Worshipping the Slaughtered Lamb...

Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break the seals?" And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne.

Revelation 5:1-7

The Word of the Lord

THANKS BE TO GOD!

I have been reading Mere Discipleship again, by Lee Camp. Been reflecting on the way of faithfulness to Jesus in a messed up world. Thought about my post from May 30 of last year and the victory speech of President Bush on May 2, 2003 aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The following are excerpts from Mere Discipleship (Brazos Press, 2003):

Worship is a matter of allegiance: whom shall we deem worthy of glory honor, and dominion?

Worship is inseparably linked to ethics. Worship leads us to become a particular kind of people, a people who reflect the ways of the God we worship.

The New Testament celebrates not merely that God has won in Christ, but that God has won in the crucified Christ.

To ascribe honor to a slaughtered Lamb--unless it be mere lip service--necessarily leads us to obedience to the way of the Lamb. God has conquered, and we praise him. And because he is worthy of our praise, he is worthy--and authoritative--to reveal how faithful followers are to participate in the triumph of God's purposes in human history. Because he has conquered, he is worthy to reveal how the church shall conquer.

To claim Christ as Lord flies in the face of a constitutional theory that makes "religion" both "private and subordinate (to the nation-state)."

The way of Jesus certainly would have us "believe the right things." But this is not "mere belief"--Jesus instead called his disciples to see the world aright, to envision the world in light of the coming reign of God.

Whether one views history from the perspective of heaven or earth results in profoundly different conclusions: viewed from the perspective of the throne room of God, the way of the slaughtered Lamb leads to victory. Viewed from the throne rooms and Oval Offices of this world, such a way is foolish, unrealistic, impractical, irrelevant: and so, better to keep such notions "private," a matter of "mere belief."

All extant Christian writings prior to the fourth century reject the practice of Christians killing in warfare. They rejected killing in warfare, in short, because it violated the way and teachings of Christ.

Tertullian: "If we are enjoined to love our enemies, whom have we to hate? If injured we are forbidden to retaliate. Who then can suffer injury at our hands?"

Clement of Alexandria: "If you enroll as one of God's people, heaven is your country and God your lawgiver. And what are his laws?...Thou shalt not kill.... Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. To him that strikes thee on the one cheek, turn also the other."

Cyprian: "And what more--that you should not curse; that you should not seek again your goods when taken from you; when buffeted you should turn the other cheek; and forgive not seven times but seventy times seven.... That you should love your enemies and pray for your adversaries and persecutors?"

Justin: "If you love merely those that love you, what do you that is new?"

Our worship is why we don't kill our enemies. The Lamb of God, through suffering and death, has inaugurated the new aeon, in which offenses are forgiven, sins remitted, and war is learned no more.

Christian nonviolence is not rooted merely in a few proof texts from the Sermon on the Mount or other Gospel accounts of the teaching of Jesus. Much more, Christian nonviolence flows out of the entire narrative of redemption and follows immediately from worshipping the God revealed in the slaughtered Lamb.

Unless our lives embody that good news, our worship is in vain.

Surely, so the reasoning goes, loving our enemies cannot be an effective social or political policy. To "love our enemies," many have concluded, must mean that we have a loving attitude, but little more. In the "real world" the way of Jesus cannot be taken seriously.

But doesn't God desire justice on the earth? So what about the "just war theory?"

In this tradition, certain criteria determine when it is acceptable to use violence against an aggressor: (1) Is there legitimate authority? (2) Is there a just cause, a real offense against innocents? (3) Is the war fought with the right intention? (4) Is the war fought only after all honest attempts have been made to resolve the situation without employing violence? (5) Is the war winnable? (6) Are innocent civilians protected in the waging of war?

Some theologians and leaders have raised their voice in opposition of the religious overtones applied to policy decisions justifying war. They have exposed the false narrative of redemptive violence on the grounds of GOOD exorcising EVIL through the mechanisms of a righteous war conducted by nation-state.

In the final analysis...the just war tradition cannot worship a crucified Lamb.

But the just war tradition can also be critiqued historically. Particularly in our modern era, seldom has the just war tradition worked in practice. Few "just war Christians" have ever used the criteria to actually decide whether they would or would not fight in a particular war.

A lazy use of the just war tradition most often provides a rationalization for Christians killing their alleged enemies. When governments tell Christians to wage war, Christians wage war.

Moral laziness does not take the criteria of the just war tradition seriously. And that moral laziness gives way to nationalism, to blind obedience to the nation-state, to bowing to the idols erected by the fallen principalities and powers. We worship the wrong god.

When will the myth of bringing justice through redemptive violence be exposed?

When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sing a new song:

"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth."

Pax

The Ground Truth

The Lancaster District churches of Lancaster Mennonite Conference are sponsoring an important event on Sunday evening at 7 pm. The Ground Truth is a film that features the voices of soldiers who have served in Iraq. I have previewed the film and would agree with the critics that it is riveting and intensely provocative. Out of their own experiences on the frontlines, the soldiers speak an undeniable truth about the human cost of war.

So why is a group of peace churches sponsoring this event? I believe this event at James St. Mennonite Church represents an attempt to bear witness to our theology of peace, while at the same time responding to those who have served in the military with compassion. The witness would be that it is not only innocent civilians who are the casualties of war. Just as we would advocate against the tendency to de-humanize “the enemy” we are seeking to be consistent with this ethic and not de-humanize those who for whatever reason have served in the military.

I believe the film challenges us to consider what it means as Christians to have a consistent ethic of life. To be pro-life covers a whole range of issues from the womb to the tomb. To espouse family values means we will also take into consideration the impact of our international policies and military campaigns on the lives of families in the countries of occupation.

As Christians in the Anabaptist tradition, we seek to apply the life and teachings of Jesus to real life. We are committed to the belief that Jesus’ words and actions are relevant to the real and complex issues of our day. So to be a follower of Jesus means that we will attempt to follow his teachings and example. So we don’t write off the Sermon on the Mount as impractical in today’s world. Jesus’ call to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us means that our calling as Christians will place us in some real tensions with the systems and powers of the world. Jesus’ life and teachings are relevant to the real issues of terrorism, sectarian violence, and insurgent attacks.

Yet, we do not view those who have sacrificed much—soldiers and other military personnel—as the enemy. As Christians in the peace tradition, I think we experience a real ambivalence when it comes to honoring veterans. We recognize the personal sacrifice and yet do not support the policies and methods of war. We reserve our allegiance for the Kingdom of God, yet we live as citizens of a nation-state which looks to military might as a primary guarantor of the American way of life. So what do we do with those who have left home and family to put their lives in places of dangers to do what their nation’s government says is right? What do we do with their willingness to lay down their lives? I believe this film is one attempt to listen to their voices. I believe the truth they speak of out of their experience should only increase our commitment to be peacemakers in a world gone mad with violence.

If we are going to be peacemakers, we must be committed to truth-telling. If Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, we must take seriously his words that call us to love of enemy and the way of the cross. This is not just an elective part of the Christian Way, it is the essential core curriculum for those who are seeking first the Kingdom of God. The Christendom model of Christianity is bankrupt. Let’s take the cross off our sword and shields (and the contemporary munitions). Let us stop killing in the name of Jesus. Let's take ourselves off the white horse bringing about the apocalypse through our righteous violence against the axis of evil. That narrative must be tested with Scripture and named for what it is--a counterfeit of the Christian understanding of sin and the human condition.

In previous posts I have acknowledged that I don’t expect the kingdoms of this world to appropriate the teachings of Jesus. But as a Church, let us at least recognize that we are called to be a counter-community—salt and light. Nevertheless, as we bear witness to a peaceable kingdom, we will engage the kingdoms of this world in a spirit of love and compassion. And we do not just remain quiet when our silence represents a complicity with failed policies and short-sighted doctrines of war. We renew our commitment to be ambassadors of a consistent pro-life ethic.

Keith Olberman is one voice who is raising questions about the way we read current events and history. Whether or not you agree with his tone, I believe the questions he raises are legitimate. The lessons of Vietnam were costly. Let us not reframe that tragic war in a way that blinds us from seeing the truth of the Iraq war.

Peace