(IMAGE: ONE WAY JESUS by tataijucc at deviantart.com)
Two separate news articles recently caught my attention. The subjects were different, but both were about Christians responding to people and situations with which they disagreed.
The first article was about a pub in Australia called Mary’s Newtown. Shortly before Easter the pub posted a picture on Facebook of Jesus holding a beer and a cigarette with the caption “Jesus got hammered for his sin, you can too. Open from 12 Good Friday and ALL long weekend.” Many people were offended and criticized the pub for being disrespectful. I agree. A Facebook page called Orthodox Christianity asked their followers to “Please give this place a bad rating, they are Mocking our Lord Jesus Christ.” They did. Mary’s Newtown deleted the post with an apology. Here’s the kicker: the reason they took it down was because of “threats of sexual and physical violence” against the pub’s staff.
The other article was about a situation in San Antonio, Texas. A few weeks ago the City Council blocked the opening of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in San Antonio International Airport because of the company’s supposed “legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior,” then last week the Council narrowly voted down a motion to reconsider that decision. In response to the first ruling a Christian group called Texas Values conducted a “Save Chick-fil-A Day” protest at the Texas state Capitol building in Austin, pushing for lawmakers to support two bills that would prohibit the government from penalizing business owners on grounds of religious faith.
I believe both these reactions are off-base from our calling as Christ’s followers. These two groups are identifying themselves as “Christian” which means they are claiming to represent Christ, to be like Christ, to carry out the will of Christ, and to implement the mission of Christ’s Kingdom. One group seems to believe the way to respond to disrespect is to threaten violence. The other group seems to believe the means for changing minds is governmental authority. Jesus opted for neither.
Brothers and sisters, we have not been commissioned to make sure everyone does right by using force, including the force of law and/or violence. Jesus commissioned his people to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20). The apostle Paul explained that we are to do this by means of “the ministry of reconciliation,” being controlled by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-21).
Speaking of Christ’s love, Jesus taught how to respond to opposition: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect ” (Matthew 5:43-48).
These two situations should have been handled differently by people claiming to be “Christian.”
What if a Christian had gone to the owner of the pub in Australia and simply asked to talk about the image on Facebook, then calmly and respectfully shared what Jesus really did – he was hammered for our sins, not his – then asked them to take down the post, and then accepted his answer? Do you think that might be closer to Jesus’ way than “threats of sexual and physical violence”?
And regarding the events in San Antonio, let’s take a cue from Chick-fil-A’s own response. A company official said, “We’ll leave politics for others to debate. Chick-fil-A remains committed to serving great food with remarkable service in our restaurants that are welcoming to all.” The means for Christians to do our mission ought to be more like that: remarkable service while loving everyone.
Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is like yeast in bread dough (Luke 13:20-21). Yeast is a living microorganism that spreads through the dough and leavens it – causes it to slowly rise until it is ready for baking into bread. The Kingdom does not take over by force, although it is powerful. It spreads by giving life within until there is new creation. Our attitudes and methods matter. The ways and means we employ to carry out our mission must correspond with our King and his Kingdom.
(IMAGE: TO FOLLOW JESUS by Truth-lover3712 at deviantart.com)
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