“Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?”” [Joshua 5:13-14]
[caption id="attachment_1576" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Christians: your kingdom is not of this world (montage: J Fowler)"]
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In our day and age there is much anxiety and fear. You would think, of all people, Christians would be a witness to the transcendent peace that JESUS came to unlock for all who trust in His sovereign rule and in-breaking Kingdom- a kingdom that enacts shalom and peace in the core of who we are and in turn transforms the world around us. All those who claim to walk in the light of this Empire of the Son must understand that it began with a willing crucifixion of it’s King- and that it continues without coercion or violence. It spreads by means of our submission to and abiding in GOD’s Holy Spirit- given to us through Jesus’ enacting charter of this Coming Kingdom that He secured in His life, death and resurrection.
All around us though there is coercion and violence, power against power, struggles for prominence, a wrestling for influence, an eye for an eye, knives and flaming torches, backroom deals, secrecy and deception, revolution waiting in the wings for one small spark to break open a pent up stream. There is party line against party line, political force against political force, liberals vs. conservatives… the list goes on and on. The world is divided into a thousand unchallenged dichotomies. Many of them with historical roots, many of them being gross manipulations or worse yet, illusions and deceptions. I’m not advocating a mono-crop of thought or a unity of all men- but I speak to Christians because I am one, I speak to those who follow a kingdom not of this world. It is time we relearn that Peter’s sword could not bring about the righteousness or justice of GOD. It was the crucifixion of JESUS not Peter’s revolutionary violence that birthed the coming Reconciliation of All Things:
“Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”” [John 18: 2-11]and Luke’s perspective:
“When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.” [Luke 22: 49-52]I understand Peter’s anger and his sense of violent defense- don’t we all feel this in our chests these days? You can look at our nation and the Church at large and rightly discern that there are deep troubles and rumblings of unraveling, there are threats and oppositions. Some of you have your ‘hand on your swords’ as you read this and can see the ‘Roman cohort’ or ‘Chief Priests’ and ‘Pharisees’ approaching. For some of us the enemy is Big Government or Big Ag or Big Pharma, for some of us the enemy is Radical Islam, for some of us the enemy is the Institutional Church or the Emergent Church or the church down the road, for some of us the enemy is the Globalists or the U.N. or the Democrats or the Republicans or Communists or the Capitalists or the Immigrants or the Homosexuals or the Technocrats or the TaxMongers or the Radical Christianists…the list goes on and on. I can’t tell you whether your enemy is real or imagined. I can’t say whether there needs to be real alarm for what you see approaching. I see many things approaching and I too discern that there is a war going on. But I think we are missing the reality that we are first and foremost engaged in a spiritual war- a cosmic war laid out plainly in Scripture and our real enemy is unseen, supernatural and beyond what the scientific mind of modern materialism can perceive. What is the nature of our true warfare when JESUS tells us to love our enemies? It is first a battle within ourselves. What is the nature of true reform and revolution when JESUS says His kingdom is not of this world? It is first a struggle with GOD in the chaos of our own lives to allow Him to reorder our desires and values and priorities. Not too long from now when the mob passes by my house, calling me to rise up and take back my nation for GOD, or to stand against the encroaching tides that would sweep away all I hold dear- I hope I can reply: “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?” The real task ahead of us is not to “RISE UP! but to “RISE and PRAY!” because too many of us are sleeping in the drunkenness of anger that cannot bring about the righteousness of GOD. Heed JESUS’ words as He prepared to go to the cross:
“…And [He] said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” [Luke 22:46]And brother James who slams down a reality check for our impassioned activist hearts:
“…everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” [James 1:19-24]Rise and pray.]]>
Jason, Wow. Really well written!
I do agree with the spirit of humility and “quick-to-listen” posture of prayer, intercession, worship and general sensitivty to YHWH, Most High.
And I don’t believe that anything in our hands – whether pen or sword – should be wielded with the “anger of man.”
But could it be possible that Peter was in a unique situation in the Garden? Unique to the fulcrum of all of time?
I do realize that many of our beloved brothers and sisters worldwide have been, since the Apostles, hacked, shot and slaughtered – unspeakably so – for their faith in Yeshua… now more than ever before on the face of our Earth. And I realize, with increasing insight, that we are called to love our enemies, to pray for their opening to YHWH and blessing upon their families…
But isn’t this what our founding fathers were doing when they built these foundations and fashioned the ideals to sustain them?
I believe the nations are at a crossroad. Although their are powerful entities rising up in the name of “western capitalism” vying for positions of power, manipulating money exchanges, perverting their products to further their reach, the weight.. the focus.. I see occurring in the world today is upon a clash of overall world views. And although it’s most likely far more complicated than this, I see it as ultimately the words of America’s founding fathers (and forget everything you knew about them – they’ve been systematically demonized for almost an entire century now) against the words of a psychopathic prophet, whose name starts with the letter M.
I’m not a Kingdom-now millennialist, nor am I an extreme right-wing conservative, but I’m most likely undefinable as you, my friend, so conspicuously are.
My struggle now as “boy-becoming-a-man” is with the issue of “discipling nations.” I believe the “final struggle” of the Called-Out Ones (not “Kirche”) is to discover and preserve the principles hewn out of eras of conflict, both within and outside of the various forms of Christianity, which were intended from before the foundations of the Earth to be deeply embedded into the bosom of the Bride of Messiah Yeshua.
We are being trained to reign. EVERYTHING we learn is part of the process of that training.
Every sphere is “fair game.” None are left uncovered by the Glory of YHWH in His Bride, the called-out ones.
1. Religion 2. Family 3. Government 4. Education 5. Commerce 6. Communication 7. Arts
As I write, I’d have to add Agriculture as a subset of Government, the image of Joseph governing with brilliant agricultural decisions springing to mind.
They’re all subject to the King of kings and we are his Ambassadors of change to that effect.
I’m just not sure your language is inclusive enough. I have a hard time not paying attention to the clash of cultures/civilizations I see happening before my eyes. I, too, long to be safe, on a larger piece of land (everything is ultimately about land) and “away from it all.” But what if my voice, my actions could preserve something that YHWH has been kneading by hand into His own precious design?
I’m still questioning everything, but I’ll leave you with this short introduction to The Federalist Papers:
“AFTER an un equivocal experience of the inefficiency of the subsisting federal government, you are called up on to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America. The subject speaks its own importance; comprehending in its consequences nothing less than the existence of the UNION, the safety and welfare of the parts of which it is composed, the fate of an empire in many respects the most interesting in the world. It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are for ever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force. If there be any truth in the remark, the crisis at which we are arrived may with propriety be regarded as the era in which that decision is to be made; and a wrong election of the part we shall act may, in this view, deserve to be considered as the general misfortune of mankind.”
Tom
Tom, I love you brother and always respect your opinions. I agree we are in a time of clashing and I think the Founding Father’s of America were brilliant men and deserve our respect but I also can’t ignore how many of us as Christians are falling into the traps of seeking power and influence in ways that are not in line with ‘take up your cross and follow me’. I don’t think I am safe here in Virginia or out of the way of the action here on the farm- although, I think many urban areas will be hit hardest if there befalls widespread violence or societal volatility – but that’s not my point. And I am not advocating passivity or indifference but I am advocating a different kind of activism- one not focused on gaining dominion over the seven mountains of society but an activism rooted in prayer and service to others. Yes, GOD puts us all within a certain realm of influence and we should bloom kingdom blooms where we are planted but I don’t believe GOD is asking us to conquer society via a culture war (manifested in koran burning,etc…)- there is a dangerous politics emerging – it sounds like cultural domination but I don’t believe we can make a Christian culture- Yes, righteous laws but no to grasping after seats of power no matter what ‘mountain’ they are on. I see GOD’s kingdom as a counterculture- an undercurrent- not a dominating force- We are fighting battles that can’t be won- because we are fighting fire with fire- power against power- but we should be fighting power with love. I see a dangerous politicizing of Christianity emerging and I refuse to be a part of it. We need to get our heads out of the pursuit of influence- and into weeping and mourning and lamenting these days- of the blind leading the blind. In this Present Evil Age we are to walk as Jesus as servants to a broken world- it’s the way of the cross- not the way of political and cultural takeover.
Bro, I think we generally agree. I don’t know. Too many undefined terms.
Jason,
This is great stuff here.
I hear echoes of James Davison Hunter’s “To Change the World” woven throughout your critique of both Right and Left “take back our nation/faith” fear mongering. I think that Hunter would also add that the neo-Anabaptist default response of passive resistance and separatist movement is, while admirable, ultimately rooted in a similar kind of reliance on the State as the major player in religion. Not my argument, per se, but his.
Your observation that, following the example of Christ’s exhortation to his disciples in the garden is to first pray, is an astute one and one that bears repeating. Yet Christ didn’t command them to stay in the garden and pray. He called them to continue to follow him. This, of course, culminates in the Matthew 28 command to make disciples as we go. So, what does our “going” constitute? In response to the coming “the encroaching tides that would sweep away all [we] hold dear,” what ought Christians be doing now?
Again, great stuff here. Glad I found you.
Andy, shalom! Glad we found each other. Of course much of what I think and believe is in process- I do not have many fixed dogmatic answers (but some folks might argue otherwise) and my political perspective is most of all in flux. My point here is that as Christians we get inflamed with particular political and cultural dogmas and then in turn abandon a prayerful engagement for a mean-spirited adherence to party-lines. I think we need to broaden our political engagement to means beyond trying to influence the State- so you might say I lean towards an Anabaptist sense of politics- but again- my thoughts on politics are largely unformed. I have been reading Greg Boyd’s book ‘The Myth of A Christian Nation’ lately and I agree with Boyd- I see how our pursuit of political and cultural influence is often a betrayal of our devotion to Jesus and his kingdom which does not acquire influence through power or coercion but through service and the dirty work of love. If we look at history we will be warned at the dangers the present movement towards ‘taking our country back for GOD’ can pose. If we do not become students of history- and especially church history we will give our full support to an American Christianity that locks arms with the State and happily adulterates itself for a perceived power that cannot bring about true change. My advice to political activists is: start in the spirit, in prayer and let GOD guide your actions from there- but be warned: we who fight monsters can often become monsters ourselves. Stay tuned for more thoughts on all this. I look forward to talking more!
Great thoughts, Jason! I’m also in flux. I think you’d really dig into
Hunter’s book. He argues that Christians need to broaden their engagement
beyond the political into a practice of “faithful presence” because for too
long the Christian Right, Left, and neo-Anabaptists have defined themselves
in terms of their relationship to the State. The right in terms of
galvanizing political power against secularism, the Left in terms of
galvanizing political power against the Right in order to “take back the
Christian faith” and recapture a “heart for justice,” and neo-Anabaptists in
terms of resisting State involvement in religious affairs and vice-versa.
Not to toot my own horn too much, but I’ve been blogging through the book,
which is broken into three “essays” (Hunter uses that term liberally, since
each essay is 6+ chapters) and have posts on Essay I (http://1l2.us/bd7) and
Essay II (http://1l2.us/5r). My final post on the book will come in a couple
days. Also, Jamie Smith wrote a stellar review of the book at The Other
Journal, here: (http://1l2.us/bd8) and a great follow-up interview with
Hunter here (http://1l2.us/bd9).
I really look forward to a continued dialogue with you. Oh, and my family
and I are in NoVA, so we may just have to see about meeing up IRL someday.
Andy, Hunter’s book sounds intriguing. I think as a base for beginning I would rather launch off of the Neo-Anabaptist viewpoint in how to relate to culture- and then from there make corrections. I think this is a very relevant topic- especially for me right now as I wonder how best we can ignite cultural change within the church and then beyond. My answer is- start counter-cultural communities of ‘faithful presence’ and go from there. But how this can be practically carried out is an overwhelming obstacle right now as we struggle to even know how to localize change where we live. But…I suppose we are not the ones running this ‘movement’ (otherwise known as ‘the Bride’ or ‘the Ecclesia’ or ‘the Church’)- it is JESUS who initiates transformation and we need only stay in step with Him.
I agree- let’s keep the conversation going. And definitely-we are both in Virginia so we should connect in person sometime. Also you can reach me at: sustainabletraditions[at]gmail[dot]com
-shalom!
Hi, I am from Australia.Christians have been changing (really creating) the “world” into their own power-and-control-seeking image for 1700 years. There are now more Christians in the world than ever before, and the entire planet is now saturated with Christian propaganda of one kind or another – paper and electronic.And yet the entire world is becoming more insane (psychotic even) every day – especially in the USA.Please find a set of references which give a completely different Understanding of the politics of peace and how to change the “world” (you have to first Understand what you and the world is in Truth & Reality)…
John,
Thanks for the comment. I took a look at your links (but deleted them for editorial reasons). I understand where you are coming from but I think what you are speaking of is the corruption of Christianity. Jesus told us to love and serve one another- to seek humility and mutual care- to be reconciled to one another and to GOD- through His death and resurrection we are invited to partake of His Holy Spirit. What Christianity has turned in to- powerful institutions and war-mongering empires, callous religiosity, and self-help spirituality- is a distortion of the Kingdom of GOD that Jesus demonstrated and preached. My prayer is that both you and I would meet some real Christians who would demonstrate the reality of Jesus’ Gospel. -shalom!