Violence and final Revelation
Background
If there is a left wing-media “War on Christianity” (Andrew Bolt) few Christians have insight into God’s greater purposes in it all. This came across to me starkly as I joined several hundred leaders listening to our nation’s highest profile public defender of Christianity, John Dickson. Dickson’s presentation, How the Church is Better and Worse Than You Ever Imagined, was accurate, compelling and most of all Christ centred. I doubt however if many in the audience picked up a vital integrating thread of the talk, for few wholeheartedly accept how God uses violence to reveal himself. Unless there’s a spiritual revolution to do with our responses to violence Western Christianity is doomed to cultural irrelevance.
Violence in our Story
Violence is central to the narrative of our time. Yesterday shocking figures came out about sexual harassment at our universities; 51% of students in the last 12 months have been subject to at least one episode of abuse. The day before newspapers were headlining another terrorist plot in Sydney. The week before the ABC profiled Evangelicals as the worst perpetrators of domestic violence against women. Child sexual abuse by institutions, particularly through the Catholic Church, is the crime of the century. The list seems endless, the brutal racism of the “Stolen Generations”, in which many Christian denominations were complicit, is a shadow still hanging over our country. If all this sounds too P.C. then consider the immersion in violence via video games and pornography. Or the weird sadistic acts against one’s own body in bulimia and anorexia; and can a society which has teenage girls cutting their own arms still be considered sane? Secularists see the Church’s resistance to same sex marriage as part of a violent historical trajectory that includes the Crusades, the Inquisition, and burning witches. Only one question matters in all this, “Where is Jesus?”
Jesus’ non Violence
Only Jesus ever taught and lived anything like this, ““Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, spray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”” (Luke 6:27-31). From the time of Herod’s attempt to slaughter him to his horrific death on the cross Christ’s life is framed by violence. Never however did he retaliate. As an eye witness to Jesus’ sufferings Peter testifies, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Pet 2:23; 5:1). Christ’s lifelong enduring of violence does not make him a model for pacifism; it is the final definitive revelation of the nature of God. The primary Christian confession is not the greatness of God, many others believe this, but the love of God (John 3:16). We testify to God’s love because he became human and bore all our violence against him in order to save us. “I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.” (Isa 50:6; Matt 26:67; Luke 22:63). The Lamb of God has triumphed over all violence through his undying humility and calls us to the same cruciform manner of living (Phil 2:5-11; Rev 5:6). Mistreatment for our beliefs is essential to being Christlike (2 Tim 3:12).
Endure Violence as a Christian
The New Testament testimony is overwhelming; the followers of Jesus must submit to violence against them just as he did; “when persecuted we endure…. patiently enduring evil…endure suffering… let us go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured…. when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God…” (1 Cor 4:12; 2 Tim 2:24; 4:5; Heb 13:13). Today’s crucial need is not for a more “muscular Christianity” but a deeper immersion in the ultimate power of the love of the cross. This “love” which “endures all things” reveals where the whole narrative Ends – the Lamb has conquered every evil aggressive power and invites us to share in his everlasting kingdom of peace (1 Cor 13:7). A Church without reactivity, negativity or a posture of self-defensiveness is a Body that most looks like Jesus. Historically an influential Western Christianity lost this plot because it was too politically powerful to endure violence. Praise the Lord, in his sovereign grace he is returning the Western Church to its proper place in his story as a bearer of abuse for the sake of others.
Conclusion
Many Christians love to see their brothers and sisters in places of power and influence, especially in the political and economic world. Continuing on this track of worldy wisdom will certainly see the progressive marginalisation of Christian influence on culture. This might be unpleasant and humiliating to the Church but hardly brutal. There is another possible scenario however, one which is gospel centred. If we take up the cross of Christ and embrace a nonviolent, non reactive, gentle and respectful disposition to our critics (1 Pet 3:15) we should anticipate a response like Christ’s enemies showed during his trial and crucifixion. On the one hand there was an increasingly histrionic, irrational and violent persecution despite his innocence; ““Pilate said…Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.”” (Mark 15:14). On the other hand, through the revelation of a God of enduring love came a turning away from evil; “all the crowds…when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts….when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”” (Luke 23:48; Mark 15:39). Evil cannot ultimately resist the revelation of a love that bears violence against itself.
To the degree we know that Jesus has humbly triumphed over violence we will ourselves be fearless in the face of aggression; “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy,” (1 Pet 3:14-15). The supremacy of God’s loving wisdom is revealed in suffering according to “the will of God” without the need for self defence (1 Pet 3:17). May we all learn to respond to unjust criticism as Christ did. If we do this we will find that anti-God violence, instead of being our demise, will light up a brilliant future for Western Christianity.