What hostage situation?
Quickly my son was on his phone and we were shocked at the events that were unfolding. Like most of the country we followed the story all day, and woke up to the tragic conclusion this morning. Like most of the country we held the hostages and their families in our thoughts and prayers, and like most of the country we were heartened (but not surprised) in the typical Australian response as #illridewithyou started to spread across social media.
I've read some intelligent, thoughtful and, can I say, genuinely Christian responses to yesterday's events, but, as was to be expected, I've noticed some divisive, fear-fuelled, Islamophobic comments starting to appear. There will be more in the coming days as the emotion surrounding yesterday eases and the atmosphere becomes more open to certain religious and political agendas.
So, I can't stay silent. For what it's worth I felt I needed to try and give a different perspective. I am not Muslim, I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, and have been for most of my life. I believe Jesus is the Lord and Saviour of the world and that his followers are called to live in such a way that they image the kingdom of which Jesus is king.
I wrote that last paragraph to give some context to my thoughts. You see, I don't think that most Muslims support the hate and terror we see on our tv screens or digital news feed. I think most simply want to live peaceful lives and raise their families. There are radical groups, and portions of the Koran or interpretations of it that seem to validate violence and conquest.
But, you see, I love history, and I have read about the domination of other cultures and religions by the Christian Church after Constantine, about the violence and torture perpetrated against 'heretics' throughout the Christian era of which the Inquisition was only one highlight, about the Crusades, about the religious wars that devastated Europe, and about the use of the Christian faith - or a version of it - to oppress and marginalise on the basis of race, gender or sexual orientation.
I also spent the first eleven years of my life in the UK, and remember clearly the bombings and shootings and violence that occurred in Northern Ireland and spilled over into England. IRA versus Prods, Catholic versus Protestant, Christian versus Christian. And though we might - rightly - argue that they weren't being very Christian when they were behaving in such a way, many Muslims will argue the same of the radicals and extremists that make the news.
Too much of what I have read on social media over the last few months seems to reduce to a kind of 'my religion's better than your religion' as if this was a contest to see which religion is best and therefore will win. There is an argument that in one sense there is a cultural struggle underway, but within the lifestyle framed by the teachings and life of Jesus, if Christian people descend to hate, information manipulation, fear mongering and aggression, we have already lost. I may see things in a different way to a Moslem, or Buddhist, or Hindu, or atheist, or whoever, but we are all humans, seeking to make our way in this world, and we do that best together.
The good news about Jesus is that God has already acted through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah to reconcile humanity to himself and secure the redemption of all creation. The good news is that God has done for us what we couldn't do for ourselves, and that Christ now sits enthroned as the world's true Lord. Whatever empires, ideologies, religions, philosophies, movements or political systems exist, the message of the New Testament in general, and Revelation (written to an oppressed, marginalised and persecuted people) in particular is that despite what we might see and experience, God is working to bring peace and justice to the earth.
When I see messages that depict Christians as 'God's warriors' (distorting a Pauline analogy and echoing the worst elements of any religion), or calling for believers to be lions not lambs (despite the biblical call to follow the Great Shepherd of the sheep; and besides, there's only one Lion, he's of the tribe of Judah), or imposing the extreme ideologies and agendas of the radical few on the whole, or making simplistic and ill-informed statements about any group, or repeating the socio-political rhetoric of certain interest-groups without considering their agendas or the consequences, it makes me wonder how we reconcile all of this with the Jesus I read about in the gospels.
I'm not talking about the one who is depicted as 'meek and mild', he was anything but! The Jesus I see in the gospels is the one who faced off against the propagators of hate, injustice, socio-political religious intolerance and persecution, in fact all the influences and forces that abound in this world that are opposed to the kingdom of forgiveness, justice and love that he embodied. This is the way of Christ, this is the path of the Christian, this is the path I am called to follow.
The path Jesus leads me on is a narrow one. It is one that sees the damage that other ways can do to humanity and God's creation (whether in the name of religion, politics, ideology, commercial gain - or Christianity), and radically chooses to live in a different way. It is the path of forgiveness, justice, mercy, grace, peace and welcome. It is a way that recognises the realities we face, seeks to support those who protect our community, but to do so in a way that doesn't demonise another community, people or culture. It is the path that the early church followed, one that, in spite of the opposition of the greatest empire to that time, ultimately triumphed through love, compassion and justice.
A lone, damaged man won't make me hate; cruel extremists won't make me seek vengeance; the intentions and agendas of other voices won't drive me to fear; the distortion of the Christian message for personal or political gain won't cause me to embrace despair; for I follow one who endured suffering and rejection with us and for us and rose in triumph. That's good news, that's the best news, and it all started with the event we will shortly celebrate - Christmas, an event that announces God's peace and goodwill to all humanity.
Before she left Sydney to travel home my daughter posted some reflections which were sensitive, thoughtful and hopeful. She closed with a picture of some wall art (above) she saw in Sydney, "May every sunrise hold more promise; and every sunset hold more peace." In many ways that is the path Jesus has called me to walk, to live each day with the intention to enjoy the opportunities it affords to be an instrument of peace and reconciliation.
