Behaving like Christians in a foreign land

On the 11th of November, our country celebrated Veterans Day. When I was much younger, we observed Nov. 11 as a national holiday, but we called it something different. We called it Armistice Day. Nov. 11 was the day in 1918 that World War I ended. World War I was commonly called “the war to end all wars.” It was a celebration of the coming of peace. We now have recycled Nov. 11, and have given it a new name. We now set aside the day to honor all who have served in the U.S. armed forces.

As a Christian, I am increasingly uncomfortable with my warrior nation. The message is that our might makes us right. I disagree. My first allegiance is to another kingdom. It is not a kingdom of this world. Jesus called it the “reign of God.” He approved paying taxes to Caesar, but never approved bowing down to Caesar.

Here in America, I and many other followers of Jesus willingly pay taxes. Christians are a diverse lot, and some believe that the United States was founded on Christian principles. I am a Christian who vigorously denies that assertion. The United States was founded on the concepts and principles of British law. It is an orderly system, and as it is practiced in the United States, we seek to treat all citizens with equity. Our commitment, in the words of our pledge, is “with liberty and justice for all.” It is a high ideal, but not one that I embrace.

My first sticking point with my country’s ideals is found in the word “justice.” The concern for justice usually takes place when one citizen hurts another citizen by assault of any kind or by the taking of property that belongs to another person. In America, when a crime has been committed and a perpetrator has been identified, the case is taken to a court of law. In a court of law, the crime is established, blame is assigned and penalty prescribed. At that point in the eyes of our legal system, justice has been done. It is an adversarial system. Two lawyers argue the case. One wins, one loses.

The American system of justice is based on the principle of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” As many Bible quoters correctly point out, this standard was an advancement for humanity because it limits the penalties prescribed to the magnitude of the crime. However, it is a standard Jesus from Nazareth pointedly rejected. Just as some Old Testament prophets rejected the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” standard, Jesus also rejected it and taught there was a better way that was to be practiced in the reign of God.

Christianity has rightly been described as a “salvation” religion. Christianity has been aggressive in seeking converts to the way of salvation. The goal of Bible Christianity is not ethical behavior or an orderly life. The goal is salvation. I am disappointed in the way many Christians have defined salvation, but in the history of Christianity, being saved has been all-important. Christians are in desperate need to have serious discussions about what it means to be saved, but the goal of salvation is too deeply embedded in Christianity ever to be changed.

When the roots of salvation are traced in the Bible, the unanimous opinion is that salvation means to be made whole or complete. In the Bible and in the many manifestations of Christianity, there is lots of arguing about how wholeness is achieved, but there is no argument at all about the goal of the faith. It is salvation.

This brings us back to Christianity’s concern for justice. Salvation and justice are closely tied. Jesus never saw wholeness achieved through war, killing, punishments or judgments. Jesus taught that we are to love God, love neighbor, love one another and even our enemies. Justice is about loving. Justice is about whatever it takes to make a person whole.

There is no way to reconcile the justice about which Jesus taught and the justice that is determined in an American court of law or established by military might. Because of this disparity in understanding justice, many thoughtful Christians will never be fully committed Americans. We are strangers and aliens at best.

In the past 50 years there has been a concerted effort to redefine justice in America. The seedbed of the movement has been with Mennonites. Eastern Mennonite University has a department dedicated to what is called “restorative justice.” In restorative justice, the goal is never to punish but to restore. In restorative justice, the questions that are asked are: what will it take to make the victim whole? What will it take to make the offender whole? What will it take to make the community whole? Their perspective simply says that God in Christ has rejected punishment, violence and war as partners with salvation and justice. The Mennonite perspective has found a scattering of advocates, but its conflict with American justice is obvious.

While restorative justice has taken root in a few juvenile systems, Christian salvation and justice remains foreign to almost all Americans.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.

Opinions expressed on the Faith page are the author’s and are not necessarily those of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, its staff or its parent company, Wick Communications Co. To submit a column or other news for the Faith page, send email to news@frontiersman.com, or call 352-2268.