. . . when the Church is taken merely as a means to transform society, very little is accomplished. For in that case the uniqueness of the Church is denied and we enter battle on the same terms as secular and godless forces. We assume the battle for right and justice can be won by force, by technique, by doing. It can't. These very clearly are not the weapons of Christian warfare (Eph. 6:10-20). Truly Christian transformation of culture comes through Christlike (and henceforth sacrificial) love, community and being.
Snyder has put into words what I have felt for many years, particularly when Christians enter into the arena of politics and social justice. We have become very adept at threatening and manipulating to achieve our "righteous" ends. But it looks a lot like the world and not like the Christlike community and spirit I yearn to see revealed in the effort to confront the world with the values of God's kingdom. (See, I said "confront." Power language is very hard to get beyond.)
Many believe Christians are called to speak truth to power . . . but do we speak in the language of love or in the language of power? Power may understand the language of power when we speak it. Power is also very skilled in neutralizing the language of power when we use it. Sacrificial love, on the other hand, presents problems to power. They can crush it, thus exposing power for what it is. Or power can give in to it, thus transforming it and bringing it in line with the values of God's kingdom. Power can try to ignore love, but I believe, as Snyder does, that the love of Christ is a compelling force that ultimately cannot be denied.
2 comments:
I enjoy blog-jumping using the "next blog" key on most blog homepages. This is how I arrived at yours. Though we probably disagree on many points, I found your comments on Christian-based social and political activism thoughtful and provoking. Your analysis of the semantics of power are also intriguing. It is comforting to see someone from the religious community explore these tensions.
I am still struggling with "Reaching Out without Dumbing Down" by Marva J. Dawn. Last night I read something regarding music in worship that parallels your quote on words. Dawn quotes Kenneth Myers' "all God's children and Blue Suede Shoes, "...popular culture's greatest influence is in the way it shapes how we think and feel (more than what we think and feel) and how we think and feel about thinking and feeling." All this somehow ties into my dislike for the term "prayer warriors." Dispite my love of the song "Onward, Christian Soldiers," I have had trouble with it since I realized the undertone of war. Yes, I am a child of the '60s.
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