In the Name of Jesus

 In this post, I share my thinking about the assault on the Capitol building this past Wednesday, January 6. I have refrained from doing so until now for a number of reasons - not because I have not had thoughts and feelings and reactions. Like all of us, I have had plenty of thoughts, emotions, and reactions. I have postponed this blog so that my thoughts, emotions, and reactions do not contribute to the chaos that is already in play. The fire that is burning does not need more gasoline poured on it. My intent today is to help us think from a theological perspective about what happened rather than from a political perspective (which is generally reactionary, inflammatory, and polarizing). 

The aspect of the assault that I want to address is that it was done in the name of Jesus. Many of those in the march-that-turned-into-an-assault-on-the-Capitol carried signs bearing the name of Jesus and spoke of Jesus. For them, this march was an expression of their faith. They did it in the name of Jesus. 

Sadly, what they did in the name of Jesus bore no resemblance to the Jesus of scripture or to the kingdom he proclaimed and lived. 

• They used power to intimidate, control, and destroy. In other words, they used power the way the world uses power - over, down against the other for personal benefit. A servant spirit governed how Jesus used power. He used his power to serve the other - alongside of, on behalf of, at great personal cost. And he taught his followers to live out of that same servant spirit. See Mark 10:41-45. Sadly, we who call ourselves Christian have struggled to embrace this teaching. We much prefer to use power the way the world uses power. We like being great according to the world's standards, not the standards of the kingdom.
• The underlying spirit of their actions - rooted in their beliefs - was one of arrogance. They knew the truth. They were right and thus they were in the right in what they did. They were defending truth and our nation. Such arrogance is the opposite of the spirit of humility that Jesus taught and that is a mark of his followers. 
•  Their actions were self-serving. Those involved would argue they were doing it to save our nation. They saw it as self-sacrifice for the nation. In reality, their actions were self-serving, done to prove that they were right. They could see the truth no one else could see. They alone knew the truth. They alone could prevent our nation's descent into destruction (socialism). Their actions were self-exalting. (Notice how they gloated in the photos and videos that have been posted.) Jesus, too, spoke of truth, but his truth was rooted in the nature of God. The truth he proclaimed reflected the ways of God. The truth he proclaimed led to life for all, not just for me-and-mine.
• They intended to punish their enemies. At one point, the crowd chanted "Hang Mike Pence." A gallows was erected on the Capitol grounds. Was it symbolic or intended to be used? One man carried zip-ties to bind those they intended to capture. Jesus taught us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44-48; Luke 6:27-36). Jesus never stopped trying to reach those who viewed him as an enemy. Even when he knew they were plotting his death, he continued to engage them in conversation in the Temple. Even after they nailed him to a cross, he prayed "Father, forgive them." 
• Many were self-identified white supremacists. Their enemies are the liberal left, the demoncrats, people of color, the supporters of Black Lives matter, those who want our nation to embrace greater diversity, those who were leading our nation into socialism - personified in Nancy Pelosi. Jesus embraced all people as beloved children of God. He challenged and defied the social systems of his day that divided people into us-them, better than-less than categories. 
• The objective of this assault was to protect a hierarchical way of life in which white men hold power and call the shots. All others - people of color and women - are subservient to their wishes and demands. Jesus challenged this way of ordering society - in his resistance to the Temple hierarchy, the Pharisees, Herod, and Rome. The ways of Jesus lead his followers beyond social distinctions. See Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11. 
• An underlying belief of the assault is that peace is only possible when power is used to control others, particularly those who are viewed as a threat to the way things are (or they way we think they should be). This way of thinking is what led the religious leaders to join hands with the political establishment to have Jesus killed. In his Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem, Jesus challenged this way of thinking and living, offering an alternative way to peace - the way of the servant. 
• Their actions were violent - using power against others, to destroy. Jesus lived and taught non-violence. See again his teachings in Matthew 5 and Luke 6. Power used against others - violence - always carries in it the seeds of rebellion. Violence breeds violence. Jesus taught a different way. 

What they did in the name of Jesus had nothing in common with the way Jesus lived or the things Jesus taught. Consider the beatitudes of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-10).

• the poor in spirit - those who recognize their own brokenness and resulting spiritual bankruptcy. Those who stormed the Capitol could only see how others were wrong. They consider themselves as doing nothing wrong. 
• those who mourn - those who see the brokenness of the world and grieve it. Those who stormed the Capitol were angry and belligerent about the wrongs they perceived they had experienced. They were blind to the wrongs others had experienced. Grief was not a part of their experience. Their actions contributed to the brokenness of the world. 
• the meek - those who gladly yield their power to the guiding hand of the Spirit. (The Greek word translated as meek is used to describe a stallion which has been trained to respond to his rider's direction.) Those who stormed the Capitol used power arrogantly, to express their anger and resentment. Believing they were victims of wrong, their use of power was out of control.
• those who hunger and thirst for righteousness - those who long to know and live the ways of God. Those who stormed the Capitol were living their own fear-based, anger-fueled ways of thinking and living.
• the merciful - those who have experienced God's mercy and, in turn, extend that mercy to others, particularly the most powerless and vulnerable. Those who stormed the Capitol wanted revenge. They were out to overthrow and punish those they believed had stolen the election.
• the pure in heart - those whose heart has been cleansed by the grace of God and the work of the Spirit. Their heart is not clouded with mixed motives. Those who stormed the Capitol believed they were acting out of pure motives, to save our nation. Their actions were self-serving and self-exalting.
• the peacemakers - those who wage peace in the world, not war. Those who stormed the Capitol waged war, using power to attack and destroy those they demonized as enemies.
• those who are persecuted for righteousness - those who live out of step with the ways of the world, drawing personal attacks from a world that is threatened by those who do not conform and stay in their place. Those who stormed the Capitol acted in line with the ways of the world. 

While what these people did in the name of Jesus did not reflect who Jesus was or what he taught, it was an expression of Christian nationalism. Christian nationalism is the wedding of man-centered Christianity with the belief that our nation is the greatest nation on the earth because it is a "Christian nation." It bears God's blessing (implying that other nations do not). Christian nationalism uses God to justify our capitalistic values and way of life. It uses the Bible to treat others in a one-down position. It sanctifies war, the right to bear arms, excessive force in the name of law and order, massive incarceration, and capital punishment as Christian values. It embraced Donald Trump as God's anointed (like Cyrus in the book of Isaiah) who would usher in the End Times and help to bring about the Rapture (a religious conspiracy theory, but that's a topic for another blog). Christian nationalism is the Christianity of white supremacy. It is the Christianity of the Christian Right. The wedding of religion and political power has never born good fruit at any time in history. It will not do so today. 

Ironically, the assault on the Capitol took place on Epiphany - the day on the liturgical calendar when we celebrate the light shining in the darkness. Perhaps - if we will allow it - the dark event of the assault on the Capitol will shine light on things we need to see and address. 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer - in the name of Jesus.