the laws regarding trade or demand goods produced as cheaply as possible have just as much power over those desperate to survive as any political power. While it is hard for many to recognize that democratic countries cause oppression through economic domination, people of the world feel the control of imposing governments as much through economics as military might. Julie Clawson ☀
In considerations of the Christian tradition on war and peace, “just war” is often presented as the majority position over and against the minority stance of pacifism or Christian nonviolence. Such a presentation of church history, however, does not recognize the fact that just war teaching always limited violence to adult men in police or military units. This actually excluded the vast majority of Christians from the use of violence, simply by virtue of their being women, children, clergy, monastics, or everyday citizens not engaged in a just war or police action. What is more, it was assumed for most of the church’s history that participation in acts of violence—even acts deemed “just”—was a concession to the ways of the world that no doubt led Christians to sin. The church made provision for repentance and reconciliation—not celebration—when soldiers came home from battle. Even when war seems inevitable, our hope is not in military victory but in the reconciliation of all things through Jesus Christ. When God’s people hold onto the hope of reconciliation through the peculiar way of the cross, we interrupt the assumptions of a culture of violence. But the truth is that all of us—not just soldiers and police officers—are well practiced in the use of worldly power. Those of us who come from positions of privilege in society lean on the silent power of money and social norms, trusting in systems of control that have favored people who speak our language or share our skin color. At the same time, people who live with their backs against the wall resort to subversive acts of violence, carving out a space for survival by manipulating the fears those who seem to be “in control.” We can see these dynamics at work in local and international political negotiations. And, if we pay attention, we can see the same habits worked out between husbands and wives, parents and children, bosses and co-workers, pastors and congregations. In the world that is passing away, violence rules. But in the new world that has already begun, Jesus shows us a better way. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove ☀
The kingdom of Jesus is neither red or blue, left or right, tea nor coffee. As followers of Jesus, we represent an alternative party, the party of the Kingdom of God. As Jesus’ disciples we must be moving forward in the Spirit of Pentecost, tearing down the demeaning barriers that divide and destroy. The way of the cross is eternal and tears down the dividing walls that stand between us. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave or free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). We must not allow this polarization of extremes to pollute the message and mission of Jesus. How can we find our way forward in demonstrating unity without the expectation of uniformity? Mike Slaughter ☀
How did Jesus market the church? By telling people that if they follow Him they would be persecuted and hated. By demanding that they leave all to follow Him. By appealing to the outcasts, the lepers, the tax collectors and the poor and alienating the rich and powerful. Not exactly a solid marketing strategy. How to market the church? ☀
Did you ever notice that Jesus does not tend to give what we would call “inspiring” or “motivational” talks? He is not a football coach, nor does he try to engage your will power as such. Your common Christian sense would deny this until you actually study his recorded Gospel messages, and see that it is factually true! Jesus is much more concerned about shaking your foundations, giving you an utterly alternative self image, world image, and God image, and thus reframing your entire reality. Mere inspiration can never do this. If you depend on being emotionally inspired or newly motivated, you will need a new fix almost every day. If it is a true Gospel message, it will be more about regrounding, reshaping and redirecting you from your core. Richard Rohr ☀
First thing that Jesus talked about in his public ministry? Jubilee. It pervades his parables. It’s right there in the prayer he taught us to pray — “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”
Jubilee is rarely included in discussions of “theories of atonement.” My advice is to avoid discussions of theories of atonement (key word there: theories). But if you must speculate, then I suggest you start with Jubilee.
But as a Christian, I have a strange model for interacting with violence – the cross. During his state-sanctioned execution, Jesus looked into the faces of those about to kill him and prayed, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” The enemy-love exemplified by Jesus on the cross is so counter-cultural that the bible says that it is “foolishness” to the wisdom of the world. It makes no sense to the logic of “smart” bombs nor the sort of justice that says “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, shock and awe for a September 11th”. But what Jesus did on the cross was expose injustice – he made a spectacle of it as he endured some of the ugliest stuff people can do to each other. And he triumphed over violence with nonviolent love. Some theologians have called it: revolutionary subordination. Jesus shows us that it is possible to overcame evil without mirroring it… to resist oppressors without emulating them, to neutralize enemies without destroying them. Shane Claiborne ☀
It was not until I studied Barth with a group of great friends for a few years that the light here finally went on. Jesus Christ is the final reality, the ultimate truth, the complete authority. Scripture’s main job it to point us to Christ, like John the Baptist pointing to Jesus. It is of course more than that, but that is centrally what its function is. To say this of course only scratches the surface of the implications and meanings. But it is truly a paradigm shift. And it really, really changes the way to read scripture, once the full force of the idea hits home. Christian Smith ☀
Teen pregnancy keeps women in poverty. Oftentimes in difficult circumstances, young women cannot imagine a future. They may not have known many women who went to college or had professional careers. But they do know of one satisfying option, when they begin to imagine themselves as mothers. Motherhood is extremely meaningful, but when a teenager becomes a mom, she can get trapped in poverty. And it can be a cycle that lasts for generations.
Jesus didn’t run projects, establish ministries, create programs, or put on events. He ate meals. If you routinely share meals and you have a passion for Jesus, then you’ll be doing mission. It’s not that meals save people. People are saved through the gospel message. But meals will create natural opportunities to share that message in a context that resonates powerfully with what you’re saying. Show Hospitality & Share the Gospel ☀
But neither Jesus nor His earliest followers ever taught that fruitfulness should be measured in numbers. In fact, like many who labor for Christ around the world today, most of the early disciples were dismissed, marginalized, imprisoned or killed. Rather than attracting big-shot Roman officials and important Jewish scholars, the earliest churches were overwhelmed with the poor, women, widows and slaves. That is because Jesus established an upside-down kingdom, a kingdom in which the last are first and the first are last, a kingdom in which the poor, the meek, the humble and the downtrodden are blessed, while the rich, powerful and elite often walk away scratching their heads. There is nothing inherently wrong with popularity or success, but one has to keep in mind that God’s definition of fruitfulness is not big numbers. God’s definition of fruitfulness is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is the fruit of the Spirit, and one can observe it in big churches and small, among the rich and the poor, in homeless shelters and mega-churches, on mission trips and around the street corner—in famous pastors and in pastors who have labored for many, many years in obscurity. As Mother Teresa taught, “We are called upon not to be successful, but to be faithful. Rachel Held Evans ☀
In the neo-evangelical world of cheap prosperity and cheap family values, the name of Jesus gets bandied about like an over-inflated beach-ball. Many who utter his name obviously don’t read his life story. According to the Gospels, Jesus spent his adult life as a homeless wanderer who was particularly sympathetic to the poor. He doesn’t refer to them as evil, but he does have very harsh words for the privileged establishment. Such words harsh the euphoria built upon our own self-importance. As I see the homeless in the winter’s chill, it occurs to me that their lifestyle is much closer to that of Jesus than is the that of the executive who works 33 floors above them. Their demands on life are minimal. Their stares should make us uncomfortable. And yet, look at those running for office. The amount of money they spend to make each other look bad is obscene. They try to make themselves look righteous for the Tea Party crowd, but their assets weigh them down. I shiver for the homeless. I shiver when I see the news about the ultra-wealthy bragging about who can dig up the most mud. Most of them would have no idea which end of the shovel to use. I’m afraid that having grown up in a modest setting has forever biased me against posers and average guy wannabes. I’ve had jobs that have involved shovels, sledgehammers, and hard scrubbing. The average person struggles and shivers sometimes. The average person spends some time on his or her knees and sometimes ends up on the ground. And even though the average person falls down more than our shining leaders, we never get quite so dirty. Politicians don’t sling the mud at us. To be honest, I think they don’t even see us. And Then There Were None ☀
The Republican candidates all claim to be devout Christians. But between the compassionate teachings of Jesus and their coldhearted, mean-spirited ideology, there is a great gulf. Whether Gingrich and Romney’s callous attitude toward the least among us will hurt them with the 78 percent of Americans who claim to be Christians is uncertain. From the 1925 publication of “The Man Nobody Knows,” a bestseller that depicted Jesus as a successful businessman, there is a long tradition of smug, self-serving Christianity in this country, a Christianity easily compatible with the harshest and most uncharitable values and beliefs. But in their zeal to win over the most resentful, hate-filled members of their party, the Republican candidates run a greater risk. They are turning before our eyes into archetypal villains, bad guys out of our collective cultural memory bank. Jesus versus the GOP ☀
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