I’m asked quite often what church is really all about. It’s a good question considering the various interpretations of Jesus, the multitude of churches that claim his values and vision, and the history of Christian affirmation of crusades, empire and aristocracy. So, rather than a lecture, here’s my elevator speech.
The bottom line is that a church without a living relationship to those who suffer the wounds of society is no church at all: Its hymns are blasphemies; its prayers are obscenities; its fellowship is a mockery of Eucharist or Holy Communion. Let us never forget that Jesus was crucified by the powers that crucify the poor. The God who created life is on the side of those who are sacrificed by those who take life.
Christians are those who crawl down into the ditch. We are not detached observers of the misery of life. We are those who roll up our sleeves and pitch our tent in the midst of life. We show we love God by creating practical solutions to heal suffering, to shelter and feed, to bind up wounds, to create space for face-to-face engagement with the “least of these” who are all around us. This is Christianity 101. Without this, all our talk about the love of God is nonsense.
But there is also a deeper political Christianity that dares to speak from the perspective of those who, like Jesus, have been arrested, tortured and murdered for treason, for being a threat to those who hold power. Every book of the Bible deals with politics, because politics is about how we organize community and society. God cares very much about such matters.
For example, at the core of biblical teachings is a vision for justice rooted in the radical redistribution of wealth. It’s practical and deals with debt cancellation, the eradication of aristocracy and the alleviation of generational poverty. It’s bad news for the 1 percent, but fantastic news for the poor and those who struggle in life.
It’s called the Jubilee, and it’s rooted in the character of God who desires to be known as compassionate and merciful. It is rooted in the premise that God owns the earth and its resources, and we are simply caretakers sharing the wealth so that all have enough to survive and thrive. And if we don’t circulate the wealth, the unequal society that results will become violent and abusive and will destroy itself and others.
It’s not because God is mad at us; rather it’s because that is the inner spiritual law of how God has made us, in God’s image of compassion and mercy. When we rebel against that, all hell breaks loose.
If you can find a church that is focused on these matters, then by all means, it might just be an insurrection worth joining.