Christians on trial in wake of Boston bombing

It is easy to recite Christian beliefs in the liturgies of a worship service. Then comes Monday, April 15. Three are killed and more than 170 are maimed. Through tears of sorrow, vows are made that the perpetrators will be found, and they will pay the price of their acts. Public reaction flows completely out of the banks of the river of anger, and fingers of accusation point toward religious groups, immigrants and ethnic minorities.

Twenty-four hours earlier, millions of American Christians joined in reading and listening to liturgies and selected Bible readings that said that all people are created in the image of God, that God loves everyone equally and that the love, grace and forgiveness of God is offered to every one of life’s offenders. It is in the hours of testing, such as those in Boston, when Christian beliefs are put to the test. Does God wholeheartedly love Tamerlan and Dzholhar Tsarnaev? Is God’s love limited because the two brothers are practicing Muslims, apparently committed a horrific crime and planned to commit more of the same?

In a recent adult discussion group, I was a part of a discussion of the words of Jesus, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” Several words were contributed by the members of the group that described the peacemaker: loving, kind, reconciling, welcoming. Then a wise elder gentleman, a native of Southeastern Alaska, added the clinching word. The peacemaker must be forgiving. He told a story from the ancient folklore of his Native people. It was a story of a young woman who broke a rule. Broken relationships were the result. Near the end of the story there came a moment of transformation. It was the moment when forgiveness was granted. When forgiveness was granted, brokenness was overwhelmed by reconciliation.

Everyone in the room knew that the Elder had spoken fundamental truth.

In times of stress such as at the Boston Marathon bombing, it is all too easy for Christians to forget they ever read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, 6 and 7. Do we dare forget that Jesus said, “You have heard it said that you shall love your neighbor but hate your enemy. But I say to you that you are to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven. For if you love those who love you, what good is that? The most common of folk do that. I expect my followers to do much better, even to the point of perfection.”

The truths that Jesus taught put him to the test when he was crucified by Roman soldiers. He stood the test. While dying on a cross, Jesus looked at those who were killing him, then turned his eyes toward the heavens and prayed, “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.” Jesus had no desire to condemn those who were killing him. With his last breath, he sought to be reconciled to his killers through forgiveness.

We live in a nation that has never been committed to be Christian in its governmental structures. Our founders put together a nation under law that demands the practice of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” Our legal system seeks vindication, not reconciliation. The American public has embraced the idea that closure of a terrible crime can come about when a perpetrator is captured, and punishment is assigned for the crime committed.

I consider myself a devout Christian. Christianity is the faith that I was given by my family and by the church in which I was reared. I have spent a lifetime trying to best understand the faith given to me. I have never seriously considered being anything other than a Christian. I am, and will remain, a Christian for one fundamental reason. It is in Christ that I find the abundance of forgiveness that allows me a fresh start each day.

How in good conscience can I even consider the denial of forgiveness to all?

Because of the folly of the Boston Marathon bombing, at least four people are dead and more than 280 people are injured. An abundance of tears rightfully are being shed for the innocent people who lost their lives and suffered injury. However, we need to understand that parents in Russia are weeping for their two sons. The fatherly God of Jesus is weeping for us all.

Paul assigns the ministry of reconciliation to the followers of Jesus. The key element of reconciliation is forgiveness. In the role assigned to me, to the God and Father of Jesus, I pray: “Forgive Tamerlan and Dzholhar, for they did not know what they were doing.”

To Dzholhar, the surviving brother, I say, “Your brother has been greeted by an exceedingly gracious and forgiving God. For you I pray that through forgiveness you may have the opportunity to be reconciled to your family, your neighbors and your adopted nation.”

I submit that the practice of Christianity in a foreign land (USA) is far more on trial than are the two misguided brothers.

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

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