According to the New Testament, the encounters Jesus had with people were very much grace filled encounters. He did, of course, have some very abrasive words for some religious leaders. He was very much at odds with that part of his faith tradition which was at odds with God. When he made the whip and began to drive out the moneychangers from the temple, it was simply because the house of prayer for all people, wasn't.
The woman at the well, the woman caught in the very act of adultery, and Zacchaeus, come to mind as people we would call notorious sinners. The woman at the well practiced serial marriage, five husbands had gone through her life. She had given up on marriage and was now just living with a man. Jesus offered her living water. The woman caught in the act of adultery was told "Neither do I condemn you." He offered her forgiveness, not condemnation. Zacchaeus was given a place at the table, and he was a hated tax collector.
The list goes on. But these few instances will help frame the question I have been invited to discuss. "Where did we get the idea that violence and coercion, mainly through fear, was the proper way to bring about conversion?"
I would love to blame this entire tragic turn on Constantine, the emperor of Rome who turned the Roman empire into a Christian state. He did so, of course, by means of economic pressure and at the receiving end of a sword. Conquest became synonymous with conversion. It would be easy to point the finger and say, "There is the problem!" But Church leaders had time to go to the New Testament and say, "This isn't right!" They didn't and the crusades were the result.
When US America was founded, the opportunity was there to begin afresh with emphasis on the New Covenant. That didn't happen either. Robert Jewett has written an important book entitled "Mission And Menace." He is tracing four centuries of religious zeal in America. The theology which dominated the Early colonies, and which still dominates today, was the theology of the Puritans. Let me give you a quote from Jewett; "The Puritans derived from the book of Revelation and portions of the Old Testament their dualistic worldview and their belief that violence would inaugurate God's kingdom." Some of the things done in the name of God in this country should bring tears to our eyes.
And we may as well admit that coercion by fear is an act of violence, just as much as physical violence. It is called redemptive violence, but can violence really redeem? Turn or burn may indeed get people to make a profession of fear, but not a real profession of faith.
1 comment:
Thank you for your post. It is a refreshing reminder, but keep in mind that many will view your thoughts as liberal. I have heard folks say that our mission is to "make disciples of all the world." They don't stop to read the appropriate means, but rather focus solely on the ends which then justifies their tactics of conversion. That said, there is also the thought that acceptance, whether fear induced or not, is enough to insure salvation. Again, it is taking a charge set forth by Jesus as the purpose statement, and filling in the methods in light of our own thoughts instead of Christ. My own thought is that the means are crucial to becoming a Christian. Using any other method than total forgiveness, total acceptance, total love and understanding, and total honesty is unacceptable. It would be a misrepresentation of Jesus, and his teachings.
Take a portion of the lyrics from Chamillionaire in his song "Ridin" to sum up what many Christians view God as being:
"They see me rollin
They hatin
Patrolling they tryin to catch me ridin dirty
Tryin to catch me ridin dirty."
He is referring to the police who are trying to catch him in the wrong, but many Christians also see God as the great enforcer waiting for us to step out of line, and bop us on the head. If that were the true nature of God, all of us would have serious lumps upon our heads. Thank God that God is nothing like the distorted view of those who use fear to convert folks.
As a side note, the rest of the lyrics from that song are not suitable, but as a popular radio hit, it seemed an appropriate sentiment when dealing with fear tactic views of God.
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