They Shall Be Called Children of God: Violence, Transformation and the Sacred
Violence occurs in our own homes and in our neighborhoods,
in our schools (public, private, adult vocational, trade, colleges and
universities), in our church buildings, in our denominations, within our
theology, at our seminaries, at work, in malls, in hospitals, in our small
towns, cities and nations. We may limit
the broad scope of violence to only its physical manifestations all the while
ignoring the spoken, mental, emotional and spiritual forms of violence. When we stand before all these complex
expressions of violence, it is sobering and frightening to witness such a
satanic presence that can only be transformed by God through the Holy
Spirit.
What possible recourse does the Church have in its
possession to effectively address violence?
It would seem that having God and prayer would suffice. However, it is how we come before the Lord in
prayer and how we enact our faith through consecrating, reclaiming and setting
boundaries before the evil one - in the name of Jesus Christ - that we will
come into a greater understanding of the indescribable power of God in this
violent world. This is paramount if we
are to comprehend the task that is before us, as kingdom people, to stand up to
violence and be instruments of His peace.
Moreover, it is quintessential if we seek to be empowered by the Eternal
for the work of emancipating our brothers and sisters (and perhaps ourselves)
from violence through the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Baptist/Anabaptism spirituality and discipleship are
inextricably connected. I believe that
this is one of many reasons why Christian rituals (in a historically Reformed Protestant/Free
Church context) are potent and extraordinary glimpses into the Kingdom of God .
Regrettably, Christian rituals are often misunderstood and their
profound purposes usually disregarded by post-modern society. The rituals of a godless society have
replaced the ones the Church intended to offer humanity as life-giving and
peaceful expressions of the Holy and the sacred.
When Christian rituals are wisely enacted with holiness and
reverence toward God, shalom comes forth in abundance. God’s purposes are
unveiled and divine direction embraces an entire community. As rituals can be infused by the Holy Spirit
with the intention to bless and guide the Church in its service to Him and to
our neighbor; it is of cardinal importance that we closely examine Christian
practices of spirituality and discipleship in prayer and with discernment. These include celebrating the Lord’s Supper
at home, practicing various forms of prayer (including the Anabaptist Rosary),
fostering community at home through gathered family meal times, demonstrating
love and building trust through the setting aside of time each and every night
to have meaningful conversations with our children.
How do these practices speak to confronting, diffusing and
transforming violence?
In “The Naked Anabaptist”, by Stuart Murray, the story of
Dirk Willems is retold. In his
description of the iconic story of love for enemies, Murray suggests the following interpretation
for why Dirk decided to return and save his persecutor: "… many
have concluded that this instinctive response… was the result of being nurtured by a community in which enemy-loving
was regarded as normative for disciples
of Jesus.”
(p. 132)
It is my position that the nurturing of our children in a
Jesus-centered home and church community where love, shalom, communication,
understanding, healing, forgiveness and radical discipleship are modeled is the
single-most powerful “weapon” against every form of violence.
How this teaching and modeling occurs is vitally
important. It will not be inculcated
through Sunday morning preaching or youth group meetings alone. It must go beyond Sunday school as well. Too many churches have been assimilated into
the dominant culture and have also bought into the mass hype of the most
current and “hip” Christian author, book, DVD… in short, consumerism. Three to four hours a week of “church” will
not make any long-term difference in the raising up of peace-centered, kingdom
people seeking to plant seeds of nonviolence, understanding, education,
engagement, healing and forgiveness. In fact, apathy, passivity and the rat
race can all distract and will ultimately cause the spiritual death of a
congregation. The home is the lifeblood
of the church. It is the true academy
wherein the formation of radical Jesus followers happens. The homes of the believers must be the place
where shalom is fostered, enacted and expected.
It is where anti-violence is the normative manner of conflict
resolution.
When parents feel frustrated and do not possess the
spiritual resources to face the difficulties and uncertainties of parenting,
they experience insecurity, frustration, loneliness and guilt. Without a genuine, Christ-centered rhythm of
life (rituals), the frustration sets in and grows uncontrollably into the
enactment of desperation in the form of anger.
In short, violence. Tragically,
children inherit far more of what they see, than of what they are told. As parents become perpetrators of violence,
their children will model those very same behaviors thereby initiating the
cycle of violence.
A return to Christian rituals, rooted in Christ and the
Scriptures, will enliven and inject profound purpose and direction to the
spirituality and discipleship of our faith tradition as was intended by our
Anabaptist forefathers and foremothers.
They sought to pass on to our children and of our families, both old and
young alike – under penalty of excruciating death – the legacy of following
Jesus and in doing so, loving neighbor, enemy and each other alike… embracing
all in God’s shalom.
In reclaiming the sacred traditions of the universal Church,
the Free Church witness can divest said practices of nationalism, superstition
and misguided doctrine. In doing so, we
can rejoice and reclaim our radical reformation heritage while providing a much
needed visual, tangible and sensual expression of our faith to the people who
claim Christ as Lord and Savior – especially in such a visual, individualistic,
violent and spiritually desensitized culture as our own. Through these habits of faith, we can
strengthen our focus; plant the seeds of a more deeper and extensive
understanding of Christ and make peace the fruit of the heart.
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