Tag Archives: empire

Embassy move

16 Wednesday May 2018

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The US embassy in Israel was moved to Jerusalem on Monday.

I have a range of emotions regarding this.

I’m saddened.

I’m saddened by the move.  Those who know a thing or two about foreign policy and especially the Middle East warned that this would cause an unsettling in the region.  It’s an act of provocation that was unnecessary and potentially dangerous.

In response we saw Iran shooting missiles into Israel from their positions in Syria and Israel shooting back.

In response there were protests.  Initial reports showed that 41 people died in Gaza.  New reports have the number climbing to over 55.  That number will probably rise.  And there will most likely be other incidents that will cause more deaths and killings.

The President sent Rev. Robert Jeffress to offer the opening prayer.  He went and offered a prayer which highlighted how great Trump is.  Jeffress has been on record as saying that Jews are going to hell.  Jeffress was sent.  To Jerusalem.  Where there are a great many Jews.

I’m angry.

I’m angry about this because we have blood on our hands for an unnecessary act that brings instability from the first moment.  But our president loves instability – he’s talked about it as a strategy that he uses.  He likes to keep everyone guessing as to what he will do or say next.  That’s not a leadership strategy – that a strategy for a TV show to get more people to tune in to the next episode.

Do the 55+ people who died in protest matter?  I think it’s time we start asking some serious questions – who counts as a person nowadays?  Did they deserve to be killed because they were protesting?  If your answer is yes, they deserved it, then I ask you – what/who counts as a person?  And what rights do people, human beings, have?  Who counts as a person that deserves to have their life preserved, even in the midst of protest?  Do Palestinians count as people?  How about Muslims?  How about Arab Christians?  How about those with dark skin?  How about those that don’t speak English?  How about those that disagree with those in authority?  Do any of these people count as people?

I’m wondering.

I’m wondering when Christianity will finally acknowledge the reality that there are Christians who worship Jesus as the Savior and there are Christians who worship the Empire and Caesar as savior.

Let me be really clear here – Empire and Caesar go beyond any particular country and can be found in probably every country – Empire is the idea that the might of the nation is of prime importance.  It is the belief that salvation comes through the conquering empire – through military might, cultural dominance, and force of will.  Caesar is the idea that a human leader who is strong – almost god-like – is the savior we yearn for.  We are to worship him and thank god that god sent him, a son of god, to save us from our enemies and establish an everlasting empire that will rule with force and crush anyone in opposition.  And do it in the name of the gods.  Empire and Caesar have existed as the predominate religion of humanity for many millennia, across the world.  Even sometimes under the label of Christianity.  And it is still alive and flourishing today in many places.

Here are the prayers offered by two “christian” pastors at the event.

“We thank you, O Lord, for President Donald Trump’s courage in acknowledging to the world a truth that was established 3,000 years ago – that Jerusalem is and always shall be the eternal capital of the Jewish people,” Hagee said.

“And because of that courage of our President, we gather here today to consecrate the ground upon which the United States Embassy will stand reminding the dictators of the world that America and Israel are forever united,” he added.

(parts of the Benediction prayer offered by Rev. John Hagee)

“We want to thank you for the tremendous leadership of our great president, Donald J. Trump.  Without President Trump’s determination, resolve and courage we would not be here today,” he said.

“And I believe I speak for every one of us when I say I thank you every day that you have given us a President who boldly stands on the right side of history but more importantly stands on the right side of you, O God, when it comes to Israel,” Jeffress added.

(parts of a prayer offered by Rev. Robert Jeffress)

Is prayer about the actions of a president and his courage and action and resolve, or is prayer an acknowledgement of God’s action in the world and about what God is calling us to?  Is prayer designed to worship the god of Empire and Caesar or the God of creation?

(If you think I’m far off base here, I encourage you to read George Will’s article in the Washington Post.  Throughout the article he talks about the words used by those who serve Trump – words that sound rather religious – “humbled,” “thank you for this privilege of serving,” “the blessing of being allowed to serve.”)

I’m just grateful that these pastors didn’t attribute this move to God.  Both of these pastors are huge proponents of Rapture theology – the belief that Jesus is coming back, will sweep away the faithful in a holy escape plan, then pull out his AR-15 and start kicking ass and taking names – bringing vengeance, destruction, and death over the world.  Apparently Jesus is just an extension of the god of Empire and Caesar.

I don’t worship the same god as Hagee and Jeffress.  I don’t believe in their god and what their god stands for.  Their god is the god of Empire and Caesar.  Their god is a god of vengeance, and military might, and might makes right, and the ends justify the means, and only the strong survive.  Their god leads to death and demands bloody sacrifices along the way.  55+ people have already been sacrificed to quench the anger of their god.  But their god will never be satisfied until there is total destruction.  I reject their god.  I reject the god of Empire and Caesar.

The God I worship is a God who calls on us to die – die to self, die to the idea of the Empire and that Caesar is the savior, die to our loyalties, die to our fears and anger, die to our desire to be in control and to know, die to might makes right and that the ends justify the means.  Jesus calls us to pick up our cross and follow him – to die to these things.  We die to these so that we can experience resurrection – new life, transformed life.  I worship a God who is love.  A God who weeps often because of the world and its sick adherence to Empire, Caesar, and Death.  I worship a God who accompanies and calls on us to accompany the outcast, the poor, the weak, those out of power.  I worship a God who does not delight in death and destruction, provocation, and war.  I worship a God who tells us that the world will be conquered by faith and love.  (1 John 5:4)  I worship a God who sends his actual Son into the world to save us from the world not through an divine escape plan, but rather through transformation and renewal.  Not by force and might.  But through Faith and love.  This is the God I worship and serve.  Who do you serve and worship?

Jesus would vote for my candidate

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Humor, Politics, Society, Theology

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ballot-woman.png

How would Jesus vote? For my candidate of course. So there. Now that we all know that the Divine One supports my way of thinking, you all better get in line, or else.

Seriously though, how would Jesus vote in 2016 America?

That’s a fun game isn’t it? I usually see this type of post as we approach elections — this year is no different. I have read theologians make arguments as to why their preferred candidate is the morally superior choice.

I hear arguments that state that Jesus would vote for the Democrat because that party has supposedly cared for the poor through their policies and Jesus had a special place in his heart for the poor. He preached about people doing things for the poor. Democrats are typically opposed to the death penalty — Jesus would be too. Yes, Jesus would be a good liberal Democrat.

Then I hear arguments that state that Jesus would vote for the Republican because that party is opposed to abortion and Jesus would be against abortion because abortion is killing an innocent person. Republicans are for “family values” — however you want to define that murky term. Clearly Jesus would be for love of family over government any day right? Yes, Jesus would be a good conservative Republican.

Oy vey! Enough already. Stop trying to make Jesus something that he never was — An American in the 21st century. He was a Middle Eastern poor guy (and yes, still the Son of God) that never had the opportunity to vote and wouldn’t have understood the concept. His entire life was lived in a region that was under occupation by a ruthless empire. No one in that region had a concept of rights as we understand them, had a say in who was to rule over them, or had any legal way to express their opinions directly about the rulers of the times (unless they didn’t mind being killed for expressing their displeasure).

So can we stop kidding ourselves into believing that Jesus would vote for either a Democrat or Republican.

If anything, Jesus would look at government with suspicion. Government in Jesus’ time was oppressive — pay your taxes or else suffer the consequences. Stay out-of-the-way of the soldiers or suffer the consequences. Careful what you say about those in charge or suffer the consequences. Remember Jesus was crucified by the Roman empire as a threat to their stability — a political execution.

There was no welfare state for the masses — government was not about serving their needs. Government existed for the benefit of the emperor. It existed to keep order. It existed as an efficient means of collecting taxes.

Jesus spent a great deal of time preaching an alternative government — the Kingdom of God. Whereas the Roman empire and its government was based on worship of the emperor and war and strength, the Kingdom of God was based on the worship of God and peace. The Roman empire and its government was interested in obtaining and keeping power, while the Kingdom of God was interested in empowering the powerless.

How would Jesus vote? No one has any idea what so ever. And you are kidding yourself if you think you do. I have a feeling though that Jesus wouldn’t be voting — ever. He’d be more concerned with implementing the Kingdom of God in place of all human governments — including the US government. He’d be more concerned with preaching a message of peace, mercy, forgiveness, and helping the poor — not worrying about what government policies were in place. Because government policies are concerned with one thing — the physical nature of poverty. Jesus would go beyond that, recognizing something government never would — the spiritual poverty that exists.

I have a feeling he’d be more concerned with changing and replacing the culture of consumerism and the enthrallment with violence that we are stuck on — we have made these into our idols. Just question either one and see what I mean — “why aren’t you buying this or that? What do you mean you don’t think we should kill our enemies?”

How would Jesus vote? I’m guessing that he wouldn’t. He’d do the same thing he did with parables. He’d be offered two options by someone trying to trap him and he would propose an alternative that was completely different. Choosing between the two options would be endorsing a broken system that he never bought in to. I’m guessing that’s what Jesus would do. And just like the Pharisees who wanted Jesus to endorse their view of the world and were sorely disappointed and then angry at him, I have a feeling there would be a lot of Democrats and Republicans would be just as disappointed and maybe even extremely angry that Jesus not only dismissed their party loyalties, but would want to change the governing structure of the nation completely. I have a feeling he wouldn’t be invited to their party conventions, not even to offer the prayer. What a party pooper!

A reminder of what today is really about…

04 Monday Jul 2016

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Just a reminder of what today is really about thanks to the National Archives.  I leave a copy of it here for your reading enjoyment and to remember.

The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

We’re still waving palms at the gate

09 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Politics, Society, Theology

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Can we stop putting our hope of salvation in a human politician, authoritarian figure or a general now?  I look through history and pretty much what I see is a record of near constant death, war, destruction and failure.  But hey, maybe we’ve just tried the wrong person, right?

Are we really any different than the people waving palms at Jesus at the gate of Jerusalem?  They wanted a savior on their terms.  And what were their terms?  A military hero who would ride in on a white horse to kill the occupiers and those who would rule them, those who were a threat to their way of living, those who believed differently.  All so that this type of savior could set up a kingdom that would enslave and kill the oppressors – ie become that which the people hated, only they’d be the one in power and in control.

We haven’t changed in 2000 years.  If we are honest with ourselves, we still want this.  We want out leader to be the strongest, the one who will make the military strong and make the nation great.  We want a leader who will put our enemies in their place or better yet, kill them, so that we can revel in the glory of battle – we want blood.  We want a leader who can evoke God’s name on behalf our nation, a self-proclaimed chosen people of God, where we can wrap God in the flag of patriotism and use God to smite our enemies.  Kind of like all the other great nations that have gone before us – Rome, Greece, Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Britain, Russia, etc.

We still want the military hero or a strong leader that the people at the gate of Jerusalem yearned for 2000 years ago.  And Jesus is still disappointing us by not being that type of leader.  Instead, he’s offering an alternative – not the alternative of trading places with Rome either.  No the alternative is a completely different kingdom, with a different set of rules about citizenship, peace, grace, love and forgiveness.  A kingdom that actually transforms the world and all the people.  A kingdom that heals and restores and rehabilitates.

Instead, we trade this in, not believing it really.  It sounds too good to be true, so it must be false.  We pay lip service to our beliefs about the Kingdom of God and trade in our beliefs so can follow what we really believe – faith in a flawed system because at least we know what we are getting.  We can have a sense of control.  We can control what we are angry and fearful about.  What a way to live!

Does this mean we should abandon government and politics?  By no means.  But these things should not take precedence in our lives and thoughts and hearts.  Those things belong to God.  Let me ask you a question – how much time do you spend concerned over what the President or your Senator or Representative or Governor said today?  How much time did you spend concerned about what God has to say?  Are you waiting with baited breath to hear the latest pronouncement out of Washington or some campaign every day, but kind of cranky when the pastor preaches past 12 minutes, once a week, if you show up that often?  How much of your week is inundated with the speeches, rhetoric, mantras and slogans of campaigns and political parties?  How much of you week do you willingly listen and talk with God?

What if we actually started living out what we say Christianity teaches?  What if we showed grace and respect to those we disagree with?  Yeah, you reading this, who just posted a meme on facebook bashing those supporting the opposing candidate.  Oh wait, you thought others were supposed to show grace and respect to you first.

What if we forgave our enemies?  Or did you think forgiveness started with someone else who was clearly wrong and wronged you?

What if we asked for forgiveness for ourselves from others?  What if we loved those who seem unlovable because they are so different from ourselves?  Or is everyone just supposed to change and be like us because we’re considered normal?

What if we actually let go of this human desire to control our surroundings and those around us?  What if?

What if we really followed Christ?  It would be scary.  It would feel like we were free falling without a parachute.  It would change our lives, and not in ways we might want.  It might even mean death.  Those are costly things.  You’re probably thinking – Way to sell it Matthew.

Yet, that’s what Christianity is really about.  I think that for too long we’ve pushed aside the radicalness and transformativeness of Jesus because it’s beyond uncomfortable – the message is one that we really can’t control.  But unleash it and get out the way and look out – things change, people change.  That might be too much for some.  Then again, it might just change lives for the better and change the world in ways we could only imagine and ways that we can’t control.  It might be described as the onset of the Kingdom of God.

Or we could just keep doing what we’ve been doing throughout human history.  It’s worked so well up to this point, hasn’t it?

 

I must be out of my mind

26 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in Politics, Society, Theology

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I must be out of my mind.

I have to admit – I’m really confused these days.  It seems that the whole world is up side down.  I lived half my life in politics and thought I understood campaigning and politics – I’ve certainly done enough campaigns to make a legitimate claim to understanding.  Yet I find myself speechless when I look at the political world. Nothing seems to make sense this political season.  Candidates who wouldn’t have gotten the time of day in the past aren’t just seen as legitimate, but winning.  It seems as though what is legitimate now is outrageous language meant to incite fear and anger and division.

I’m confused about religion too.  Again, you’d think someone who has spent a good portion of his life thinking about, contemplating, praying, studying, etc about theology and God and religion would be able to claim some mantle of understanding about the subject.  Yet I find myself dumbfounded when I look at the so-called spokespersons of Christianity in the US.  Nothing seems to make sense.  I don’t understand so-called Christian leaders speaking words of judgement, exclusion, anger, fear, and nationalism.  Where is the hope, joy and grace?

The list could go on, but I think you get the point.  When I look out at the world, so much doesn’t make sense to me right now.

John Pavlovitz wrote an article about this recently. When I read it, two paragraphs spoke to me and express how I feel pretty well.

I’ve always thought that caring for the poor and sharing my blessings and walking humbly and showing mercy and seeking peace were all inherent in my calling as a Christian, yet from what I can see I really dropped the ball somewhere along the way, because these are certainly not on trend in the Church I’m seeing on the news and in Christian Universities and out on the campaign trail. I seem to remember the Jesus of the Gospels shunning status and opulence, casting aside power and privilege, bending to serve and feed and heal, but that can’t possibly be right given the headlines.

Apparently we Christians are supposed to fear and resent and vilify those who don’t look or talk or believe or love the way we do, we’re supposed to wield the power and be the bullies and seek retaliation and shut down disagreement. From what I can tell based in what I’m seeing, followers of Jesus were commissioned by him to go and be angry, crass, affluent, racist, misogynistic, homophobic warmongers, known in the world by our incendiary rhetoric, our stockpiled arsenals, our doomsday predictions, and our flag-waving bravado. (Funny, I always thought it was by our love, but that shows you the level of deception I’ve fallen victim to).

I find myself following a Christian path that seems unpopular, at least in the wider American culture.

It’s been said that you have to be out of your mind to follow Jesus.  His way is not the way of the world.   His way is not the popular and historical way of dealing with the world.

The way of the world is empire – conquer and eliminate those that would contest that power.  Peace through fear.  The leaders of empire speak emotional words meant to rile the masses to do their will.  The angry and irrational mob has become symbol of this.  There is no possibility of rational discussion with this mob.  There is no opportunity for reasonableness.  There is no chance to have discussion – where there is listening and speaking.  There is no compromise for the angry mob – it’s either their way or the highway.

This isn’t new in history.  It has happened many times in human history.  Apparently, we haven’t learned this lesson yet.

Which is all the more reason for me to follow a different path – one that doesn’t make sense to the world (or at least to American culture and even popular cultural Christianity).  the path charted by Jesus – the way of peace and love and service.  I must be out of my mind.  Thank God for that.  If the way of the world made sense to me, I’d be concerned about my mental health.

 

Streets in Gamla Stan, Stockholm

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

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Gamla Stan is a lovely idea – the very center of Stockholm.  And by center, I mean the center geographically, politically, in terms of power, and culture.  It’s also where all the tourists go.  And for good reason too.  It’s beautiful.

Gamla Stan, StockholmWhen you walk through Gamla Stan, you feel like you are walking back in time to when Sweden was an empire and a major world power.

Gamla Stan, StockholmBut now, Sweden is like many other nations, just another great place to visit and probably a great place to live.  Sweden learned some time ago that it doesn’t pay to have an empire.

Gamla Stan, StockholmThe power actually weighs in on itself and can be crushing.

Gamla Stan, StockholmAnd so now, Sweden is another country in the family of countries.  It’s got its own challenges, but it is also stable and welcoming.  Sweden does what it can to stay out of wars, yet is willing to open its doors to refugees.

Propping up the Empire

02 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Humanity, Society, Theology

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This morning I was having a serious debate with myself – which video do I want to re-post.  I decided that both were too good to pass up.  Then I realized, maybe the two actually go together.  Yay!

So here’s the first video.  It’s Brian Zahnd talking about empires versus Jesus.  It’s a great message and one I’ve been contemplating for a while now. Less than five minutes and well worth it.

I’ll just jump to the second video and then provide a few thoughts.  It’s a fake news report that pretty much sums up every financial new report you’ve ever seen.  (fair warning – they drop the F-bomb in the video).  It’s pure brilliance and well done and less than three minutes.

There’s a million things racing through my mind regarding these videos.  Yet, I’ll cut to the chase.  These videos are excellent because they speak a truth in a powerful way.  How often are we wrapping ourselves in the flag and propping up the empire at the expense of what we claim to believe is our foundation?  How often are we looking for an emotion to feel alive – even if that emotion is painful, rather than use that emotion to be called out into the world as Jesus calls us.  In both cases, the empire and the “news” want us to be sheep that are herded here and there, too busy and too tired to do anything.

And we are supposed to be sheep, it’s not far off.  However, as Christians, our shepherd is different and leads us in a different direction – one that calls us to act out of love, because we are loved.  One that calls us to grace because we have been given grace.  One that calls us to lift up the helpless, because we were helpless too.  One that calls us to use the emotion produced by what we see to change what we see, ourselves and those around us for the better.  One that calls us to stop complaining and start doing.  All of this we can do because it was done for us first.