We have intentionally obscured the unambiguously clear, unifying message of the New Testament, in all of its diversity—that God’s agenda is to transfigure the world through nonviolent, self-sacrificial love. That is the Jesus way. There is simply no way around this.
I mostly have tried not to put this in divisive terms. But at this point, I find it hard to take any Christian teacher/teaching that doesn’t take nonviolence seriously. How will you instruct me if you have no regard for the rightful Lord of the Church?
If you have a theology of atonement that you like, congratulations. If you have prophets who perform miracles or give words of knowledge, good for you. If the nonviolent sacrificial love of Jesus is not the central message, I am not interested.
You see, that is ultimately what all this “division” is about: people in the name of God have pragmatically accepted the role of violence in the life of faith. That is why their speech is violent, their posture toward women is violent, their treatment of creation is violent.
They are Baal worshippers, idolaters. They will try to throw you off the trail with token moralism, outrage over sexuality, their blasphemous cocktail of nationalism & the language of Christian faith. It’s false religion, folks. There is no other word for it.
I continue to try to be a voice for bridge building & dialogue whenever I can. But ultimately, the proto-fascist Christian right in America not only mocks women, the poor, immigrants & refugees...they mock God. And the time comes when you will have to come out from among them.
You know they are not followers of the Jesus way, because they have everyone on the cross but themselves. They do not know the sacrifice that ended thr sacrificial system, & have made a religion out of “feeling martyred.” They do not lay aside privilege or power, they crucify.
When the way of the Lamb is pitted against the way of the sword, there are not “very fine people on both sides.” There is the way of Love, & the way that makes war with Love. We get to choose Babylon if we want to, her riches & her wars. But if we do, we will reap what we sow.
If you want to know why it’s the Baal worshippers so consistently question the witness of every demographic that is not white male, it’s simple: the Spirit is always on the margins, & they are at war with the Spirit. It’s why they are manifesting now-like the demoniac in Mark 5.
Can’t you hear it? Isn’t their something manic in their howl, that the world has turned against them? The oppressed cry out in pain. The oppressor, though—he shrieks, he flails, he he howls...a man living among the tombs, cutting himself with stones.
The white supremacists, & their softcore disciples, constantly bemoan that they are being attacked. In a way, they aren’t lying—it’s just not people who attack them, but their own demons. The torment is in their minds, in which “the worm will not die & the fire is not quenched.”
History, hard data & the witness of the Spirit alike testify, that there is no more dangerous force in thr world than thin-skinned white American men (like myself) with fragile egos. We are burning the world down, & then cry crocodile tears as we watch it go up in flames.
I haven’t read 1 response to this thread yet, but I know what I’ll get-“what about this person who was impolite in the face of injustice? Surely you aren’t defending the impolite ones, are you?!” They love citing examples of impoliteness, among the lives of people they DESTROY.
The fact of the matter is, the pendulum will swing hard the other way against the powers that be, & there is plenty I am not/will not be comfortable with. But don’t miss the point-even when it gets a little wild or far, that doesn’t mean Spirit isn’t at work in the anarchy.
The strangest thing is, in a country that militarizes policing & guns down unarmed black men, rapes people & land with impunity, & demonizes the poor, the immigrant & the refugee—old white men tell us the problem is “a spirit of rebellion!”
You say there is a spirit of rebellion. I say the reign of a 400 year old principality of white supremacy is toppling from its own weight, & the reign of an empire is finally coming under judgment. We engineer these judgments—then blame God or others for what we do to ourselves.
I don’t care that structures & institutions are falling. All around me, I hear the sound of sons & daughters finding their voices, beginning to prophesy. They are being shaken loose of our oppressive, colonizing religion, into a movement of the Spirit instead. I bless God for it.
It sounds like a rushing mighty wind, but it is only experienced as violence to those that resist it. Sons & daughter will go too far in their newfound freedom, like all liberated children do. But when you go too far, son...God will go there with you, too.
I’m not signing up for the job of restraining people—holding them back, telling them to be careful. I plan to talk about Jesus, & talk a little smack when I’m feeling feisty, but basically let the dominoes fall. The revolution is Spirit’s job. Encouraging sons & daughters is mine
And for the people who are hanging over the ledge now because Love led you there, & some people are disappointed in you now...I’ve got news for you: God is proud of you, & so am I, & a whole bunch of other folks you don’t even know yet. You’ll still have a family, I promise!
I’m sorry to get to preaching. But I’ll tell you what I’m not sorry about—this preaching is good news to the poor, & the poor in spirit. It will set the captives free, & even the captors, if you’ll let it! No I’m not interested in clarifying anything. Thank y’all; good night!
