I recently read Shane Claiborne’s “Jesus for President” and the experience has left me wanting. Wanting to change the way I live but struggling to know how. Wanting to see my church, my faith community, my family embrace the fullness of the Kingdom of God but feeling like we not only have far to go but don’t know where to go or how to get there. Wantingpeople to travel with but fear everyone will think I’m nuts—and that’s just the Christ-followers!
When Jesus told us to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” he had in mind something much more significant than how we have historically responded or applied (at least in the western world) this prayer. He called us to bring freedom to the captives of this age and empire. Freedom that was made possible by his radical act of subversive peacemaking—the crucifixion. Jesus’ response to his arrest was to heal one of men who had come to arrest him when his ear was sliced off. Then he disarmed his disciple. The sword was not the answer then and it is not the answer today. The US spends 450 billion on its military every year—450 billion! Many Christians endorse the military policies of the US because we’ve endorsed the idea that “peace” will be “won” if our side possesses the biggest hammer and yet we proclaim salvation through the One who very intentionally renounced any right to holding the biggest hammer.
What does it mean for us to pray that Jesus would establish his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven in every realm of society? What does God’s Kingdom look like socially, economically, spiritually, relationally, judicially, multi-ethnically ….? How do we, God’s people bring justice to this world? I was raised under the teaching that freed Christians from taking any responsibility for our care for this world. We would all be raptured any way so the increasing chaos, anarchy and human suffering were merely a sign that our time here was short. Jesus’ command to preach theKingdom of God or to teach everyone everywhere everything that he taught as translated simply as “get souls saved.” No more, no less. If that was Jesus’ primary concern he would not have given us the words of judgment in Matthew that focus on our care for humanity not our doctrinal correctness.
Jesus calls us to a new way of thinking, living and being that is transcultural, counter-cultural and life and culture transforming. Do you follow him or some other leader, doctrine, empire that you ask Jesus to bless? The US has place a great deal of hope and faith in thier new president. Will that “save” them? I don’t think so.
Christ-followers need to decide who thier president/prime minister really is? And then follow him.
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