FOCUS: The most potent religion in Western culture is not Christianity, but a belief in the redemptive power of violence. Although Jesus inaugurated a new order based on partnership, equality, compassion and non-violence, his example and teachings have been eclipsed by an emphasis on a human unworthiness that demands and defends the need for Jesus’ violent, suffering, atoning death.
Red in Tooth and Claw
“We are going to deal theologically with the problem of violence forever because it is intrinsic to our inheritance. The question for God for all of us who follow this God is whether we can resist that stuff that is intrinsically present in our existence.” – Walter Brueggemann in Living the QuestionsTennyson wrote that despite any love we may profess of God, despite our claims to revere love as Creation’s final law, we, and nature along with us, are “red in tooth and claw.” After countless generations of ruthless competition for survival, it’s our nature as human beings to carry within us the primal urge to act out in violent ways. We are a violent species – and as a practical matter, violence more often than not “works.” So if a turn to violence can get the desired result, why bother with any namby-pamby alternative?
According to Bill Nelson, myths are not “true” or “false.” The question one must ask of a myth is, is it alive or dead? In 1966, John Lennon was vilified for claiming that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. While he was probably right, he could have also said that the Myth of Redemptive Violence is more popular than Jesus. From even the most cursory evaluation, it’s clear that the Myth of Redemptive Violence is not only alive and well, but has completely eclipsed Jesus’ teachings, example, and the basic principles of Christianity. In fact, the Myth of Redemptive Violence managed to infiltrate the writings and teachings of
Christianity from such an early date, that many people are unable to separate one from the other.
In his seminal article on the subject, The Myth of Redemptive Violence, Walter Wink describes how violence essentially functions as a god, enjoying faithful obedience from its followers and seeming to come through when all else fails. First captured in writing around 1250 B.C.E., the Myth of Redemptive Violence is at the heart of the Babylonian Creation epic called the Enuma Elish. The epic tells how the very order of the universe is established through “god on god” violence with the defeated female deity being dismembered and her corpse strewn about to create various elements of the cosmos.
“The simplicity of this story commended it widely, and its basic mythic structure spread as far as Syria, Phoenicia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Germany, Ireland, India, and China. Typically, a male war god residing in the sky fights a decisive battle with a female divine being, usually depicted as a monster or dragon, residing in the sea or abyss (the feminine element). Having vanquished the original enemy by war and murder, the victor fashions a cosmos from the monster’s corpse. Cosmic order requires the violent suppression of the feminine, and is mirrored in the social order by the subjection of women to men and people to ruler.” – Walter Wink, The Myth of Redemptive ViolenceAs opposed to the Biblical witness of Yahweh creating human beings from the dust of the earth and animating them with the very breath of God, our Babylonian origin is owed to an extreme act of violence. In order to create servants for the gods, the god Marduk executes a fellow god to use his blood to create human beings. Marduk then establishes a divine hierarchy in which a strict adherence to order is upheld through violence and the threat of violence. Obedience is the supreme virtue and is enforced in the daily ordering of human relationships: women subdued by men, slaves subdued by masters, peasants under kings,
people under rulers, laity under the priests (pardon that visual image).
Essentially, the Myth of Redemptive Violence is what Wink calls, “the original religion of the status quo.” It not only exists to legitimate power and privilege, it perpetuates the value of ideas like peace through war, security through strength, and the notion that fear can only be overcome through domination.
To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com. It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.
Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:
What are some of the characteristics of the “radical community” Jesus inaugurated?
According to Crossan, “substitution” or “suffering” is not the point, sacrum facere is. Explain.
What was Anselm’s rationale for “coming up with” substitutionary atonement?
What’s wrong with the image of “Jesus, the Divine Invader” dying for our sins?
What part does love play in communicating the message that there’s nothing you can ever do or be that will separate you from the love of God?
Hauerwas describes God overwhelming us not with violence, but “with a beauty that is so deep, it’s frightening.” Explain.
According to Scott, what is the definition of “death” in the New Testament? What are its consequences?
What rationale does Crossan give for the radical claim that God is nonviolent?
How does the “postponed violence” of God betray our hope of wholeness?
Hauerwas claims that Christians should be committed to the heart of the Gospel: non-violence. Explain.
What are the implications of Christians actually practicing non-violence?
How is the violent execution of Jesus a warning about our behavior in the 21st century?
No comments:
Post a Comment