Anonymous Communication

I do not read anonymous letters. From time to time over the years, there have been those who have a beef with me and want to "bless" me out via a letter without signing it. As soon as I see where the letter is going I always check to see if it has been signed and, if not, I immediately discard it in the trash.

Recently, our community of faith invited John Dominic Crossan to be our guest for our annual Davis Lectures. Crossan has spent his lifetime as a serious student of scripture and, most especially, the historical Jesus. He takes scripture seriously, but not literally. We knew he is and would be, even now, for some folk in our area a bit controversial. We had no idea!

After his departure and a subsequent news article, the cries for his scalp and ours began. Letters to the editor, messages left on our answering machine that dripped with condescension, and the anonymous contacts burst forth. Some folk did identify themselves (you have to sign your name if you write the editor). But the very first message that came to the answering machine was from a minister who refused to identify himself but did seem to take pride in telling us how we should rebuke Crossan. Then, yesterday a cd arrived in the mail. It was the recording of what appeared to be a Wednesday evening prayer service where the preacher prayed a little and then blasted us a lot. The basic thrust of his message was that we had invited the "antichrist." Again, no enclosed note with a signature. No return address or identifying mark.

I confess that a part of me hopes that I can come face to face with these individuals some day so I can say to them that I find them to be cowards. I'm relatively sure that none of the above parties read this blog so I can't bait them into making contact with me and identifying themselves. In the meantime, we move on, understanding that this is just a part of the make-up of the world in which we live.

But even so, I still take pause. Such actions rank right up at the top with me for the list which reads "Reasons not to call yourself a Christian." If this kind of visceral, loud, self-righteous, but cowardly behavior describes what it means to be Christian, then I don't want to be one. I see nothing of the spirit of the One from Galilee in such hypocrisy.

Having now ventilated enough for the moment, perhaps to move on to something much, much more serious is necessary. The Penn State fiasco should say to all of us that there are moments in which we may find ourselves where we must stand up and speak out. Family violence, abuse of children, and sexual assault come to mind. On this we cannot be anonymous. Perhaps there can come a movement where folk see the vital importance of speaking face-to-face.

LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

John Dominic Crossan came to town a few days ago. Intriguing person. Brilliant. Engaging. Humorous. Provocative. He managed to do his assigned work with some of us and move on before the self-appointed "faith police" jumped into action. The raving and ranting quickly began after an article about him appeared in the newspaper. In spite of the fact that the article misquoted him at one point and did not really develop his thought in other ways, the FP's, who have not read his books or had a conversation with him, branded him guilty by association with the Jesus Seminar and pressed on with their condescending attacks on him and those of us who took the time to listen to his three lectures.

He addressed us on the subject of The Lord's Prayer. His book, THE GREATEST PRAYER, fills in details which time did not allow him to do in the lectures. New thoughts were introduced which make the praying and understanding of that prayer more meaningful.

I have had more trouble with the statement, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," than any other part of the prayer. What was Jesus saying? Why would we think that God would ever lead us into temptation?

Almost any New Testament scholar, regardless of his/her position on the liberal-conservative spectrum, would say that the main theme of Jesus' preaching and teaching was the kingdom of God. Jesus announced that the kingdom had come. It's already here in our midst. It is within us. We do not have to wait to "go" into the kingdom at some later apocalyptic event. We are invited to participate in the kingdom, here and now.

Nor do we bring the kingdom into reality. No matter how faithful we strive to be, our efforts will never accomplish its realization. It is God's gift to give and sustain. Some however will sense that their efforts are so vital that anything and everything must be a part of the coming of God's reign on earth. It might even mean that our zealotry for this kingdom would be so intense that whatever action necessary must be taken to order its advancement. It could mean excluding some folk because of their unorthodoxy. It might mean the use of violence, including, but not limited to, acts of war.

Jesus lived in a time that knew its share of violence. That is the way that the Roman Empire settled its accounts and dealt with its issues. Some would want to aid the coming of Messiah through acts of violence. Their descendants are with us today.

Crossan left an idea in my heart that I can't ignore. Never think (or pray) that God will somehow do God's work through violence. The ugliness of it may be all around us. But never be tempted to believe that is God's way.