Category: Politics

Election Day

‘In this dark hour, I do not believe that any darkness will endure’ – Faramir of Gondor

I offer these poems to anyone who may be dreading the worst today. I pray that even as they acknowledge the possibility of darkness, they point you toward the light.

Autocracy’s Rise

The darkening skies descend.

The unsuspecting masses blink

As trembling prophets absorb

What they knew would come.

For them, the expected death

Of what they once held dear.

They brace, for loss, for ruin,

And the marching feet of doom.

They know, that past is prologue,

As the behemoth takes its place

At the vanguard of a chilling dread

That now hangs over all.

Yet this they know, deeply:

That all will not be lost.

For all cannot be taken.

There is still that which abides,

Which nothing can filch or harm,

Beyond the dragon’s reach.

There is faith,

The substance of hope.

And love beyond imagining.

The forest, filled with wild.

Music, to dance to, to fuel desire.

For eternity. For Life.

There is the present moment.

To savor, bless, and know.

And in that moment God,

Ever-present. Constant. True.

Pointing the way forward. On!

Presence. Protection. Peace.

Is this not what matters,

Most of all, when all else fails?

To know that in such days

The best cannot be broken?

That in the end the sadness

Comes untrue, and love wins?

Oh Blessed One who stills my soul!

Let me not forget these truths.

And when the sky is darkest,

Let me feel your smile,

That I may brave the tempest,

Shielded by thy perfect love.

For Election Day

I have no earthly ruler

No President to claim

I serve the one who is the King

The name above all names.

The empire is a monster

A snarling, fearful beast

Like Grendel or Polyphemus

On mortal flesh it feasts.

Perhaps once I thought otherwise

That it was true and brave

I know it now for what it is:

It reeks of death and grave.

The times they are so fearful

Dreadful, dank, and dark

The leopard beast is on the march

As ‘lambs’ now wear its mark.

And yet I have no need to fear

Though all I once knew fails

My life is in the hands of Christ

Whose Kingdom will prevail.

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

We Can’t Say We Weren’t Warned

‘Yet they did not listen or incline their ear; they stiffened their necks and would not hear or receive instruction’ – Jeremiah 17:23

The Bible contains a lot of warnings.  In the Garden of Eden, God explained to Adam and Eve that if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would bring death into the world.  In Sodom, God sent messengers to turn its people from injustice, inhospitality, and violent sex crimes.  Throughout the history of Israel, God sent prophets to Israel to warn them of their need to turn from idolatry and injustice.  On the day of the Triumphal Entry, and during the course of the week that followed, Jesus himself wept and warned the people of Jerusalem of what would happen if they rejected his nonviolent way in favor of their dream of a nationalist warrior Messiah. 

Yet in every case, the warnings went unheeded.  Adam and Eve ate the fruit and bore the consequences.  The people of Sodom, apart from Lot and his family, attempted to gang rape God’s messengers, sealing the fate of their city.  Israel by and large persisted in ignoring the prophetic warnings spoken to them, and experienced exile.  The people of Jerusalem chose the way of the sword over Jesus, and, in 70 AD, felt the full wrath of Rome as the empire breached her walls and filled her streets with blood. 

In each case, no one could say they weren’t warned. 

Fast forward to America 2024. 

The warning signs have been blaring for nine years, and yet here we are, facing the possibility that we might, again, elect a white supremacist authoritarian President.  Today, I simply mention the latest warning sign, which comes from Trump’s own White House Chief of Staff Brigadier General John Kelly, who, in a recently published interview in The Atlantic (which you can easily read about elsewhere online), warns America that Trump is an authoritarian who ‘fits the definition of a fascist,’ has expressed a longing to command the kind of generals that Hitler had during WWII, longs to be a dictator, and has no respect for democracy or the Constitution.  In this, Kelly echoes similar warnings issued by others who worked in Trump’s administration, including the Commander of the Joint Chief of Staff, Mark Milley, who describes Trump as ‘fascist to the core,’ and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who warns that it was Trump’s desire to ‘just shoot’ protestors during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. 

This comes as we listen to Trump deliver campaign speech after speech in which he expresses the need to eliminate ‘the enemy within,’ plans to create deportation (concentration) camps, speaks of the insurrectionists he unleashed on the Capitol on January 6, 2020, as heroes, and proposes sending the military onto the streets of America to crush those who protest his policies. 

For most of my life, such news and views would end a politician’s career.  In 2024, nearly half of America shrugs.  Or worse, they love it.

And so here we are.  Less than two weeks away from an election in which it is entirely possible that American voters will return Trump to office, free and unfettered from the likes of Kelly, Milley, and Esper who were somehow able to check his worst ambitions during his first go round as Commander in Chief.  We already know that the Republicans in Congress won’t check him, and it is entirely plausible that, should Trump win, they will command both houses of Congress.  Plus, and this is a real hoot – he will assume the powers of the Presidency complete with a new Supreme Court grant of immunity that could render him completely unaccountable for his ‘official’ actions. 

I mean, what could possibly go wrong? 

A lot.  Which is why if American voters ignore the sirens, which at this point are sounding so loudly our ears should be bleeding, no on will be able to say that they weren’t warned. 

I could go on, but honestly I’m just plain exhausted at this point.  In the words of John Kelly, which he used to punctuate a prior warning to America several months ago that has largely gone unheeded, ‘there’s nothing more to be said.  God help us.’ 

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

Barabbas

Fearful warrior

Defiant, Strong

Thy fist raised high in might

Thy head is bloodied, yet unbowed

Thine minions steeled to fight.

What hope exists

Now for the weak

When protest fades to silence?

When violent men may now denounce

The peaceful as the violent?

And so the people

Raise the crown

Prepared to make thee master.

Prepared to toss aside the good

For methods that seem faster.

So did the masses

Long years past

Do as they chose the violent

Over the one who took the cross,

And bore their sin in silence.

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

An Updated Christian ‘To Do’ List for Post-Election Life in America 2022

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you – 2 Timothy 4:5 NLT

Tomorrow is Election Day. Perhaps I should say, the start of election week, for we probably won’t know the full results for several days. If you have been paying attention, you may be feeling the stress of it all. We face the threat of political violence, and, depending on who wins, the possible death of democracy, which, for all its flaws, seems to be the best form of government this side of the Second Coming. I tend to agree with Winston Churchill, who said, ‘democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.’

My Mom, God rest her soul, used to say, half-jokingly, ‘always expect the worst, and you’ll never be disappointed.’ I have pretty much adopted that mantra as I head into the week. I fear that the results of this election will change things dramatically, and not for the better. It seems likely that dozens, if not hundreds, of election deniers, Christian nationalists, and white supremacists (not to mention their enablers) will win key offices at both the state and federal level. Should this happen, the perilous times we find ourselves in will become, well, more perilous.

Pondering such thoughts these past few days, I began to worry. But then I recalled a post I wrote just two years ago, just prior to the 2020 election. You can check that post here. Back then, I made two Christian ‘to do’ lists, one to employ in the event Trump won, the other if Biden won. Today, I just want to remind you all, and me, of those lists. So here they are, with slightly modified titles:

List One – Things to do if the Republicans win big this week

  1. Hope
  2. Pray
  3. Stand against racism and bigotry
  4. Speak up for immigrants and refugees
  5. Care for Creation
  6. Advocate for and serve the poor and vulnerable
  7. Speak truth
  8. Do justice
  9. Love God
  10. Love my family
  11. Love my neighbors
  12. Love my enemies
  13. Seek the Kingdom
  14. Anticipate the return of Jesus
  15. Point people to Jesus

Yes, should the Republicans win, it will be important, as in life and death important, to do all these things.  On to list two:

List Two – Things to do if the Democrats unexpectedly win big this week

  1. Hope
  2. Pray
  3. Stand against racism and bigotry
  4. Speak up for immigrants and refugees
  5. Care for Creation
  6. Advocate for and serve the poor and vulnerable
  7. Speak truth
  8. Do justice
  9. Love God
  10. Love my family
  11. Love my neighbors
  12. Love my enemies
  13. Seek the Kingdom
  14. Anticipate the return of Jesus
  15. Point people to Jesus

Get the picture?

The situation is no different than it was in 2020. No matter who wins this election, the mission of those who follow Jesus will not change.  We will still live in a world that is broken and in need of a Savior.  We will still need to live as the advance echoes of the world that is to come.  We will still need to stand at the crossroads of culture and show the world the peculiar way of God’s people.  True enough, some of the things on the list will perhaps be more or less challenging depending on who wins.  But the mission will not change at all. 

This gives me hope today, as it did in 2020.  No matter what happens tonight, even should the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, God remains our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1-2).  Jesus remains our Lord and Savior.  The Kingdom remains the place of our citizenship.  And the mission is the same. 

This, as it did in 2020, gives me hope today. I hope if gives you hope too.

Whatever happens folks, be ready. We have work to do.

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

Growing Young

‘So, Peter, you’ve become a pirate?’ – Wendy Darling

What happens when the boy who never grew up grows up? 

That is the question at the heart of the movie Hook, Steven Spielberg’s 1991 sequel to Disney’s 1953 animated version of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan.  At the start of the film, the adult Pan, played by Robin Williams, is a far cry from the scourge of pirates he once was.  Years before, he had made the decision to grow up, and grow up he did.  He has a family of his own, which is nice, but has lost his childlike spirit, his faith, his ability to fly.  He has no memory of who he was.   Living far from Neverland, the adult Pan has adapted to the ‘real world,’ adopted its practices, become adept in its ways, and forsaken his true self.  On a visit to the now elderly Wendy Darling, with whom he once had grand adventures (Pan is now married to her granddaughter) he explains that the business that keeps him from visiting more often involves ‘mergers and acquisitions,’ i.e., he has become a corporate raider.  This provokes a shocked and disappointed Wendy to speak the words in the epigraph to this post: ‘So, Peter, you’ve become a pirate.’  The once great Pan who conquered pirates has become very thing he once fought. 

This sad tale of Peter Pan growing up came to mind recently after a conversation with a friend, wherein I found myself remarking that if the early disciples of Jesus were to visit Christians in America today, they would likely mistake many of us for Romans.  The early disciples knew all about Romans.  They lived under their rule.  The Romans believed that the way to change the world was from the top down; seize power and impose your will on everyone below you.  Theirs was the way of violence; they used force whenever they deemed it expeditious to ensure the ascendency of their cause and the defeat of their enemies.  In a Roman world, if you wanted something, you made it happen, by any means necessary.  The Roman way was, if I may stick with the Peter Pan analogy, the way of the pirate, the way of the sword.  And they pulled it off quite well. 

Jesus however, had taught his disciples another way.  Once, when his disciples attempted to shoo some kids away, he said, ‘let the little children come to me, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.’  On another occasion, he remarked that unless a person became like a little child, they could not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus, in other words, told his followers to stay young, to refrain from ‘growing up.’  They were not to make things happen by any means necessary; they were to live as children, trusting in their Heavenly Father to lead them through the ups and downs of life.  They were not to become violent to advance causes or defeat enemies; they were to love enemies and leave the future to God.  They were not to seize power and impose their will on others from above; they were to become servants and make the world a better place from the bottom up.  Theirs would not be the way of the pirate, the way of the sword.  It would be the way of the cross, the way of the Lamb. 

And for a time, Jesus disciples pulled it off quite well.  Even as the Roman pirates threatened and attacked, as happened for centuries, they insisted on being, to borrow Rich Mullins’ phrase, ‘children who loved while the nations raged.’  Their response to a world arrayed against their beliefs and values was not to attack, but to love and serve.  As threats mounted, they simply drew closer to Jesus.  They continued, like children, to trust that he and their Heavenly Father would take care of them, and that such an approach to life would work.  They believed that God was in control, and that one day they would be rewarded for their faithfulness, for their refusal to become pirates themselves, as they witnessed the return of Christ and the restoration of all things.  And so, like faithful children, they continued on their way, refusing to become pirates. 

But somewhere along the line, the Church decided to grow up.  Like Peter Pan, it adapted to the ‘real world,’ adopting its practices, becoming adept in its ways, forsaking its true self.  The Church grew powerful.  It no longer sat at the bottom but stood on top, and from its privileged position began to impose its will from the top down.  It even employed violence, pursuing any means necessary to advance its goals and defeat its enemies.  It became a church of pirates. 

Not all Christians went along, of course.  Some remained faithful, and these inspired renewal movements to draw the Church back to her original vision, to the time when the Church was young.  These met with some success, but sadly, as the train of history shows, far too often, the dominant branches of the Church continued to behave like pirates. 

Like Romans. 

And so, the comment to my friend.  Look around you, American Christian.  What do you see?  A Pirate Church.  Tens of millions of professing Jesus followers embracing the Roman way.  Christians attempting to seize power that they might rule from above, forging unholy alliances with unscrupulous characters in an attempt to have their way.  A willingness to employ (or at least excuse) any means necessary, even violence, to achieve desired ends.  A willingness to sell their souls to stand on top and ‘own’ those below them.  A willingness to distort the very teachings of Jesus to the point that they would be unrecognizable to him or the early disciples if they were to show up today. 

Yes, if the early disciples could see us now, I have no doubt they would mistake many in what passes for the Church in America for Romans.  They would wonder what went wrong.  They would say, with tears in their eyes, ‘So, Church, you’ve become the empire.’ 

That such a reaction is plausible is cause for lamentation.  Sackcloth and ashes.  And yet, the situation is not without hope. 

Well, we are children no more

We have sinned and grown old

But our Father still waits

And He watches down the road

To see the crying boys

Come running back to His arms.[1]

Repentance, homecoming, is still an option.  It is possible, if not for the whole Church, at least for a significant portion of it, to grow young again.  To recapture what it means to be young in Christ.  To become children who trust and obey as we follow the way of the Lamb. 

Could such a rebirth be possible?  Oh yes.  Just watch Hook.  There, the adult Peter Pan rediscovers what it means to possess childlike faith.  He learns how to believe again.  He learns how to fly.

Christians, if we would be worthy of that name, it’s time to become children.   It’s time to believe again.  It’s time to fly.    

It’s time to grow young. 

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

[1] Rich Mullins, from his song, Growing Young, which along with Hook inspired this post. 

The Devil’s Bargain

‘Let no man turn aside, ever so slightly, from the broad path of honor, on the plausible pretense that he is justified by the goodness of his end.  All good ends can be worked out by good means.  Those that cannot, are bad; and may be counted so at once, and left alone’ – Charles Dickens, in his novel, Barnaby Rudge

The past few days I have been thinking of Leland Gaunt.  For those who don’t recognize the name, Mr. Gaunt is the proprietor of the shop ‘Needful Things’ in the Stephen King novel of the same name.  The shop offers a curious inventory of items, and for each individual customer who comes through the door, there is a particular item that inevitably overwhelms their discretion and self-restraint.  It is an item they simply must possess, no matter the cost.  Mr. Gaunt, eager to please, offers each enthralled customer the item of their desire for two prices, both of which they must agree to pay. 

The first price is always a bargain, leaving each customer with the distinct impression that Mr. Gaunt desires to give his stock away.  The second price isn’t specified up front. Mr. Gaunt simply advises that he will come to collect later.  If this makes you suspicious you are right to be, but the shoppers at Needful Things, seeing the item of their heart’s desire before their eyes, never take time to be so themselves.  All they can contemplate is that they need the item, and so they pay the initial price without consideration of the second.  They simply can’t resist, for, as Leland Gaunt himself says, ‘Everybody loves something for nothing…even if it costs them everything.’

And that, of course, is the catch.  It will cost them everything.  For, as it turns out, Leland Gaunt is no ordinary shopkeeper.  He is the devil himself come to Castle Rock, Maine to wreak havoc.  He lets his customers enjoy their items for a time, and then, when he has them where he wants them, comes to collect the second price, which, wouldn’t you know it, is destructively, even lethally, high.  In the end, each item fails to deliver on its original promise, and ends up costing the buyer, as Mr. Gaunt himself had intimated, everything.    

This past week, as most of you know (unless you’ve been living under a rock), a draft opinion by the United States Supreme Court leaked to the press.  The opinion, if adopted, would overrule Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that made abortion legal throughout the United States.  The whole country has been in an uproar ever since.  The draft decision is being seen as vindication for the many Christians who, despite reservations, voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and/or 2020.  Sure, he was an odious character, a womanizer, a racist, a bully, and possessed more than a few authoritarian tendencies, but heck, he promised to appoint conservative, originalist Justices who would overrule Roe, and that was something for which those same Christians had been praying for decades.  The protection of unborn life was the worthiest of causes, and the bargain Mr. Trump proposed was simply too enticing to pass up.   And so, they held their noses, pulled the proverbial lever, and waited for the promised victory. 

Now, that victory seems imminent.  And so, in the minds of many, the Faustian bargain struck with Mr. Trump seems to have been worth it. 

But was it? 

You see, just as was the case in Mr. Gaunt’s shop, a devil’s bargain always comes with a second price, and the promise given always fails.  Now, I understand that we are talking about the lives of unborn children.  I am myself pro-life.  I believe all life to be sacred, from womb to tomb.  But one must ask whether this bargain is even going to hold; whether the promised gain will be fully realized.  Whether, for starters, the draft opinion will even become law.  Whether, in a society where the majority simply doesn’t see things as I and other pro-life persons do, such a decision will be allowed to stand for long, or even have the desired effect (one of the ironies of overruling Roe may well be that in the states where the vast majority of abortions are performed, abortion access, and hence the number of abortions, including late-term abortions, will likely increase, rather than decrease).  One must ask whether, in fact, there may have been other means, other ways, to save the lives of unborn children, say, by providing financial, emotional, and other support to birthmothers, birthfathers, and families facing unplanned or crisis pregnancies, as many Christians and agencies have been, and still are, doing.  Or by ensuring that health care and other benefits remain available to those same mothers and families.  Or by coming alongside families and helping them raise their children by providing childcare and other support services.  Or, in situations where birth families are not able to care for their children, by adopting their children and raising them to cherish their birthmothers and fathers and their choice for life.  Or by simply engaging in the patient industry of gentle persuasion and the modeling of a better way.  There are many ways to be pro-life with respect to abortion, with or without the reversal of Roe.

And then there is the matter of the second cost.  In backing Trump, Christians partnered with a man who has threatened democracy, damaged race relations, denigrated public decency, and caused countless other social harms.  The consequent injury to the Church’s witness has been incalculable.   In the minds of many both within and without the Church, Christianity has become associated with Trumpism.  Christians (even those of us who didn’t make the bargain) are now widely thought of as the people who support racism and white supremacy, who separate children from their families, who approve of the use of violence against peaceful protestors, who look the other way as women are demeaned and abused, who, well, we could go on for a while here.  It seems no exaggeration to say that both the message and messengers of Christianity have been tarnished severely by this association with Mr. Trump, and that this tarnishing, on top of the aforementioned damage to society, may well result in millions, even tens of millions, turning away from Jesus forever. 

Talk about a high second price.

So it is with the devil’s bargains.  They seem to offer an effective means to a certain end.  But in the end, the promise is never fulfilled, and the price proves to be too high.  Which is why, for example, when Jesus was offered a similar bargain by Satan in the wilderness, in that case control of all the kingdoms of the world, he refused (see, Luke 4:5-8).  Sure, he might have gained control over the world’s kingdoms (and been able to pack their courts!), he may even have been able to do much good, but he would have done so by rejecting the way of the Cross, the one thing necessary for the salvation of the world and the establishment of the one Kingdom that truly matters.  He would have missed the proverbial forest for the proverbial trees.  For Jesus, the means by which he saved the world was as important as the end, for only by following the right means could the proper end be truly achieved. 

It may seem like a bargain to give power to a despot in order to win one’s favorite cause, especially a cause as important as the preservation of human life.  I can understand the temptation.  But folks, it is always a mistake to accept the devil’s bargain.  It is always better to follow the path of Jesus, the path of service and sacrifice, as long, hard, and frustrating as it may be, than it is to accept the cheap and easy way out offered by, if not Satan himself, those who seek to wield his power. 

Esau McCauley has said, ‘the way you get something is just as important as the fact that you get it…so as a Christian, I am never allowed to put aside means to get to an end.’[1]  He’s right.  As Dickens noted, good ends can always be worked out by good means, those that cannot are bad, and should be counted so at once, and left alone. 

And so I say to those who voted for Trump because of their pro-life convictions, this week may seem like vindication, but beware.  The second, hidden cost of your bargain is already playing out before our eyes.  In the end, it may very well cost everything. 

Far better, I believe, to reject the devil’s bargain in all its guises, and, like Jesus, pursue another way. 

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

[1] See, interview with Esau McCauley in Holy Post Number 425. 

The Politics of Christmas

‘At that time, the Roman Emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Empire…’ – Luke 2:1

The second chapter of Luke’s Gospel contains the most widely remembered account of Jesus’ birth.  Linus Van Pelt likely has something to do with its fame.  For many of us, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas until we hear the story. 

We can imagine the scene unfolding before our eyes.  There’s Mary and Joseph, racing into the ‘little town of Bethlehem,’ unable to find room at the inn – though they were more likely in a relatives’ home, just downstairs with the animals.  Still, it’s a comfy, cozy scene, as Jesus is born into the midst of domestic tranquility – though he really wasn’t.  Births are hardly tranquil events.  But never mind, there’s baby Jesus, all swaddled and warm, radiant beams emanating from his holy face – well, not really.  OK, so maybe the way we imagine Luke’s scene is off a bit, but it’s still a wonderful story – the story of the Living God, the One through whom all things were made, becoming flesh to dwell among us.  And of course, adding to the wonder is the presence of the shepherds, outcasts invited in, after first being ‘sore afraid’ and told by angels that they would find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, complete with a heavenly chorus of ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill to men.’  Yes, that’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.

What’s interesting though, apart from the little things we get wrong, is the part of the story we miss.  Over the years, we listen to sermons on what this story meant to just about everyone involved: Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, the angels.  Then we branch out into other Nativity-related texts, bringing in the Magi, Herod, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna.  We even flash ahead and talk about the ministry of John the Baptist from time to time.  But there is one character, prominent in Luke’s account, that we tend to ignore, or, at best, mention briefly without comment.

Augustus Caesar.  He’s part of the Nativity story too.  Augustus was the Emperor of the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus’ birth.  After the death of his adoptive father, Julius Caesar, there had been a power struggle, complete with civil war, throughout the empire.  Eventually Augustus emerged victorious, which brought an end to the strife and ushered in a period known as the Pax Romana, or Roman peace, though it was, in truth, the peace of the oppressor, not the oppressed.  Nonetheless, at least to the Romans, Augustus was a hero.  He was rewarded with absolute power: military, political, and imperial.  He was worshipped and adored as the ‘Son of God’ (yes, that was his title) and everyone was expected to pledge their allegiance to him.  The world moved at his word, the activity in the wake of his order for a census being a case in point.  Augustus said the word, and everyone moved to be registered. If there was one guy on earth of whom it could be said, ‘he holds all the cards,’ it was Augustus Caesar.

The original readers of Luke’s account understood all this.  The mere mention of Augustus in the opening line said it all.  But reading on, by way of contrast, we discover the son of another King.  His name was Joseph, the descendant of David.  You would not have known Joseph was descended from kings by looking at him.  It had been a while since David had been king; his heirs long removed from the throne.  Joseph was a mere craftsman, and an impoverished one at that.  He held no military, political, or imperial power.  He was neither worshipped nor adored.  The world didn’t move for him.  He was one of the ‘moved.’

As was his adopted son to be, Jesus.  Yes, Jesus and Augustus were both adopted into a royal line.  The difference was that while Augustus was adopted into the lap of luxury and power, Jesus was adopted into the lap of poverty and weakness.  The contrast between Augustus and Jesus could not have been starker.   Like I said, in the eyes of the world, Augustus held all the cards.  Jesus held none. 

Which was exactly the way God wanted it.  The way the story unfolds reveals that God arranged for the arrival of His Son (for, after all that’s who Jesus REALLY is) in a manner that might cause us to rethink what power is all about.  Luke tells the story masterfully, using words that, while tame to modern ears after decades of overuse, were, for his first readers, shocking.  The angel brought the shepherds ‘Good News of Great joy.’  Good News.  The Gospel.  In Greek, euangelion.  In the Roman world, that word had a specific meaning.  It referred to an imperial pronouncement, usually accompanied by flags and political ceremony, that an heir to the empire’s throne had been born, or that a distant battle had been won.  The Angel went on to say that someone had indeed been born, calling him both Savior and Lord.  Again, in Rome, these words had specific meaning.  Savior was a title given to – guess who?  Augustus!  He was the one who had healed the chaos of Rome and brought the empire into a golden age.  Lord, as well, was a title for the Supreme Roman ruler.  And then came the song of the heavenly host: ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and peace on earth to those on whom God’s favor rests.’ Similar choruses were sung to Augustus, who, after all, had brought ‘peace’ to the empire.  The words to one such ode were inscribed upon a government building in Asia Minor in 6 BC:

‘The most divine Caesar…we should consider equal to the Beginning of all things…for when everything was falling into disorder and tending toward dissolution, he restored it once more and gave the whole world a new aura; Caesar…the common good fortune of all…the beginning of life and vitality…all the cities unanimously adopt the birthday of the divine Caesar as the new beginning of the year…whereas providence which has regulated our whole existence…has brought our life to the climax of perfection in giving to us the emperor Augustus…who being sent to us and our descendants as Savior, has put an end to war and has set all things in order; and whereas having become god manifest, Caesar has fulfilled all the hopes of earlier times…the birthday of the god Augustus has been for the whole world the beginning of the Gospel.’ 

Get it?  To the Roman world, a world focused on military, political, and imperial power, Augustus Caesar was the Good News.  He was the Gospel.  He was Savior and Lord.  He was the one worthy of worship.  God manifest among us!  But in Luke’s story, the tale is flipped. The angels proclaim Jesus, the manger baby, to be the Good News.  Jesus is the Gospel.  Jesus is Savior and Lord.  He is the one worthy to be worshipped.  He is God manifest among us!

This makes the angel’s announcement the most politically subversive in history.  It is the proclamation that the world’s glamorization of military, political, and imperial power isn’t all it is cracked up to be.  It is the proclamation that in God’s eyes, true power is found in humility and weakness. The proclamation that, despite what the politics of Rome proclaim, God’s politics, the politics of Christmas, points to a different reality: Jesus is Lord and Caesar is not.  If you want a Savior, a bringer of peace, you must follow Jesus, not the emperor.    

Well, that’s nice.  But does it have anything to do with us?   Of course, it does. Perhaps, at this moment in history, and in this country, it has more to do with us than at any other time in recent memory.  American society is deeply divided.  Over what?  Over who gets to play Caesar.  There’s a lot that needs to happen to bridge that divide.  A lot of soul searching, deep listening, and critical thinking needs to happen, for as Jesus said, a house divided against itself cannot stand.  But whatever the rest of society chooses to do, we who call ourselves Christians especially need to take a deep breath and search our hearts.

For the great temptation, first presented to Jesus in the wilderness (see, Luke 4:1-13) and us ever since, is that we will place our hope in power games and entangle ourselves in the politics of empire.  That we will follow imperial saviors.  That we will embrace a false Augustinian gospel, which is, as Paul would put it, no gospel at all (see, Galatians 1:6-9).  For you see, we were never meant to sing songs to the empire, be it red, blue, or purple. Be it Roman or American.  Our call has been, is, and always will be, to join the chorus of the shepherds and angels and proclaim that there is only one Gospel.  One Savior. One Lord.  One who is worthy of our worship.   He is the one born and laid in a manger, who lived to die on a cross for the sins of the world, who, from the moment of his birth, was proclaimed to rule a different kind of Kingdom; to be a different kind of King.   

That’s not to say Jesus would have nothing to say about the issues of our day, or that those who follow him should stay silent in the face of evil.  That would be wrong too.  But as we discern what we should say and do we must remember that in a world filled with those who still believe that the path to glory is the way of Augustus, who strive for, and pledge allegiance to, military, political, and imperial power, there is but one choice for those who claim the title ‘Christian.’  That choice is to forsake all other allegiances and embrace the politics of Christmas, allowing its author to inform our place and position on all matters.  This is the politics that calls us to stand only where Jesus stands and say and do only what he would say and do.

To paraphrase a line from Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw’s Jesus for President, this is the politics that will cause the faithful to say to those political, military, and imperial powers that demand their fealty: ‘Enough your imperial eagles.  Enough with your donkeys and elephants.  We pledge our allegiance to the Lamb.’

This Christmas, may we all do so.

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

Note: in addition to the paraphrased quote from Claiborne and Haw, I want to credit their book for the inscription to Caesar, historical references to meaning of ‘Gospel,’ ‘Savior’ and ‘Lord,’ and the overall spirit of this post.

Make Decency Normal Again

‘You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder.  If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’  But I say to you, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!  If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court.  And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell’ – Jesus, in Matthew 5:21-22 (NLT)

According to Jesus, words matter.  The things we say, the things we suggest, have meaning, both for those who hear them and for the state of own hearts.  Holding another person in contempt, such as we evidence when we call someone a disparaging name or curse them, is serious business.  Sticks and stones may break our bones, but when we say things that put another person’s physical, spiritual, emotional, or psychological well-being in danger, we imperil our very souls.  Treating people with decency and respect, valuing them as fellow pilgrims on the journey of life, holding them up instead of tearing them down, even when we are talking about those with whom we may have reason to disagree, matters to Jesus. 

Yesterday, the United States House of Representatives voted to censure one of its members.  You probably know the story.  Representative Paul Gosar from Arizona had posted on Twitter a doctored anime video depicting himself flying through the air with a sword and slashing at the neck of New York’s Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  In the video, blood sprays from the wound as AOC’s neck snaps back, lifeless, and dead.  Gosar then turns his attention to President Joe Biden, his next apparent victim. 

Decency in political discourse seems to be on its last legs in this country, but even so, this was beyond the pale.  In defense of the motion to censure Gosar, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi remarked, ‘We can’t have members [of the House] joking about killing one another.’  That such a defense had to be made at all is illustrative of how bad things have become in America. 

Not surprisingly (I wish I could say something like ‘shockingly’ here), Pelosi’s view of the matter was not supported by the members of Gosar’s party, all but three of whom voted against censure (two, Representatives Liz Cheny and Adam Kinzinger admirably voted in favor, a third Republican Congressman, David Joyce, who ironically serves on the House Ethics Committee, voted ‘present’ – hardly a profile in courage there).  To many opposed to the motion, the video was ‘just a joke.’  How on earth it can be considered acceptable to joke about murdering a woman (or anyone for that matter), I cannot begin to understand.  But when you consider further that AOC has been vilified by conservatives and right wing zealots for years (the former’s rhetoric fueling the hate of the latter; the two groups are becoming increasingly indistinguishable), that as a result she receives a daily briefing each morning about the latest threats against her life, that, on January 6th, she was among those most likely to be murdered (or worse) by the insurrectionists at the Capitol, one might think that, perhaps, Republicans would realize the dangers of such a ‘joke,’ and that, further considering Gosar’s affiliations with neo-Nazis and right wing thugs, it wasn’t a joke at all but a calculated attempt to raise the temperature of hate against a rival, liberal member of Congress, her safety be damned.  There certainly wasn’t anything funny about that video.  In fact, if you or I had posted it, we almost surely would have received a visit from the Secret Service. 

I can hear the conservative AOC haters now: but she’s a Socialist!  This was just meant to highlight how dangerous she is; that we are at war for the soul of our country (this has actually been said in defense of Gosar).  Come off it.  I don’t care if AOC is a strident Communist (which she isn’t).  You don’t treat anyone like this.  Not if your Mama raised you right.  And especially not if you claim to be a follower of Jesus, who, remember, demands that we not speak or act in ways that hold others in contempt or risk placing their lives in peril. 

In support of the motion, AOC took the floor and gave a speech that is exactly what our country needs to hear as it continues to slouch toward the annihilation of decency.  You can watch her speech here.  I urge you to do so.  I would go so far as to say that, whatever your politics are, if you can listen to her words and disagree with her on this matter, if you can listen to her words and continue to defend someone like Gosar, if you can listen to her words and continue to believe that it is acceptable to treat anyone the way she has been treated by Trumpian political operatives, then, to paraphrase a friend of mine, your moral compass, if you ever had one in the first place, is irretrievably broken, and you need to get yourself a new one. 

I am glad the censure motion passed but disappointed that it did not pass unanimously.  It is a sad day indeed when Congress, a body that I, like AOC, was once taught to hold in the highest regard, cannot even agree to protect the safety of its own members, when political disagreements are resolved, not in a spirit of civility and common unity, but with vicious attacks and diatribes, if not full on violence, and when such attacks, diatribes, and violence are defended, almost to a person, by one of America’s two political parties. 

I take some consolation that, at least for now, a low bar has been set: it is not acceptable for members of Congress to even joke about murdering one another.  That the bar is so low is enough to make one weep.  I can only hope that this small step might be part of a longer journey to make decency, if not great, at least normal again. 

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

The Daily News

‘It comes the very moment you wake up each morning.  All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals.  And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.  And so on, all day.  Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind’ – C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity

I blame the dang cell phone. 

I wake up in the morning, shuffle downstairs to make breakfast, and there it is.  I don’t know why it should be so enticing.  But before I know it, as I wait for my eggbeaters to cook, I’m on it, fussing and fretting over the morning news feeds.  On the one hand, it’s important to stay informed, especially in the dire times we live in.  On the other, it’s probably not the best way to start the day.  Especially since the daily news doesn’t seem to be anything particularly new.  Basically, and as per the Book of Ecclesiastes, there isn’t much new under the sun these days.  I can summarize the daily news as it has appeared for months, even years, as follows: 

The Pandemic

Covid is still here. Many function as if it isn’t. People won’t get the vaccine or wear masks. The government response is very often incoherent. You are basically on your own. 

Politics

Republican politicians and power brokers are working to end democracy because it behooves them to do so. They are willing to lie, cheat, shrug, etc., to hold onto power. They have no shame. (Yeah, there exceptions, but even these aren’t exactly profiles in courage, and so few they are scarcely worth mentioning). Oh yeah, and Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump…

Democratic politicians and power brokers can’t seem to understand that they have one job: to save democracy. Instead, they are fighting amongst themselves, fiddling while the torches that will burn society are lit. From the naive progressives who dream of the unattainable to the self-serving ‘moderates’ who seem to enjoy standing in the way of even a little progress, we see a party incapable of tying its own shoes. If you thought this ship of fools would save us, you had best think again.

Basically, the news of the day in the arena of politics comes down to this: ‘Autocracy! Coming to a country near you!’

The Environment

The earth is toast. Literally.

The Rich and Powerful

They are going to space, not paying taxes and unaccountable to anyone. They don’t care and there is nothing you can do about it. 

Violence

The nations still rage.  People still think violence is the answer to the world’s problems.  An ‘eye for eye and tooth for tooth’ is making steady progress toward the creation of a blind and toothless world.  Sorry Jesus.  Sorry Gandhi.  The world likes war. 

Racial Injustice

White supremacy continues unabated in America. For all the talk of making things better, it’s getting worse. If democracy falters, look for the return of Jim Crow.

Truth

Just kidding.  There is no such thing anymore.  You are now free to believe anything you want, no matter how divorced from reality it is. 

Entertainment

Some actor/singer/musician/influencer/sports personality just did something stupid. Another had a baby with someone else. Another got divorced. Someone else was arrested. Or gave money to charity. Or won an award and thanked Jesus. Oh, and whatever it is, it’s the most important thing in the world, far more important than ending the pandemic, saving democracy, stopping global warming, making a more peaceful world, ending racism, etc. BTW, who advanced on Dancing with the Stars last night?

White American Evangelicalism

A famous church leader who you should have known all along was no good has: (a) been caught in a scandal; (b) promoted Christian Nationalism; (c) said something racist; or (d) all of the above.  Oh, and Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump…

Sports

The Philadelphia [insert Eagles, Phillies, Union, Flyers…] let down their fans again last night.

Such is the daily news.  Has been for months.  Has been for years.  And probably will be for months and years to come.  Again, it is important to keep abreast of things.  Many of the things I have summarized are as serious as a heart attack, and it does no good to stick one’s head in the sand and ignore the problems of the world.  But at the same time, given that it isn’t really new, should we allow it to consume us?  Should the daily news be the first thing we run to in the morning, or would we do better to run to something else?

I think C.S. Lewis was right.  The first job of each morning, for everyone, but perhaps especially for Christians like myself, is not to immerse oneself in the news of the day, but to push back the noise of the world and listen to that other voice, that still small voice that counsels us to see things from another perspective, and to allow that larger, stronger, and quieter life of the Kingdom to flow into us.  To stand back from all the world wants us fuss and fret about; to come out of the wind once more. 

I think if I started my days like that, rather than riling myself up and only thereafter trying to listen to that other voice, I would be in a better position to face each day.  I would be in a better position to take on the challenges of an increasingly daunting world. 

So I think that’s what I’ll do.  No more daily news first thing in the morning.  And even throughout the day, I will do my best to keep abreast of things without letting them overwhelm me.  Instead, I will begin by listening to that other voice, and let the Kingdom flow into me.  And then, instead of driving myself nuts with what’s happening in the big picture world, I will simply practice my faith by doing small things in the circles of my little picture world that witness to another way. I bet that I will be better for it.

Maybe the world will be too. 

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

One Year Later…

White Supremacy is sin, and anyone who does not work for its abolition, is guilty of sin – paraphrase of Samuel Simon Schmucker, American Preacher and Abolitionist

Today is the anniversary of George Floyd’s death. The officer directly responsible has been convicted, but justice has in no way yet been achieved. Despite all the promises and BLM signs on people’s lawns, there has been no significant progress toward police or justice reform. The forces of hate and supremacy are well entrenched and positioned to thrive for decades to come. Unarmed African Americans continue to die at the hands of law enforcement. White supremacy is on the move. Efforts to silence Black voices and suppress the Black vote continue apace throughout the country. There seems little hope for a breakthrough to better days.

As the father to an African American son, and as a follower of Jesus, I will, of course, continue to speak and work for a better world. How can I do otherwise? But the sad reality I face each day is that my primary job in terms of race is to teach my own son how to stay alive in a white supremacist nation where many do not believe black lives such as his matter, and many more only become mildly interested for short periods of time after each report of another black life snuffed out on the street.

At the 1965 funeral of Jimmie Lee Jackson, who had been murdered by an Alabama State Trooper in a cafe where he and other peaceful protestors had taken refuge from southern stormtroopers, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. noted that there had in fact been many fingers on the trigger that killed Jackson. Similarly, there were many knees on the neck of George Floyd. If, by your actions, political choices, or apathy, you are contributing to the problem of white supremacy in America, you might be surprised to learn that yours is one of them.

For the love of God, and for the sake of millions, speak out, vote, and advocate to change this culture of white supremacy, hate, and death.

End the silence.

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent