I received the video below in response to my earlier comments about the terrorist attacks in Norway. I think the video is fascinating. It is chilling to listen to the "conservative Christian" (I will not agree that either title is legitimate for those who are preaching fear and hate in the name of Jesus) speakers on the video who are espousing ideas that sound a lot like Hitler's anti-Jewish rhetoric in the 1930's. The video makes its point about tolerance well.
If this makes you uncomfortable, I just want to ask: What did Jesus really mean by "love your neighbor"? Or better yet, if you really believe that Muslims are the enemies of your country, what did Jesus mean when he told you to "love your enemies"? Do these commands of Jesus to his followers apply to neighbors or even enemies who happen to be Muslim?
Take a look and let me know what you think:
I have watched this video a couple of time and it bothers me for multiple reasons. I will be brief and hopefully clear.
ReplyDelete1). The vile messages of the audio are hateful and are not messages of Christian love and hope.
2). Labeling the video as "conservative Christian" is hurtful to me as it is neither. Hateful is not equal to conservative
3). The unwritten message appears to be that we, as Christians, need to demonstrate even greater levels of tolerance. I feel that message can also lead one down a slippery slope and I question that message.
Bruce, I agree with what you say. The video uses the voices of those who would describe themselves as "conservative Christians" but they do not use either word accurately. However, the press and public opinion often use the label without understanding how poorly these speakers represent Jesus or his church.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'd be pushing for tolerance. I think that is a weak cousin to the love Jesus calls us toward. I believe the church needs to take seriously Jesus' call to be salt and light -- to be radically loving toward our neighbors. If you're looking for a good read on this, Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship is an amazing book that takes Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) seriously without dumbing them down. Thanks for your comments on the video!
Jeff