Monday, March 17, 2008
Should God Damn America?
The modern Western strain of Christianity has nearly forsaken the ancient art of prophetic voice. Rev. Jeremiah Wright has been criticized for his recent prophetic language because so many of us forgot what a prophet sounds like. Didn’t anyone bother to check this guy’s first name? Compared to the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, Rev. Wright is rather tame. In one sense, Rev. Wright was simply quoting Jesus.
The prophet Jeremiah calls Israel, a prostitute, a corrupt wild vine, a craving wild donkey in heat, and then he slings curses on their children and children’s children. That is only chapter 2! He does this for another 23 chapters. Why does he say such outlandish things? He is offering a bit of creative prophetic imagination that criticizes the rampant injustice in Israel as its wealthy elite ruling class had turned their backs on the ideals of Jewish community. Their covenant with God to create a just society had been broken by their greed and arrogance.
This is what the LORD Almighty says:I’m not sure how you hear that, but I feel certain the wealthy elite in Israel heard that as “God Damn Israel!” I think this message is particularly appropriate for us on the Monday of Holy week as we celebrate the day Jesus entered the political capital of Israel and staged a public protest as he echoed the words of Jeremiah (7:11) calling the Temple a “den of robbers”. A couple days later Jesus called for the complete destruction of the Temple. Jesus was clearly a “Jeremiah” style of prophet also as he was essentially suggesting that God would soon damn Jerusalem.
"Cut down the trees
and build siege ramps against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression. (Jeremiah 6:6)
...
Take warning, O Jerusalem,
or I will turn away from you
and make your land desolate
so no one can live in it." (Jeremiah 6:8)
It is important to remember that all these prophets offer us a way out of God’s damnation. We often overlook the fact that when Jesus borrows the phrase, den of robbers, he was making an intentional allegory to the same argument Jeremiah had used against Israel. This is clearly stated in the verses just prior to verse 11.
5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. (Jeremiah 7:5-7)Should God damn America? I think the choice is ours to make. Are any of these prophets expressing hatred for their nation? Absolutely not! Do they really desire the wrath of God to be poured out on their friends, family, and political leaders? No, not at all. These types of prophetic voices are legitimate criticisms with sincere pleas for change. We shouldn't be afraid of these types of statements. We should worry if they ever stop, because it would mean that all hope for change had been lost.
Can America stop our path to damnation? Yes We Can!
7 comments:
So how does the person and work of Christ change the message of the pre-Messianic prophet?
Drew,
I'm not sure what you mean. You might want to explain your quesion or just come out and say what it is you intend to say.
Mike,
Thanks for the reflections. Wright's words are difficult for us to hear, especially we who are white! I wouldn't agree with all that he has said, but he does stand in line with the prophetic tradition. The question then is not whether he says what we like to hear, but whether what he says has some truth to it. And, there is some truth to it -- even if he stretches things.
As to Drew's question, I think that Jesus falls into the prophetic tradition. Paul does seem, working in a different context, to try to dampen it down. But I think we need to hear the whole thing!
My point is just that it's hard to look at any eschatological passage without looking to the resurrection as something decisive. So the question is if the resurrection is so pivotal and decisive in the way that God enacts judgment, then what kind of judgment should we expect among the nations now?
I don't know the answer, but I think it's a good question.
Thanks for the clarification Drew.
The Gospels are "post-resurrection" stories so everything in them is written knowing that the legend of resurrection was already swirling around the communites. You are right, it is hard to get away from that fact.
For me, the stories of Jesus' Resurrection were created to make a strong statement that God affirmed Jesus' "way". The zealots claimed that Jesus' non-violent approach failed so they revolted and "failed" big time (AD66-70). But this resurrection story means that victory is not always won in this life. It means the task is bigger than one person accomplishes in life. It will take millions of people taking up their crosses.
So, I don't think Jesus in any way changed the goal of Jewish eschatological language. But, he did change the method to make it happen. He changed it from a violent revolt to a non-violent protest. He gave us an alternative way to fight Empire.
I think Rev. Wright's prophecy works in tandem with Obama's message. You need to recognize despair in order to develop hope. The book of Lamentations is critical to the OT message of eschatological hope.
We need Lamentations. We need to morn the exhile. We need the prophet's criticism if we are going to find our hope.
Obama's speech yesterday said exatly that. He basically said the problem with Wright was that he (or maybe the media's coverage of him) only got as far as Lamentations. Obama said clearly we've already made progress and the kingdom is not only a possibility, but it is also at hand. He is proof.
I'm a white Christian married to a black African Christian lady and we have Christian mixed race children - and we're British.
As I watched the events unfold on 9/11 I said to my family, "This day will change the world. In what way it will change will depend on whether America chooses repentance or revenge."
So I was in front of Jeremiah Wright and America chose revenge, deliberately turning it's back on God's message in Old and New Testaments.
Did the prophetic Christian church in the USA stand up for Jesus and denounce this national policy? NO, it encouraged it.
Most American "Christians" are Americans first and Christians a long way back - and America was founded and has continued to this day on hypocrisy and bloodshed.
Doesn't the prophet Jeremiah's critique of Judah's society apply equally to capitalist USA right now? Why should it receive a lesser judgement?
By the way, wasn't Jonah's initial refusal to go and tell the truth to Nineveh founded on his hatred of the place? So how can those who DO preach the truth be accused of hating their hearers?
Peter,
Thanks for commenting! I completely agree that America has been so very wrong in its response to 9/11. It makes me sick to think how we ignored Christ's message of non-violence and love of enemies.
I agree with Rev. Wright on most points. My only concern was his recent implications that were racist. He implyied that black people are only "right brained" and white people are only "left brained". That is bad science and poor taste. I know what he was trying to say, but he missed the mark. The jury is still out on his comments about governments inflicting aids.
His other criticisms of America were on the mark.
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