So the rest of the evening, about 30 min, was talking about how we can embody the alt.way of Jesus. It was pretty good stuff and I think I need the evening to process it all…as a former employee of the Empire (i.e. United States Senate staffer) and political science major, some of the talk didn’t sit well, but in a sense that it grated against what I’ve studied and lived. And now as I train to be a pastor and grapple with how does it look to cultivate alternative communities that embody the different, alternative Way of Jesus, there is cognitive dissonance. I’ll give some more thoughts tomorrow…
(internet shut off…)
9:00–American will have its own religion…its own distinctive message of salvation and manifest destiny, set apart people group, and own creed. Its own symbols and enemies and deity. But in it all do we hear the cross, the enemy love of Jesus, the BLESSEDS. Does it look like Jesus. American can say one nation under God, but what is the character of that God…and is Americas gospel reflective of the gospel of our Lover Jesus…Reading Gal 1:6-7
8:57–Caesar has colonized our creativity and economy (God on money) and creation (pictures of Mt Rushmore). And then we try and brand Empire with the Cross…the SUV with the Jesus sticker. It becomes legitimization of everything that stands against the Cross.
(read quote from Hitler who thought he was doing the work of the Lord by coming against the Jews. Then Truman quote thanking God for bringing the A-Bomb to them instead of the enemy and sought guidance from god for its use.)
8:55–Can we serve two masters? How can we wait on God to move in history when we can move it now…Many will remain faithful, like those in the military will plunge themselves on their own swords rather than kill others. Eventually Empire takes notice of the spread…Constantine becomes a Christian/ For many, people see that the Cross of Christ was exchanged fro the sword of Rome. CHristians begin to kill, and ask Gods blessing. Religious leaders will do horrible things in the name of God and ridding the wordl of evil. Instead of following tragectrory of Abraham and Sarah, they follow the way of Empire.
Since the Church has become respectable, the Church has been able to be prostituted for any cause…especially war and killing.
singing now about Babylon and rising no more.
8:50–They were athiests and faithless because they rejected the religion of Empire Rome and turned into a new citizenship. So the Christians described the Empire as a charming Adulteress. John in Revelation described Empire as the great whore and called the Church to come out of her. Empire offers a cup to drink to all the world…but its a fraud. THere is a cup however that is the true Cup. What is highly regarded among men is detestable in Gods sigh. Romes splendor is false and comes on the blood of the innocent.
8:45–The early christians were called to make disciples of the nations, meanwhile the nations would be trying to make disciples of them.
We are fools for Christ…Paul
I recognize no empire of this present age–Acts of the Martyrs
Christ in disarming peter diarmed every soldier–Tertullian
If everyone were to act as you christians the national government would soon be left utterly deserted and without any help––Origen
(they’re reading a bucnh of quotes of early church and other ancient peeps)
emperors could only believe in christ if they were not emperors–as if christians could be emperors–tertullian
8:30–We’re back
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