quote from 'a generous orthodoxy'
i am reading 'a generous orthodoxy' by brian d. mclaren, and i read this last night and thought it was profound:
Meanwhile, for me, in the U.S.- now the undisputed Superpower in the world- I feel surrounded by Christians who very much like the idea of an American God and a middle-class Republican Jesus, first and foremost concerned about Our National Security and Our Way of Life. "The Lord Is My Shepherd" becomes "The Lord Is Our President," elected by us for our national interest, or "The Lord Is Our Secretary of Defense," ready to sacrifice 10,000 lives of noncitizens elsewhere for the safety of U.S. citizens here. The language of lordship and authority in this context only seem to serve the "powers that be," to bolster the status quo, to legitimize and protect and baptize whatever regime is in power. This feels like a tired old story that history has seen rise and fall many times, and it sickens me.
Good news under those circumstances would be a leader who liberated us from all determinism, who deconstructed oppressive authority and the self-interest of leaders and nations, who destabilized the status quo and made way for a better day, who delivered us not only from currupt power, but also from the whole approach to power that is so corruptible... which is exactly what is meant by the phrase "Jesus is Lord."...to say "Jesus is Lord" was then (and should be now!) a profoundly political statement - affirming the authority of a "powerless" Jewish rabbi with scarred feet over the power of Caeser himself with all his swords, spears, chariots and crosses."
- Brian D. McLaren from 'A Generous Orthodoxy'
Meanwhile, for me, in the U.S.- now the undisputed Superpower in the world- I feel surrounded by Christians who very much like the idea of an American God and a middle-class Republican Jesus, first and foremost concerned about Our National Security and Our Way of Life. "The Lord Is My Shepherd" becomes "The Lord Is Our President," elected by us for our national interest, or "The Lord Is Our Secretary of Defense," ready to sacrifice 10,000 lives of noncitizens elsewhere for the safety of U.S. citizens here. The language of lordship and authority in this context only seem to serve the "powers that be," to bolster the status quo, to legitimize and protect and baptize whatever regime is in power. This feels like a tired old story that history has seen rise and fall many times, and it sickens me.
Good news under those circumstances would be a leader who liberated us from all determinism, who deconstructed oppressive authority and the self-interest of leaders and nations, who destabilized the status quo and made way for a better day, who delivered us not only from currupt power, but also from the whole approach to power that is so corruptible... which is exactly what is meant by the phrase "Jesus is Lord."...to say "Jesus is Lord" was then (and should be now!) a profoundly political statement - affirming the authority of a "powerless" Jewish rabbi with scarred feet over the power of Caeser himself with all his swords, spears, chariots and crosses."
- Brian D. McLaren from 'A Generous Orthodoxy'
posted by justin @ 10:25 AM
0 comments
