Something in Common, by Dada Adesoji
My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I believe we have something in common, even though I don’t share your enthusiasm for President Trump.
You feel as though your faith is under attack, that you’re being persecuted, because our society expects you to conform to norms that violate your Christian values. You have protested legal abortion for decades, which certainly is your right under the First Amendment. You fervently hope that Mr. Trump’s Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that gave women the right to choose abortion within certain limits.
You’ve gone to court to assert your right, as a matter of religious freedom, to refuse public and private services to homosexual people, presumably because you believe that their sexual behavior is contrary to God’s will as expressed in Christian scripture – and, among other things, that they have no right to be married.
There are other issues, to be sure, but let these suffice by way of example: You maintain that the U.S. Constitution secures your right to say no to people and to governments that infringe on your Christian beliefs.
Vice President Michael Pence recently put your case succinctly in a commencement address at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
The Massacre of the Paulicians at the orders of the Byzantine empress Theodora (12th-13th century Chronicle of John Skylitzes, Madrid National Library)
He drew a direct and disingenuous line between mass shootings around the world in churches, synagogues and mosques and what he considers persecution of Christian values by an intolerant, secular American society. Then he said: “Some of the loudest voices for tolerance today have little tolerance for traditional Christian beliefs. So as you go about your daily life, just be ready. Because you’re going to be asked not just to tolerate things that violate your faith; you’re going to be asked to endorse them. You’re going to be asked to bow down to the idols of the popular culture.” (See the full speech here.)
First, let’s clarify a few things: (1) There’s no correspondence between between mass shootings in houses of worship driven by hateful bigotry and bowing to “idols of the popular culture”; (2) No one is asking Christians to endorse rather than tolerate the requirements of America’s secular legal system. Yes, there are Christians in the world persecuted, often to the point of death, simply for embracing their faith, but American Christians are not; meanwhile, Evangelical Christians are being challenged to tolerate secular government policies to which they are morally opposed.
None of which will persuade Evangelicals that they’re not being persecuted, so let’s begin there: Get used to it.
The Beatitudes, by Tania Crossingham, in the style of 12th-century Romanesque
Persecution and Christianity have gone hand-in-hand throughout Christian history, and it’s clear from Christian scripture that the first generation of Jesus’ followers developed strategies that fortified them against persecutors. Christians, moreover, have demonstrated again and again that they are fervent persecutors among themselves and of other faith traditions. Persecution and being persecuted, in other words, are as Christian as casserole for covered-dish supper.
So, what do we have in common?
I, too, often feel beset by American society when it encroaches upon values I cherish as a Christian, albeit of the liberal mainline Protestant variety, which to some makes me no Christian at all. Nevertheless, I despise American popular culture for trivializing Christian holidays, such as Christmas, Easter and All Hallows Eve with cultural claptrap like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, vampires and zombies. I abhor the commercialization of these holidays and the brazen lie society has told generations of children that holiday toys and geegaws have anything whatever to do with the sacred intentions of Christian Holy Days.
American materialism and consumerism make me gag on the sheer monstrosity they make of so-called Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving Day, when Americans literally fight in the aisles for merchandise stocked in stores in anticipation of the so-called “Christmas holiday shopping season,” which always falls during the Christian season of Advent, when Christians are called to peaceful, quiet reflection on the meaning of mortality and redemption in anticipation of the 12-day season beginning with Christ’s Mass on Dec. 25.
Pink Moon In The Garden Of Good And Evil by Ginette Callaway
I am weary of the hype and egoism of America’s entertainment complex, from so-called “reality TV” to professional sports – all that chest-thumping and braggadocio without an ounce of humility and other forms of what we used to call “good sportsmanship.” I’m aghast at income disparities and our national unwillingness to share the wealth of our remarkably successful economy. I am dumbfounded by our turning a blind eye to the handwriting on the wall regarding climate change, which I still call “global warming,” because that’s what it is. And I am astonished that we’re willing, as a nation, to tolerate increasing gun violence in public places of education and worship with weapons designed to kill human beings as though accounting for millions of weapons would, somehow, infringe upon Americans’ right to own them.
Am I being persecuted? No, but I’m troubled and beset by many artifacts and assumptions of American society that are, in my view, contrary to Christian moral principles. How do I deal with it? Well, this may surprise my Evangelical friends, but I listen to what Christian scripture tells me about being in this world though not of it.
Matthew 5.7-12
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
To be merciful is to be a fount of blessing poured out in the world upon any and all along the way. It means to be forgiving, of course, but also to be affirming and uplifting. We Christians are called to be healers of the wounds humanity inflicts upon itself, to participate in the healing ministry of Christ not so much by proclaiming our faith and defending our religious liberty as by doing what Christ requires: feeding, clothing, and generally caring for all in need – including and, perhaps, especially those who may despise our faith.
Matthew 5.38-48
You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus seems to be making very clear in the Sermon on the Mount that he expects his disciples to be extraordinarily loving; so much so, that we are called to love even our enemies. Why? Because it’s the only way our enemies ever will become our friends, and that’s the whole point of the Incarnation: To reconcile a fallen world to God in Christ Jesus. For some Christians (not this one, by the way), living in a world that “condones” homosexual marriage is like a slap in the face. Christian scripture teaches that you ought to turn the other cheek – not refuse to serve, not go to court to demand your rights but to seek the perfection Christ requires by going the second mile and giving your all to everyone who asks; again, even and, perhaps, especially those with whom you disagree.
This is, perhaps, Jesus’ most spiritually grueling command, because loving opponents rubs us the wrong way. It just sounds so wrong. It is, however, the Way of the Cross – and forget not that Jesus forgave his executioners! And that’s the way we’re called to become Jesus’ disciples; moreover, scripture teaches that it’s the only way to become a Christ’s disciple; otherwise, we’re just “believers,” like the guy who wanted eternal life until he realized it would cost not less than everything. (See Mark 10.17-27.)
Romans 12.14-21
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
It’s not easy to live up to this standard, but it’s likely that Apostle Paul was talking to a persecuted congregation, if not by the Roman state then by competing religious authorities at the local synagogue. If you feel as though you’re living among enemies (whom you’re called to love, remember), then let God handle it, or so says Christian scripture; meanwhile, show your love for enemies by caring for them all you can, and by all means let them do the inevitable heaping of coals upon their own heads. (It’s really not your job.) The bottom line is that evil – if that’s what’s you believe is making you uncomfortable in American society – is best overcome with good. In other words – and, boy, you don’t often hear this in American discourse anymore – be noble. To paraphrase a popular song we’ve all sung at church camp, always let peace begin with you.
Romans 13.1-7
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, busy with this very thing. Pay to all what is due to them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
Paul was a good Roman citizen, apparently; and, frankly, as a general rule, this Pauline advice is bound by discernable limits: No one ought to be obliged to be subject to governmental authority inflicting evil upon human beings. On the other hand, this scripture commends good citizenship as a religious duty, not just to avoid punishment but as a matter of conscience. Where is that red line where the rule no longer applies? That, too, is a matter of conscience. For some, it’s legalizing abortion; for others, it’s waging wars of conquest or denying equality before the law for all citizens. The first order of business for Christians, though, is always to be a peacemaker even with those with whom we disagree – perhaps, especially with those with whom we disagree; because, otherwise, there never will be healing – reconciliation – not even by the stripes of Christ. (See Isaiah 53.2-5.)
1 Corinthians 13.4-7
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Cornthians 13, posted at paigeeworld.com by “jorgepie”
Among all the virtue lists in Christian scripture, this is my favorite – and it takes my measure every day. I find that, more than any other passage, it helps me get over myself in all those innumerable ways I’m inclined to stumble into a multitude of sins. All those ways that I can feel oh so offended by American society may be overcome by employing the joyful truths contained here. I have no doubt that Paul got leverage on himself with these values: patience, kindness and humility, strength, stamina and courage to believe, hope and endure. God forgive the arrogance of my insisting on my own way. God deliver me from resentment that gnaws at my soul and, finally, leaves me physically ill and depressed.
So, yeah, we Christians often feel persecuted even when we’re not, and in extreme cases, we’re certainly called to witness – literally, to be martyrs and, yes, willing to die for what we believe. Most of our time, however, especially nowadays in America, we find ourselves beset and discomfited by a secular society that doesn’t conform to our religious beliefs; indeed, a secular society that offends our sensibilities as Christians. In that case, we may well feel justified in raising a stink, but our scriptural tradition suggests that this is not an option. Our vocation is radical love of neighbor, whoever that might be, self-giving Love that does not insist on its own way.
For the record, I affirm homosexuals’ right to marry whom they love and to participate fully in the life of the church as well as in all aspects of American society. Note well, beloved fellow Christians: There are no second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. (See Galatians 3.27-29.) And, while I believe abortion is not a first-stop option for conscientious Christians, all women – including all Christian women – have an inherent right, without government interference, to choose abortion with or without medical consultation. According to traditional Christian moral theology, a woman’s personal conscience overrules all external authority. Bottom line: I believe abortions should be safe as possible, legal without restriction – and I hope they’d be rare.
“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things … and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4.8-9)
Yours Brother in Christ Jesus,
Ron George
The pelican papers 