As our culture begins spiraling toward accepting dangerous behaviors, such as justifying violence and revenge for less and less egregious offenses, we are quickly headed toward a very dark place. For example, an NCRI (Network Contagion Research Institute at Rutgers University) found that:
- Muder Justification: 31% and 38% of respondents stated it would be at least somewhat justified to murder Elon Musk and President Trump
- Property Destruction: Nearly 40% of respondents (39.8%) stated it is at least somewhat acceptable (or more) to destroy a Tesla dealership in protest.
- Justified Actions: Over half of those who self-identified as left of center (55.2%) reported that if someone murdered Donald Trump, they would be at least somewhat justified. Similarly, nearly half of those
who self-identified as left of center (48.6%) said the murder of Elon Musk would be somewhat justified. As to destroying property, 57.6% of those left of center said it was somewhat acceptable to destroy Tesla dealerships to protest Elon Musk’s
involvement in the Presidential administration. - Supporting Luigi Mangione: The support for the man who murdered the CEO of United Healthcare in cold blood on a New York sidewalk has steadily grown, with Taylor Lorenz’s (former Washington Post columnist) recent CNN interview where she calls him a morally good man for what he did.
Why is this happening? Depends on who you ask, but from my perspective, this is the expected result of removing the historic Christian influence from the public sphere. At its root, beyond the fundamental salvation message of Jesus Christ, Christianity is grounded in the concept of forgiveness. A simple reading of the Lord’s Prayer validates this: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The unmerited grace and forgiveness we receive from God directly correlate with the grace and forgiveness we offer others. That principle is one of the foundational blocks of Western Civilization.
But even there, we see an erosion of past restraint and distorting that fundamental tenet. People claiming Christian belief are arguing all across the comment sphere on the Internet that you only forgive those who repent, and you have no requirement to forgive those who don’t. That is not biblical, and I would go so far as to say it is a lie out of the pit of hell. Check out yesterday’s sermon at my church (Good Shepherd Anglican Church) to see a good refutation of that falsehood. Jesus Christ set the standard on the cross when he forgave those crucifying him – not because they deserved it, they did not. Not because they asked for it, they did not. Not because they repented, they did not. Instead, they felt fully justified in both their actions and their denunciations.
I believe biblical forgiveness is the hardest activity we are called to do as we live out our Christian life. See my earlier post, Vengeance of the Heart, to examine this challenge. To borrow a quote from Jimmy Dugan in the movie A League of Their Own, “It is supposed to be hard. If were easy, everyone would do it.” that separates committed mature believers from mere claimers or those who may be saved but haven’t yet dealt with this primary demand of their faith. At some point, we all have to choose. Are we going to adhere to Jesus’ command and example or reject his demand and turn our back on this fundamental truth.
If you look at the passage where Jesus explains how the world will know we are Christians, he says, “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.” (John 13:35) The Greek word for love there is agape, which is defined by self-sacrificial action, not emotion. Jesus calls us to go further in Luke 6:35 when he makes this problematic demand: “But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, [a]expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked.”
Does that mean we do not take a stand against evil and wrongdoing? Not at all. We should resist with all the strength we have. But it does mean that we have to control our response as Christians, and our first reaction is to forgive, not retaliate.
May God in Christ grant us the fortitude and grace to live up to this expectation Jesus placed on all who would call upon his name. May God bless you, keep you, and fill you with his grace and peace.
