Derrion

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-teen_killed_roselandsep26,0,5094890.story

This must stop.

We must stop claiming ignorance, we must stop sheltering ourselves from the reality of the world around us.

We must do something.

restructured

I'm taking this really fantastic class called Christian Faith, Ethics, and Social Justice.  Last week, my professor assigned a short paper in which we were to discuss how America would change if it was restructured on the basis of Matthew 5:38-48.  Its kind of long, but I thought I would post my response.  Just in case anyone actually reads this anymore.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount conveys the values and practices of his kingdom, a kingdom that, in light of the values of human kingdoms, seems as bizarre today as it did then.  A brief comparison of the kingdom Jesus discusses and that of America reveals a sharp, undeniable contrast of values and practices.  While American society uplifts the ideals of wealth, power, and status, Jesus values peacefulness, service, and generosity.  And while American society retains the right to self-defense in order to maintain security of their life and wealth, Jesus commands a readiness to suffer for the sake of peace and righteousness.  If American society was to be restructured on the basis of Matthew 5:38-48, our society would be radically changed.

             An incredible example of the principle of “turn the other cheek” (v39) carried out in relatively recent American history is that of Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin. In 1951, Rustin was beaten with a stick by an onlooker during a Korean War protest.  While being beaten, Rustin handed his abuser a second stick with which to beat him (1).  In response, the man ceased to beat him and threw both sticks aside.  A society that reacted in similar ways to unjust treatment against them would be practicing the ideals in verses 39-41.  Here, the oppressed are called to do more than the oppressor requires, leaving the oppressor confounded and exposed.  Perhaps it would mean that an American man brought before court is required to relinquish his home in order to pay a debt and instead of doing exactly what is required, he also offers his prosecutor his car and other possessions, stripping himself of all that he owns.  Shaping this society’s ethics would be a compulsion to go beyond what is required, to sacrifice personal desires and rights in order to reveal a kingdom of peacefulness and mercy.

   An American society restructured on the basis of this portion of Jesus’ sermon would be one of unrelenting generosity.  Jesus tells his followers to give to those who ask of them and forbids them to deny their requests to borrow (v42).  This kind of generosity would require a class-shattering redistribution of wealth.  On an individual level, Americans would provide and be provided with all that they and their neighbors needed.  Generosity would no longer be limited to a ten percent tithe, sporadic donations to charities, or a few dollars dropped into the hands of a beggar; it would govern their budgets.  Nationally, policies would favor this redistribution as well.  The poor would be afforded access to quality food, housing, education, and health care.  Recognizing the intrinsic worth of the people around them, Americans would have greater concern for their brothers and sisters than for their own desires.

            At the heart of this restructured American society’s practices would be the principle of enemy love.  International relations would be drastically transformed.  Those nations that posed the greatest threat to America’s security would not be met with military threats or attacks, but rather with creative, nonviolent attempts to achieve peace.  Racism, class-ism, partisan-ism, denominationalism, nationalism, and other forms of division would cease to exist.  Physical, emotional, and mental violence and the systems that perpetuate such violence would be obliterated. 

            Jesus spoke of a kingdom rising up out of acts of self-sacrifice, generosity, and service rooted in agape love.  In his kingdom, the powers of evil are overcome by these acts.  If structured on the basis of this kingdom, the America we know would cease to exist.