How The American Church is a Bully (and why it Needs to Stop)
So I feel compelled to talk today about two topics: humility and peace, because I've seen a lot of talk and especially social media content coming from my fellow Christians that I'm troubled and frustrated by. It would seem that in America today the "moral majority", that is, the dominant Christian population that has, over the past 100 years, greatly influenced American politics and cultural morality, has gotten into the habit of being a bully, and we're unwilling and/or unable to stop trying to dictate forcibly the culture and political atmosphere in our country. Now, to take what is a seemingly sharp turn in focus, let's go to the book of Luke, chapter 14.
In this chapter Jesus is talking to his fellow guests and the hosts of a dinner party, who happened to be pharisees (religious officials who were often criticized for their harshness and manipulation of Jewish law). He tells them a story in verses 7-14 of a man who was invited to a wedding party, and who immediately sat down at the best spot at the table. Later, a more valued guest of his host shows us, and his host asks him to leave, which is incredibly embarrassing for this guy. Jesus explains that rather than doing this, one should take a lesser seat, not assuming that he/she is the most honored guest of the host. This way, if they happen to be a more valued guest, they will instead be honored when their host tells them, "hey, friend, come sit by me, don't sit over there by the dog" (or something like that). In verse 11 Jesus sums up this parable by saying, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Believe it or not, I believe there's a lesson for Christians in this story related to how we interact with society. Right now it seems that Christians are acting as the man who takes the seat of highest honor, we assume that we have the right to dictate what should be law in this country, and we don't care who else wants to be in our seat. We seek to impose our principles and moral code on those who haven't committed to abide by it. In contrast, Jesus didn't go around trying to make the Roman officials act in accordance with the Hebrew law and the words he taught, rather he only criticized the Pharisees, the religious who were under the same agreement of obedience as he, for their bullish behavior and aggressive means of enforcing the law. It seems more and more common to me that Christians in America are acting like Pharisees. We pursue righteousness (which is a great thing), but we aggressively and offensively try to impose that standard on those who haven't committed to it. This is not what sharing the gospel means, and it certainly isn't letting the world know we're followers of Christ by our love! (see John 13:35)
That's actually not my point, though. I do think that there is a good reason Christians often have for being politically/socially forceful and steadfast - we're trying to create peace and Kingdom culture. The problem is that we're doing it in the wrong way, we're modeling our tactics after the Jews of Jesus' time, instead of after Jesus. Let's take a look at Luke 19:37-44 to see what I mean. Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem, just a few days before He is crucified, and everyone is excited. They throw a big procession as he enters the city, commonly referred to as the "triumphal entry", because that's what the Jews anticipated. They thought that Jesus was going to be a political dynamo who would overthrow the Roman oppressors and restore the Jewish homeland as God's possession and dwelling place in the world, which they celebrate in verse 38. Oddly enough, the pharisees got it partly right when they told Jesus to rebuke His disciples (because they thought they were wrong, but not for the right reason). You see, Jesus didn't come to impose Himself or the Kingdom of God on the culture of Roman Jerusalem. He didn't even go around telling His followers to do that. He talks about this in verses 41-41, which read, "As He approached and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, 'If you knew this day what would bring peace-but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you...because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.'" So Jesus weeps that the people of Jerusalem don't understand what He is doing. They think that He's come to be Batman, to conquer and restore justice aggressively and mightily. Instead, He went to a cross like a lamb and died, peacefully, willingly, so that eternal peace could be made between God and man, and to defeat the powers of darkness, so that all authority in heaven and on earth would be His, to raise up and empower a movement of good news, peace, and love that would change the world from the foundation upward, not from Pilate's chair. The Jews were looking for a King on a throne, but they weren't looking high enough up. Jesus said no to an earthly throne in His time, that He might rejoin the Father in heaven and bring the whole world to Himself someday, not just Israel. The Jews were expecting a revolution, not a grass-roots, underground movement marked by love and martyrdom, and Jesus wept over this confusion, and I think that maybe He's weeping now over America. Not just because of its unrighteousness, though that certainly grieves Him, but also over the conduct of His people, who, despite the teaching of Matthew 5:9 and His example on the cross, continue to try and change the world through aggressive political and social influence, by imposing our beliefs and the principles of the Bible on those who don't care and who have their own agendas and beliefs. This just leads to more conflict that doesn't resolve itself. I believe that Bible is the absolute standard of truth and righteousness, but that doesn't mean that trying to make the Bible the law of a nation who hasn't committed to God is going to work. I think that's part of why Jesus didn't tell His disciples to go throughout the world, obtaining positions of high authority and influence, so that the law of God can be made the law throughout the world. Though I firmly believe that God places His people in positions of influence so that they can positively impact certain situations and people, this is not, in general, the model that Jesus gave us for transforming culture. Instead He told us to spread the good news of His death and resurrection, of the chance for an eternal life with Him, throughout the world, by making disciples one by one and establishing a culture in our community of fellow followers of Christ that is counter-cultural and strikingly different than the majority of the world around us, that is marked by love and peace and forgiveness and the power of God. This way, is the model Jesus gives us for changing the world - like a lamb, not a lion, through peaceful conduct and allowing the love and power of God to speak for us. We are to act like a lamb in the world around us, and let God be the lion, strong in power, captivating hearts and changing lives through miracles and His incredible love and presence.
It's like God is this cup of living water, and the people of God are the straw, and the world around us is desperate for water. When we try to impose ourselves, it's like trying to get somebody to drink by tying them down and shoving a straw in their mouth - people don't like it and it's not often successful. Also, even if it is successful, after an experience like that, people don't tend to come back, even if their thirst was quenched for a while. As a church we're supposed to be a straw with a drop of water stuck in the end, inviting, displaying to the thirsty masses the reality that God has made it possible for people to be reconciled with Him, and just how great a life with Him is.
So let's be straws, people. Let's humble ourselves, stop assuming that the world wants us to impose our standards of righteousness and morality and political intervention, and instead be the church that Jesus started just under 2000 years ago. Let's let our loving and peaceful conduct and community, the power of God's word in the message of the gospel, and the power of God in miracles change the world from the inside-out. From the top-down, we're just imposing culture, shoving a square peg in a round hole. From the bottom up, through community and discipleship, we transform culture and establish the Kingdom - we re-shape the world, and this is how it's supposed to be done.
Grace and peace,
Ron Campbell
In this chapter Jesus is talking to his fellow guests and the hosts of a dinner party, who happened to be pharisees (religious officials who were often criticized for their harshness and manipulation of Jewish law). He tells them a story in verses 7-14 of a man who was invited to a wedding party, and who immediately sat down at the best spot at the table. Later, a more valued guest of his host shows us, and his host asks him to leave, which is incredibly embarrassing for this guy. Jesus explains that rather than doing this, one should take a lesser seat, not assuming that he/she is the most honored guest of the host. This way, if they happen to be a more valued guest, they will instead be honored when their host tells them, "hey, friend, come sit by me, don't sit over there by the dog" (or something like that). In verse 11 Jesus sums up this parable by saying, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Believe it or not, I believe there's a lesson for Christians in this story related to how we interact with society. Right now it seems that Christians are acting as the man who takes the seat of highest honor, we assume that we have the right to dictate what should be law in this country, and we don't care who else wants to be in our seat. We seek to impose our principles and moral code on those who haven't committed to abide by it. In contrast, Jesus didn't go around trying to make the Roman officials act in accordance with the Hebrew law and the words he taught, rather he only criticized the Pharisees, the religious who were under the same agreement of obedience as he, for their bullish behavior and aggressive means of enforcing the law. It seems more and more common to me that Christians in America are acting like Pharisees. We pursue righteousness (which is a great thing), but we aggressively and offensively try to impose that standard on those who haven't committed to it. This is not what sharing the gospel means, and it certainly isn't letting the world know we're followers of Christ by our love! (see John 13:35)
That's actually not my point, though. I do think that there is a good reason Christians often have for being politically/socially forceful and steadfast - we're trying to create peace and Kingdom culture. The problem is that we're doing it in the wrong way, we're modeling our tactics after the Jews of Jesus' time, instead of after Jesus. Let's take a look at Luke 19:37-44 to see what I mean. Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem, just a few days before He is crucified, and everyone is excited. They throw a big procession as he enters the city, commonly referred to as the "triumphal entry", because that's what the Jews anticipated. They thought that Jesus was going to be a political dynamo who would overthrow the Roman oppressors and restore the Jewish homeland as God's possession and dwelling place in the world, which they celebrate in verse 38. Oddly enough, the pharisees got it partly right when they told Jesus to rebuke His disciples (because they thought they were wrong, but not for the right reason). You see, Jesus didn't come to impose Himself or the Kingdom of God on the culture of Roman Jerusalem. He didn't even go around telling His followers to do that. He talks about this in verses 41-41, which read, "As He approached and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, 'If you knew this day what would bring peace-but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you...because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.'" So Jesus weeps that the people of Jerusalem don't understand what He is doing. They think that He's come to be Batman, to conquer and restore justice aggressively and mightily. Instead, He went to a cross like a lamb and died, peacefully, willingly, so that eternal peace could be made between God and man, and to defeat the powers of darkness, so that all authority in heaven and on earth would be His, to raise up and empower a movement of good news, peace, and love that would change the world from the foundation upward, not from Pilate's chair. The Jews were looking for a King on a throne, but they weren't looking high enough up. Jesus said no to an earthly throne in His time, that He might rejoin the Father in heaven and bring the whole world to Himself someday, not just Israel. The Jews were expecting a revolution, not a grass-roots, underground movement marked by love and martyrdom, and Jesus wept over this confusion, and I think that maybe He's weeping now over America. Not just because of its unrighteousness, though that certainly grieves Him, but also over the conduct of His people, who, despite the teaching of Matthew 5:9 and His example on the cross, continue to try and change the world through aggressive political and social influence, by imposing our beliefs and the principles of the Bible on those who don't care and who have their own agendas and beliefs. This just leads to more conflict that doesn't resolve itself. I believe that Bible is the absolute standard of truth and righteousness, but that doesn't mean that trying to make the Bible the law of a nation who hasn't committed to God is going to work. I think that's part of why Jesus didn't tell His disciples to go throughout the world, obtaining positions of high authority and influence, so that the law of God can be made the law throughout the world. Though I firmly believe that God places His people in positions of influence so that they can positively impact certain situations and people, this is not, in general, the model that Jesus gave us for transforming culture. Instead He told us to spread the good news of His death and resurrection, of the chance for an eternal life with Him, throughout the world, by making disciples one by one and establishing a culture in our community of fellow followers of Christ that is counter-cultural and strikingly different than the majority of the world around us, that is marked by love and peace and forgiveness and the power of God. This way, is the model Jesus gives us for changing the world - like a lamb, not a lion, through peaceful conduct and allowing the love and power of God to speak for us. We are to act like a lamb in the world around us, and let God be the lion, strong in power, captivating hearts and changing lives through miracles and His incredible love and presence.
It's like God is this cup of living water, and the people of God are the straw, and the world around us is desperate for water. When we try to impose ourselves, it's like trying to get somebody to drink by tying them down and shoving a straw in their mouth - people don't like it and it's not often successful. Also, even if it is successful, after an experience like that, people don't tend to come back, even if their thirst was quenched for a while. As a church we're supposed to be a straw with a drop of water stuck in the end, inviting, displaying to the thirsty masses the reality that God has made it possible for people to be reconciled with Him, and just how great a life with Him is.
So let's be straws, people. Let's humble ourselves, stop assuming that the world wants us to impose our standards of righteousness and morality and political intervention, and instead be the church that Jesus started just under 2000 years ago. Let's let our loving and peaceful conduct and community, the power of God's word in the message of the gospel, and the power of God in miracles change the world from the inside-out. From the top-down, we're just imposing culture, shoving a square peg in a round hole. From the bottom up, through community and discipleship, we transform culture and establish the Kingdom - we re-shape the world, and this is how it's supposed to be done.
Grace and peace,
Ron Campbell
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