The events of last week left me stunned. Stunned by the resurgence of Naziism. Stunned by the moral ambivalence displayed by our president. Stunned by the reoccurrence of Jihad on the streets of Barcelona. Stunned that violence and hate seem to hold the upper hand.
The Nazis marching in Charlottesville called for violence against African Americans and Jewish Americans. Their protest of the removal of statues honoring Confederate generals had nothing to do with honoring history. It had everything to do with hate and racism. One young woman was killed as one of these hate-filled men drove his car into her. Their defining text continues to be “Mein Kampf,” Adolph Hitler’s manifesto. Remember him? He’s the guy we fought in World War II. The one who ordered the construction of Auschwitz and orchestrated the Holocaust.
The ISIS supporter who killed 14 men and women in Barcelona was equally driven by hate. Holding to a literalistic understanding of the “Koran,” ISIS has beheaded, enslaved, and brutalized men and women across the Mideast and called for Jihadi attacks abroad, including a knife attack in Finland last Friday night. Citing their defining text, Islamic extremists call for violence against Christians, Jews, and any other unbeliever. Islamic extremism isn’t new, it has a nearly 1400 year history. And it isn’t isolated. Around the world Islamic extremism has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent men and women this year alone.
As a Christian I strive to be a “Christ follower.” My defining text is the Bible. The same text Martin Luther King Jr. drew inspiration from for nonviolent action during the Civil Rights movement. Central to my understanding of the Bible is the person and mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus said to “turn the other cheek,” “love your enemies,” “pray for those who persecute you,” and “blessed are the peacemakers.” I believe he was the son of God who laid down his life for the sins of the world. I mess up sometimes, but, by God’s grace, every morning as I trust this Jesus with my eternity, I am called into repentance and new life “in Christ” – learning to be more like Him. Christ followers call this “the Gospel.”
To be sure, sometimes Christians get it wrong. Other times people define themselves as “Christian” while ignoring the words of Jesus. Those Nazis marching in Charlottesville may have claimed some connection with “Christianity,” but they have nothing to do with the teachings of my savior, who, by the way, said “salvation is from the Jews.”
Christians like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Corrie Ten Boom stood against Nazis. The violence displayed by some of the “AntiFa” counter demonstrators wasn’t much in line with the teachings of Christ either. Meanwhile recent atrocities in the Philippines, Nigeria, Kenya, and Lebanon demonstrate that Christians remain the world’s most persecuted religious group, especially at the hands of Islamic extremists.
What is the answer to all of this hatred? It’s certainly not more violence. It’s not dismissing these new Nazis as historically minded “good people.” It’s not some discredited non-sense about pig’s blood. Nor is it pretending Islamic extremism isn’t real or blaming the actions of these Jihadis on mental instability or “islamophobia.” Neither is it to cast aside all religious belief as irrelevant or alike. Godlessness didn’t work in Soviet Russia or Mao’s China, and it isn’t working to this day in North Korea. This isn’t a right or left thing so it won’t be solved by deeper polarization and political rancor.
Call me crazy, but I believe, as Dr. King did, that the answer is “Christlikeness.” I believe the answer is the Gospel shared and lived in word and deed.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This week our contributor is Daren Blanck, pastor of Zoar Church in Tofte, a teacher at William Kelley High School and a student of Beyond the River Academy, a ministry program of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ.
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