November 21, 2009

"This sure gets at an issue that is still rather confusing to me; that is "violence"!These questions would provide a basis for a discussion that would sure be helpful to me. "What is violence?" "Is there a legitimate or necessary use of violence?" What, if any, is the relationship between heaven and earth at a point that one would call 'violent'?"--M.Day (comment on yesterday's blog)

It seems to me that violence in all its many forms (spiritual, emotional, spiritual) flows out of our estrangement from God and our incapacity to see the 'other' as an image bearer of God and our failure to see Creation as a gift rather than a commodity to be used. Rather than focussing on the specific action (the policeman's response, Absalom's butchery, or Jesus making a whip and chasing folks out of the Temple) and trying to decide if it is 'violence' or not, I wonder if we would be better served by asking the question: Why won't Jesus defend himself with the sword? I think that would be a good starting point for a discussion. I believe the exploration of that question could open up some great vistas on the questions raised in the comment!

Hmmm....this gets me going. I could see a four session class centered around this question and where it leads. I'm tossing it into the "Class ideas" hopper!