From Fred Peatross‘ GraceAwakening newsletter this week:
The whole landscape (and all our questions) change if the ever present dangers of terrorism and the Middle East evolve to a place where Christianity finds itself on a collision course with Islam. Though the 21st century there will continue to be more Christians in the world than Muslims, yet both will be jostling for converts, and often in the same places. Some foresee several countries “being brought to ruin by the clash of jihad and crusade.” If this happens, our questions die and new ones arise.
Fred’s newsletter wasn’t primarily about this topic, but this was the part that connected most with my thinking as of late, and it’s on a hot topic in the postmodern world: power.
Since Constantine, Christianity has been a religion of power. Islam emerged and gained power, and the two powers fought jihads/crusades over the Holy Land, Europe, and beyond. It was ugly, to say the least. We are now, increasingly, living in a post-Constantinian age, where the church recognizes that it is not the dominant force in culture. Some churches react to this fact by attempting to gain the kinds of power that our culture expects - by producing Christian media as an alternative. Some react by continuing to fight the “culture wars” that have already been lost on many fronts.
Islam is emerging on the world scene again as a religion of power, because it is no longer staying out of Western sight. It is here, and we all know about it, and there are lots of Muslims around. Some of them are peacable and kind people who want to advance the reign of righteousness and peace on earth in God’s name. Some of them want to blow up as many Christians or Jews as possible. I will not lump all of them together, but it is clear that there is a power-hungry and violent faction within Islam that would like nothing more than a full-on violent engagement with the Christian world, which it expects to win.
I don’t know what Western governments will do in response to this threat. It will likely continue to be a difficult course to navigate. But I know what we must not do. We must not use the rhetoric of the US as a “Christian nation” to justify eye-for-an-eye warfare between the world’s major religions. The politicians who do this must be told that they do not speak for God or Christians, and their statements must be responded to by influential Christians in a way that does not imply the “Christian nation” myth. I’m not speaking of politics here, though. I’m talking about the attitude of Christians and the Church toward hegemony and military might.
Christianity must again become what it once was - a movement of people who seek to live in the way of Jesus, whatever the cost. Not an empire, not a nation, not a worldview, but a people - a called-out-to-be-God’s people, who do not play by the rules of power and violence. This will be increasingly hard as Islam asserts its growing power.
Moreover, this is not easy in the West, at least for caucasian Christians, because we have been an imperialistic people for centuries, who relished their ability to whack native cultures on the head with our “guns, germs, and steel” to gain profit and control. Many of these white power-abusers were Christians, and did it in the name of Christianity. This is the baggage we are born with as white American Christians.
Many who share the above demographic characteristics with me are still playing the power game. It may be primarily about church budgets and money; it may be about Hollywood movies or the specific swear words that are allowed on primetime TV; it may be about helping the Republican party achieve its agenda. But if it is about power, it is not enough about Christ.
He could have called ten thousand angels
To destroy the world and set him free
He could have called ten thousand angels
But he died alone
For you and me.
Jesus had his reasons for allowing himself to be crucified, of course. I think it’s significant, though, that after his resurrection he did not round up his followers for a revenge campaign. Instead, he encouraged them to wait for his power, the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit came on Pentecost, they did not begin the aforementioned butt-whoopin’ campaign. They started to live in community, to care for each other, and to embody and share the news about the Kingdom of God that Jesus talked so much about. This is what we must do again, and leave the assertion of power to the One who will not abuse it.
The assertion of military power in the name of Christ is arrogant presumption, but the assertion of military power in the name of Islamic jihad against infidels is consistent with Islamic teachings, even if the majority of Muslims prefer to interpret their faith differently.
I find it hard to believe that history will ever again see anything like the Crusades, because the church is no longer a dominant moral and political agent in the west.
Instead, we’ll see intolerant liberal governments pitted against intolerant Islamic extremists, and Christians will be asked to choose sides. Both are enemies of Christ.
Meanwhile, obeying the call to take the Good News into all of the world, and because the Good News is finding traction in many Islamic nations, more and more Christian faith communities will be persecuted by the Islamic majorities. Islamic extremism is growing, and Jews and Christians serve as convenient targets for the hostility of these militant factions.
These will be difficult times for the church.
I think at the same time, though, Islam has a world reputation to protect. The West in general is pretty tolerant, but not of violent intolerance, as we’re seeing now. I think the violent strains of Islam will eventually get themselves selected out of the gene pool. If all the violent Muslims blow themselves up…
This reminds me of a quip I once heard about the middle ages. Imagine how history would be different if the most brilliant minds of Europe - Aquinas, for example - had not been selected into the clergy. The most gifted people often became scholars/monks and thus were celibate, so they couldn’t pass on their genes. Interesting to think about.
Here’s a slightly different perspective on antagonism in general from Oswald Chambers (December 4 devotional, MUH): http://www.myutmost.org/12/1204.html
“Life without war is impossible either in nature or in grace. The basis of physical, mental, moral, and spiritual life is antagonism. This is the open fact of life.”
I believe the Islamic issue is a mainly a spiritual battle, but there is no getting around its physical, mental, and moral aspects. Simply wishing peace won’t make it so; no One can bring peace but the Prince of Peace, and assertion of military power in his name (what other name would you prefer) should be both a humbling and spiritual proposition. I’m not concerned with past, present, or future Western hegemony when my nation is under attack and my Jewish and Christian brothers and sisters are being indiscriminately slaughtered.