The Elephant in the Living Room

Part 1 of the series, What Makes a Christian?

Sometimes I think that the collective witness of Christianity is best expressed by the expression, "the elephant in the living room."

I can close my eyes and envision millions--perhaps even billions--of Christians in this large room, all talking, milling about and being energetic about their faith--but virtually ignoring this giant elephant who is right there in the middle of it all.

They even have to bend and contort themselves to see around this elephant, but they continue to ignore him.

What is this elephant?

Let's look at it this way:

Christians profess that God Himself lived on earth in the person of Jesus Christ.

You with me so far?

God Himself walked among us, teaching, preaching and showing what He meant by His life example. He was very clear what was the most important. 

That giant elephant is the Greatest Commandment.

I hear Jesus saying: Of all the things you do, do this.

If you're gonna put your time and attention anywhere, put it here: Love God and love neighbor abundantly.

Yet, how often is this preached?

Of course, it is mentioned.

What I mean is: How often is it preached like this? 

How often is it preached the way Jesus preached it:

With intensity,

Centrality,

And a sense of utter, singular importance?

I'm sometimes baffled by our ignorance--it must be some kind of collective denial. But it is certainly immensely disrespectful to the person Who we claim is God.

* * *

The Greatest Commandment is in all 4 Gospels:

In Mark 12:28-34, Jesus makes a connection between following this commandment and one's closeness to the Kingdom of God:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus tells us that all other laws are to be read through the lens of the Greatest Commandment. All other laws are qualified by--and cannot be otherwise understood--outside of this context:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus not only gives the command to love God and neighbor, but he also says this is what you must do to inherit eternal life. How often have you heard that preached at church? I am not a betting man, but it would be easy money to say that most preachers only mention this line in order caution us not to take it too seriously--using other lines from the Bible to qualify--or outright negate--this statement by Jesus Himself. They say that Jesus could not possibly have meant what He, you know, actually said:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus then tells the story of the Good Samaritan. He gives the answer in verse 37:

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

In John 13:34-35, Jesus states that our very public witness of our Christian identity itself depends on whether or not we love one another. Otherwise, people will not recognize that we are indeed Christians. Jesus tells us to follow his example. Jesus not only gives the commandment to love, but also states that His life has modeled this love. 

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

If there is any doubt as to who is included in the list of people to show love toward, the New Testament is clear--the commandment to love includes everyone from those in our own Christian group to the widows, orphans, outsiders, marginalized people on up to and including our enemies. In other words: Everyone. There is no shortage of Scripture citations to back this up. We will explore this further in the next post, stay tuned!

***

This is part 1 in the series, "What Makes a Christian?" Each part stands on its own.
Part 1: The Elephant in the Living Room
Part 2: Like Looking at the Sun
Part 3: John 3:16 vs the Greatest Commandment
Part 4: The Law Hangs in the Balance of Love
Part 5: The First Commandment Shall Be Last

Enough is Enough: Southern Baptists Vote Against Confederate Flag

 

 

The Southern Baptist Convention voted to "repudiate" the use of the Confederate battle flag today. Russell Moore, president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, wrote this touching piece. The vote was not unanimous, and it was not easy. It had vocal opposition. Make no mistake, though: The resolution still passed with overwhelming support. 

As an outside observer the last two years, I have felt a strong desire of the people of the SBC to put the sins of racism behind them--even if they aren't sure exactly how to do that and if their language around race can be awkward at times. Their efforts, I believe, are sincere. Before the vote today, there was an extended dialogue on racism on the main convention floor--unprecedented in their history as they take the conversation deeper than ever before. The Twitter feed was nearly unanimous in its support for that racism discussion, with only one lone comment expressing exasperation for continued dialogue on the topic--a comment which was ignored by all the rest.

The flag resolution today took real courage, and the SBC should be commended. It will take even more courage as this resolution is implemented in churches and towns all over, as one dissenting voice warned. But they took a giant step forward today.

Those who opposed it said their opposition had nothing to do with racism. Rather, it was based on their right to express their heritage and avoid a never-ending slippery slope of political correctness where everything could potentially come under fire, including the flag of the USA which has also flown on slave ships. Removing every name and every symbol with a negative connotation would not leave much, they argued.

The transformative moment arrived when former SBC president and descendent of Confederate soldiers James Merritt spoke from the floor with leadership and presence. Noting how the flag is often a barrier for evangelization, he said, "All the Confederate flags in the world are not worth one soul of any race." I encourage you to watch it here.

* * *

Imagine you are an African-American walking through an unfamiliar neighborhood at night.

You are alone. Suddenly, a car drives alongside you and slows down. It has a Confederate flag proudly displayed in the back window, perhaps with other aggressive symbols or a gun rack. Your heart starts racing. What do you do? Should you expect to be attacked or will they offer help? You immediately go on high alert. Should you be thinking about ways to escape or defend yourself, or can you just go about your business? You are kicking yourself for being careless and roaming too far into unfamiliar territory--you promise to yourself that if you survive you won't ever go into that part of town again.

There is no luxury to leisurely ponder whether this flag is just an innocent expression of cultural heritage or whether it announces a threat. Your life may be on the line, and you have to react as if it is. You relive this trauma over and over every time you see this flag.

It is precisely in this way that the symbol is itself an act of violence--even when it is just passively hanging in a front yard or in the back of a vehicle.

That's how terrorism works. It's a constant stream of hints, taunts and outright intimidation with the goal of disorienting and destabilizing others--and ultimately limiting and controlling their behavior. It's not just the violence itself that terrorizes, but rather the environment which is saturated with constant suggestions of violence. It often comes in the form of a polite face with a sinister intent. Doubt is dizzying as folks are unsure where and when the next attack is coming and who they can trust.

It may be just an innocent expression of heritage for some folks, but think of the impact it may be having on others.

Just try to put yourselves into the shoes of an African-American person. For decades, this flag has used by the KKK and other hate groups--and continues to be used by them actively in the present day--to terrorize and intimidate an entire race of people.

When people fly that flag, they are continuing to terrorize people who have been through enough. And enough is, by definition, enough.

It's like taking someone for a ride who has just recovered from a terrible car accident and then driving recklessly at high speeds, just for laughs.

It's like inviting a veteran with PTSD over to your house and then unexpectedly setting off fireworks behind him. There is nothing inherently wrong with fireworks, and maybe your family has a long history of using them. But some sensitivity is in order! If that is truly too much to ask, then it begs the question: Why in the world is that too much to ask?

In a twisted way, racist aggression is actually a hidden compliment to black folks--for people to expend that much energy trying to keep others down, they must be completely afraid of what would happen if that other group's full power were expressed. That may be poor consolation to victims of racial terrorism, but it is worth pondering what makes so much of white America so insecure and afraid of real black power. Why else would someone spend so much effort trying to keep another race of people down? It has to be fear.

When Christians refuse to distance themselves from this flag, I have to wonder why.

If you are married, you technically have the right to wear a ring that your previous girlfriend gave you. After all, it's just a part of your heritage and history. You can put it right next to your wedding ring. You can tell your wife that it's just a symbol of the past, "just trust me." But by doing so, you are putting an incredible burden on your wife. That ring is a constant symbol of doubt about where you stand today. It belongs in the far back corner of some drawer that rarely sees the light of day. Or better yet: In a pawn shop.

I have to admit something: When people say they fly the flag just to express their "heritage," I often don't believe them. Or at the very least, I am left unsure. I suspect they could be expressing passive-aggressive racism in disguise. They may say it's not about racism, but they are doing the absolute, complete bare minimum to show that and leaving the door wide open for doubt--as I pointed out earlier, doubt itself is a weapon of terrorism. Maybe some white people are sincere and don't intend that, but whether it's intended or not, it can and does bring that consequence. When someone does the absolute minimum, it is often a form of resistance.

The flag that we refer to as the "Confederate Flag" was a minor battle flag during the Civil War and only rose to prominence afterwards as a symbol of Jim Crow and the KKK. The Confederacy had other, more official flags, and I have never seen any of them flown. Yes, this flag has also evolved over time to be a general symbol of the South, but it's real claim to fame came during Jim Crow and can no longer be separated from that. It is still one of the most popular symbols of hate groups today. It's usage as a symbol of hate and aggression is simply too extensive, too deep and covers the span of too many years. There are plenty of other flags that could be used to celebrate the history of the South that could do a more convincing job drawing a hard line between any racist connotations.

A symbol can have multiple meanings. I understand the argument that people should be able to avoid racism without having to erase their own cultural heritage in the process. But make no mistake, the history of this flag may be forever linked with white supremacist terrorist groups. It can and will bring those other associations along. It can and will continue to re-injure and re-terrorize, just like in the example above of the person walking down the street. Its usage by white hate groups for so many years means that it promotes oppression by its very presence. If you don't like that fact, then please direct your anger to the KKK and others who have tainted the symbol rather than to the people who say that enough is enough and want to put an end to it.

To those who are opposed: Please stop complaining that the "political correctness police" are taking away all your toys. You sound like little boys, and little boys need to grow up and become men. I'm sorry you feel like limiting hate speech is an unbearable burden of tyranny. The truth is you have a tremendous opportunity--such a small act can go a long way toward healing and helping a great multitude of people.

If you feel oppressed by being pressured to give up the flag, just imagine the oppression the African-American community has experienced for hundreds of years--and continues to experience. 

Little boys pout because their toys have been taken away. Grown men have broad shoulders and know they are strong enough and secure enough to ensure that expressing their rights does not come at the expense of others. The irony is that while you are worried that the political correctness police are "oppressing" you, the fact is that you are putting a tremendous burden on your neighbors and, in fact, oppressing them far worse. Let's find a better way for all. Yes, you still have the right to display that flag--but the question remains, why would you given the harm it continues to inflict?

Today, the SBC showed what mature Christians look like. Instead of focusing solely on their "rights," they made the decision that best expresses Gospel compassion, even if that means enduring tension in the community and making a sacrifice. It is, after all, a small price to pay on a long road of repentance and reconciliation. I was there and believe an historic moment took place. Energy shifted in this denomination, perhaps forever. So for all the SBC members who fear they may be losing a part of their heritage, I say: Fear not. You all did a fine job of building on that heritage today and have much more to share than ever. Congratulations!

'Coexist' Bumper Stickers

What do you think of those Coexist bumper stickers?

What I don't like about them is the word itself: Coexist. It's not the only word used, but it is by far the most widely recognized of the genre.

Coexist and Tolerance work very well as bumper stickers, because their letters translate to religious symbols easily. But the words themselves don't convey enough imagination. Surely, we can do a whole lot better than simply coexist together and tolerate each other!

Respect, Interact. These move us in the right direction.

Harmony, Peace, One Love, Compassion. These are better at calling our imaginations toward true harmony amidst our diversity.

But I think they are all good. They all call us to imagine a better way for people of different backgrounds to live together--to coexist in peace. Coexistence and tolerance may be a minimum, but all too often it is a huge challenge even to have that!

Our Common Home

I have a very tense relationship with neighbors on one side of my home and a very peaceful relationship with neighbors on the other side. On the tense side, we all watch the property line very closely. There is literally a fence, and it gets more entrenched and elaborate each year. We are often on guard since trust is lacking and we aren't sure how to build it. I often avoid that side of the yard. It's hard to be out there and not think about the tense situation. On the other side, I'm not even sure exactly where the property line is. We greet each other warmly and help each other occasionally. It feels like there is a whole lot more breathing room and we spend very little time thinking about it.

Peace is extremely beneficial--it frees up time, money and emotional energy. It improves our health. It does not take an actual war before we experience the value of peace. Any relationship where peace is lacking is costly and limits your freedom.

It is not that much different sharing the same planet. Pope Francis reminds us that the earth is our common home. All human beings share it. Not to coexist, at a minimum, is to live in denial about the shared home we all have and the realities that brings.

Besides, coexisting in peace is a minimum requirement if we are to respect every person's religious freedom.

This page is dedicated to building dialogue--and hopefully better relationships--between religious groups, particularly Catholics and Evangelicals. It seems like the central tension always revolves around this fundamental question--will I put what I know in jeopardy if I affirm something about another group?

I'm here to suggest that tolerating other religious groups does not have to in any way limit your own commitment to your faith. If you follow Jesus as the Way, Truth and Life, this should be easy--because it is what Jesus himself did while walking on this earth!

Jesus did a whole lot more than just coexist--he was constantly interacting with people outside of the "approved" groups of the day, including religious groups. He associated with all manner of people and treated them with respect--including enemies. If Jesus did anything at all in his earthly ministry, it was this mind-blowing witness of treating everyone equally while interacting with literally anyone and everyone--those who crossed his path and those he went out of his way to find.

Jesus had so much respect for the dignity of every single human person that he didn't treat people differently based on the stigmas, classes and cliques that usually divide people. He did not honor those divisions at all, because he was too busy honoring the person.

Jesus bypassed the "media" of his day and went straight to person-to-person dialogue.

Jesus practiced this even during extraordinary circumstances:  He talked to his disciples about love at the very instant he knew Judas was slithering out of the room to make his traitorous deal (John 13:21-38). Throughout his arrest, trial and execution, he was peaceful. He told his disciples to "put down the sword" (Matthew 26:52) and prayed for all those involved in his crucifixion, "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34).

There is a place to defend yourself and resist evil, but you don't have to do it violently or lose respect for all people in the process. If people do want to harm us, we should do everything we can to resolve those tensions so that we can coexist in peace.

Bumper Stickers Redux

I always thought the Coexist bumper stickers were clever, and I appreciated their message. But I wasn't comfortable having bumper stickers at all. I have always resisted anything that seemed to oversimplify human life. I'm a whole person with complex thoughts and feelings--and so are you, too. Being a walking, talking billboard for certain causes seemed to minimize the depth of the human experience. It does not invite true dialogue but rather feels like preaching at someone.

But I also realized we communicate in many ways. Some people say a lot by their outfit or choice or automobile. Our world is flooded with advertising of all kinds. One day, I decided it was a huge missed opportunity not to witness to what I believe in this way. If nothing else, it could be a conversation starter or could help embolden others who may be wavering in their faith.

A bumper sticker is perhaps no different than a cross necklace or minister's collar—it is a public statement of what I stand for.

I am asking others to hold me accountable when I display these public statements. I am sticking my neck out on the line, and that is risky. I'm not just preaching my views to others but also setting a standard for myself. There is power is speaking our views out loud in public. Like marriage vows--you stand before the whole community declaring your intentions.

There are lots of criticisms about these bumper stickers. Often, they relate to driving behavior, such as: Those people with the Coexist bumper stickers are always cutting me off or swerving while texting and driving. I suspect comments like these are intended to discredit a movement, making the association that these beliefs must emanate from selfish or naïve people.

Indeed, when something you believe in gets under the skin of someone else, it is always best to conduct yourself in public as politely, intelligently and respectfully as possible. Otherwise, your behavior gives people an all-too-easy reason to discount both you and your views.

While trolling the internet looking for graphics for this post, I discovered that those bumper stickers have a lot of anger associated with them.  On top of that, there are many unkind spin-off's and spoofs, to boot. It seems they strike a nerve. The anger comes from many sides--atheists who think that any religious expression at all is ridiculous all the way to devotees of a particular religion claiming that these bumper stickers obfuscate the uniqueness of their particular religious tradition.

Few people will actually come right out and say that respect and tolerance are against their religious beliefs, so they create a side discussion, instead--saying that the people with these bumper stickers have bad driving habits or that tolerance is a political impossibility given what those people believe.

I think the real reason is that true faith involves true vulnerability. It calls us our of our protective shell. It coaxes us to imagine something better than what we are used to. It seems easier, at least at first glance, staying on guard and keep divisions up. It is much harder to take those brave steps to encounter other people in true dialogue. In the long run, peace is much easier, but it is difficult to take those first steps.

So I will put my Coexist and Tolerance bumper stickers on my car--not to water down my faith or step away from my church tradition, but actually as a very mark of my Christian faith and identity. They feels like Good News to me, and Scripture tells us to share the Good News. I also hope I live up to this by my own behavior.

People will recognize that we are indeed Christians by whether or not we show love. Love requires us to do a whole lot more than just coexist and tolerate others. But those are indeed the very first--and necessary--steps.