Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

A Culture of Co-Suffering in an Age of Violence (Part One) - Fr. Richard Rene

A Culture of Co-Suffering in an Age of Violence (Part One)

I am in the process of reading a fascinating (if difficult) book recommended to me by one of my parishioners entitled Violence Unveiled. The author, Gil Bailie, is a Christian anthropologist who explores the phenomenon of violence in modern society through the lens of the Gospel.

Bailie uses the work of French philosopher Rene Girard to suggest that the increasing violence of today’s world is the result of a breakdown between “sacred” and “profane” forms of violence, a breakdown that began with the coming of Christ, His death and resurrection.

Bailie’s argument is complex, but it goes something as follows. Society has always struggled with destructive violence. Before Christianity, societies dealt with this violence by turning their violent impulses on a scapegoat—a person or a marginalized group with obvious differences from themselves.

By elevating violence against the scapegoat to the level of religious mythology, societies were able to use “good” violence against the scapegoat to unite their peoples and bring an end to the “bad” violence that threatened to tear them apart. As long as everyone within that society continued to believe the mythology, they would remain united in their common enmity against the scapegoat, as opposed to being torn apart by internal conflicts.

Intro to John's Gospel - Podcast by Brad Jersak

The following podcast was preached at Fresh Wind, June 23, 2013:

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Re: Background research for authorship, dating, and occasion I did my best to let go of both evangelical assumptions about what must be and liberal assumptions about what mustn't be. In the end, the research I found most thorough and arguments I found most compelling did point to Johannine authorship (John the evangelist or possibly a protege steward of his tradition, if John the elder were in fact a separate figure).

Internal evidence, tradition and external evidence, including archaeology and early allusions, led me to lean toward the majority conservative view of a mid 90's composition, probably occasioned by and directed toward disputes connected to the synagogues (Pharisee party Jews vs. Christian Jews--cf. David Rensberger, Johannine Faith and Liberating Community) in Asia Minor (though with possible roots in Judean vs. Galileen communities). Relevance to Christian struggles with Gnostic heresies were more likely much later applications of Johannine theology. 

In terms of those whose research I found most meticulous and current--and less speculative--I leaned tooward Craig Keener (Gospel of John, 2 Vols.) and Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eye-Witnesses and The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple. Because of the brevity of the message, I briefly dismissed the radical skepticism of Spong as passe, but did not have the time to deliberate on the strength of other views, most notably John Meier in his marvelous series, A Marginal Jew (4 Vols.). 

For a sample of Keener's approach, click: Assumptions-in-Historical-Jesus-Research. 

P.S. Sadly, at the last moment, I grabbed a different Bible than I had prepared with--the quite readable NET translation--but didn't notice until too late that 3 of the verses in the Scripture reading were in highlighted boxes but not in the main text! And they are obviously important enough to have been highlighted, so I provide them here in that translation, if only to entice readers further:

v. 5 "And the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it." (NET)

v. 23 "John said, 'I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, Make straight the way for the Lord, as Isaiah the prophet said." (NET)

v. 39 "Jesus said, 'Come and you will see.'" 

Hearing from God alongside 'the damned' - Bob Ekblad

One recent Sunday in the jail I discovered that the normal ‘B-pod’ group of inmates I usually meet with were ‘locked down’ due to a fight.  The guard ushered in a different group of 8 or so men instead.  After introducing ourselves and praying I had someone read Romans 1:18-31.  As an inmate read the first verse I suddenly saw something I had never noticed.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness -- of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” 

“Do you guys notice here that God’s wrath is not revealed against people?” I asked, interrupting the reading. “God’s wrath is against ungodliness and unrighteousness!  Wrath is not directed at unbelieving, deceptive, abusive, lustful or angry men, but against unbelief, deception, abuse, lust and anger.  Does this sound like good news?”

The men looked up from their bibles with wide eyes, surprised, even a bit jolted.  Suddenly it dawned on me that I was reading Romans 1 with the sex-offender pod, men who hadn’t had access to weekly Bible studies due to the danger of mixing them with other inmates because of their despised, sex-offender status.

The Bible and the Land of Shades pt. 2 - Goa and Jersak

The Bible and the Land of Shades - David Goa and Brad Jersak

"Why study F D Maurice?" - Interview with Frances Knight

F D Maurice Anglican Comprehensiveness - with Ron Dart

The so-called 'violence' of Jesus in the so-called 'cleansing of the temple' - by Brad Jersak

I find it uncanny how often the so-called 'cleansing of the temple' incident (Mk. 11:15–19, 11:27–33, Mt. 21:12–17, 21:23–27, Lk. 19:45–48, 20:1–8 and Jn. 2:13–16) is cited as an example of Jesus' use 'violence' and then employed as a precedent and endorsement for the Christian use of violence.

It seems bizarre to equate Jesus' prophetic act as 'violent' at all, if our definition of violence has anything to do with 'doing harm to others.' Sure, the temple incident was 'violent' in the broader sense that it was a show of force or an intervention. But that's not how the Bible uses the term: throughout the Bible, the word 'violence' is associated with injustice, bloodshed and death. There's a galaxy of distance between what Jesus did in the temple and killing one's enemies -- something Jesus spoke directly against. This is especially so when just days later he rebukes Peter with the command, "Put down your sword. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword" -- an injunction the early church canonized and understood as a universal instruction for all Christians (cf. John Driver, How Christians Made Peace With War). 

Even for readers who believe in some forms of 'just violence' in lawful ways (e.g., police action), the temple incident is not the place to start or end. As we'll see, it has nothing to do with justifying the Christian use of violence. So then, what do we make of Jesus' seemingly out-of-character actions? Here are some thoughts:

Peter's Denial and Following the Crowd - Interview with Rene Girard by Steven Berry

The Sheep and Goats in Context - Santo Calarco

It was the last days of Jesus’ earthly life. According to Matthew it was his last parable of his last teaching and it concerned the last days1. Yes I am referring to the parable of the Sheep and the Goats. What was the point Jesus was trying to make in this parable? It mentions that the sheep went off into eternal life and the goats into eternal punishment. Is this the central focus of this parable? I don’t believe so.

In this paper I would like to suggest the primary meaning of this parable through an examination of its literary and historical context. But given so many Christians get hung up on the words “eternal fire” and “eternal punishment” in this story and therefore sidetracked from its real meaning, I will deal with these issues first and then return to the intent of the parable in its historical context.

The goats and eternal conscious torment. It is maintained that these phrases are the strongest case for eternal conscious torment in the bible. Here’s how the argument goes. Jesus sets two fates in parallel: “eternal life” and “eternal punishment”. If “eternal life” is endless then, it is argued so is the “eternal punishment”. It is reasoned that “eternal” cannot mean one thing when applied to life and another when applied to punishment! Since eternal punishment means endless, then not everyone can or will be saved ... so they say. This sounds very convincing. The issue is however what does the Greek word translated “eternal” actually mean? Does it mean endless?

Click here to download the full article: SHEEP AND GOATS IN CONTEXT

'Being the church in Abbotsford' - Reflections by Henry Smidstra

Being the church in Abbotsford.                  Ron Dart, J.H.Hans Kouwenburg, J. Christopher Reiners, eds. Abbotsford. Mill Lake Books, 2013                                                 Some reflections. Henk Smidstra

This is an interesting, informative, little book providing many descriptions of, and insights into, the faith, life, and politics, of the faith community in Abbotsford as reflected on by a small select group of pastors, Christian educators, and business people from Abbotsford.  There are inspiring descriptions of local ministries as well as much food for thought in this book. The book stimulated my natural interest and inclination to reflect on the ideas of justice and politics. The Christian Reformed Church happens to be the denomination of my affiliation, so the essay, “Reformed Churches in Abbotsford: A brief history,” also caught my eye. Though I do not live in Abbotsford, I have worked in the Prison system for many years, and my involvement often brought me into the M2W2 office, and into the prisons of Abbotsford.

The stated intention of the editors of the book is to provide a selection of readings by local pastors and Christian professionals that reflect how the Christian churches and individuals“…are engaged in various activities, at a variety of levels, in the church and public square of Abbotsford.” As one reads the essays, the picture that emerges is one of a faith community of local churches and individuals, motivated by faith, robustly and creatively involved in providing charity and doing business in a stewardly and equitable manner. Ron Dart, in his essay, “Faith and Politics in Abbotsford: Threading the Needle”,  reveals the astounding statistic, provided by Revenue Canada, that Abbotsford-Mission was rated for the highest per-capita giving of charitable donations of any urban area in Canada in 2010. Jim Burkinshaw describes some specific ministries of charity in his essay, “The Heart of the Church in Abbotsford: How the Church Shows Love to the City.” A marvelous picture is revealed of social justice and mercy programs showing the love of God in a ministry of mercy in Abbotsford. The essays reveal a picture of overwhelming volunteer engagement in a variety of areas of needs and ministries. As Prison chaplain, I too was blessed over the years  by volunteers from M2W2, who showed amazing qualities of love and provided services of care went beyond the call of duty to mentor and visit prisoners in prison, as well as assisting them after release in the community. I regret that this ministry was mentioned only in passing, along with other ministries however, indicating a surplus of examples of civic engagement by volunteer ministries in Abbotsford.  The heart of the church in the Abbotsford area is certainly large. My question is: is a big heart enough?

Tradition, Traditions and Traditionalism: Seeing from the Summit by Ron Dart

Review of Anna Yin's 'Inhaling the Silence' - by Ron Dart

Anna Yin, Inhaling the Silence:  Poems (Mosaic Press, 2013).

Hannah Arendt, in her classic tome of political philosophy, The Human Condition, highlighted, in an acute way, how the West had given itself to a driven and hyper active existence (vita activa). Arendt rightly noted, that in doing so, we have lost the ability to heed, hear or, in Ann Yin’s recent poetic missive, Inhale the Silence. The erratic franticness of the West means that the vita contemplativa is often missing as a means of seeing and being. Anna Yin, to her challenging credit, has called, like Arendt, those who read her poetry to a more contemplative, meditative way of being. What is absorbed and internalized when the portals of silence are opened and the ancient message from such a place is inhaled?

When America Went to Hell - Brian Zahnd

When America Went To Hell
Brian Zahnd

“How I wish that you of all people would understand the things that make for peace.”
—Jesus (Luke 19:42)

Whether or not slavery was the direct cause for the first shots fired upon Fort Sumter in April of 1861 is a matter of scholarly debate. What is undeniable is that two and half centuries of slavery was the fuel that caused the American Civil War to ignite into a conflagration that resulted in 623,000 deaths. From its Jamestown beginnings the American colonies and later the United States practiced one of the most brutal forms of slavery the world has ever known. The preservation of an institution that systematically dehumanized millions of people for the sake of economic gain was not a thing that made for peace. Inevitably that kind of cruel exploitation would overflow its cup and unleash death and hell, bringing everything that is the opposite of peace. During the horror of the American Civil War, the “land of the free” became a burning Gehenna. Thirty percent of Southern men of fighting age were slain on battlefields that saw the birth of modern warfare. From now on, war would be totalized and mechanized. The four horseman of the Apocalypse galloped across America leaving a wake of war, disease, famine, and death.

But in tragic irony a spiritual revival had swept through America during the decade before the Civil War. Americans flocked to churches and evangelistic meetings. This was especially true in the more religious South where Christianity was embraced with greater fervency than in the less zealous North. Across the country revival was on, churches grew, conversions multiplied. People got saved, praised Jesus, and talked about heaven. Then they went to hell. Or at least the same kind of hell Jesus had warned Jerusalem about during his final days. Despite a great “revival,” a nation of Christians was thrust into a hell of cannonballs, Gatling guns, field hospitals, and amputation saws. Great cities were set aflame and fields were littered with thousands of rotting corpses. The fires were not quenched and the maggots did not die. What had gone wrong? Millions had “accepted Jesus” and shouted hosanna, but they did not know the things that make for peace. They prayed a sinner’s prayer, “got right with God,” and kept their slaves. They had a faith that would justify the sinner while bringing no justice to the slave. They had faith that gave them a ticket to heaven…and a highway to hell. The religious fervor in the conservative churches of the South only served to convince them that they were blessed by heaven. They were quite certain God smiled upon their deep devotion to their southern-fried Jesus. If they had to go to war to preserve their freedom, so be it — God was on their side. They were sure of it. But there would be hell to pay.

J. Philip Newell's 'Christ of the Celts' - excerpts on the Cross from ch. 6 - Paying the Piper

Paying the Piper

...Countless numbers of men and women in the Western world have found the church's traditional teaching on the cross either perplexing or offensive, especially the suggestion that Christ's death is a type of payment for sin.  Who exactly is requiring payment?  Is there some cosmic legal system at work, more complicated even than our earthly judicatures, that somehow needs to be satisfied?

p. 78

...one of the things we do not hear in Celtic spirituality is the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, a dogma that has dominated the landscape of Western Christian thought and practice.  Like so much else in our imperial Christian inheritance, it is linked with the doctrine of original sin.  There are two assumptions behind this thinking.  First, God requires payment, like a piper that can be paid to change his tune, from judgment to forgiveness.  And second, we are so sinful that we cannot make a worthy payment.  So a substitute is made, which God himself provides: Christ, the perfect sacrifice.

...if we are discovering...there is much in the doctrine of substitutionary atonement that is opposed to our deepest experiences of forgiveness--namely, that forgiveness by its very nature is absolutely free--then we need to find new language to speak about the way in which Christ leads us into the experience of forgiveness at the heart of life....

p. 80