Biblical Christianity as Scapegoat

Contemporary Marxism tends to be a merger of the romantic ideals of National Socialism and the economic concepts of Marxism. That is, the concept of state and community ownership of property versus private ownership has merged with ancient spiritualities wedded to land. This is mainly done by focusing on indigenous peoples and their view of the land as sacred. Private ownership as well as biblical Christianity are considered the enemies in this scenario.

This merging ideology and its inroads into the mainline denominations are clearly seen in a communiqué Hans Cornelder linked to on Presbyweb. Communiqué from the Workshop on Spirituality of Resistance, Liberation and Transformation offers the reader a complete outline of an abhorrent ideology that uses ethnicity, culture and religion as weapons against the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

An announcement on the World Alliance of Reformed Churches web site states that the workshop was sponsored by “the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), the Council for World Mission (CWM) and the World Council of Churches (WCC).” Both David Fischler on his blog Reformed Pastor and Jim Berkley in a letter to Presbyweb have written about the event.

While this was a very political event, in this posting I am concerned with the religious attitude and decisions of the people who attended the workshop. Since three “Christian” organizations sponsored the event it would seem the attendees commitment to Jesus Christ should have been supreme but instead they have betrayed the Lord. And, in their duplicity they have betrayed his followers.

The co-signers of this document write, “Empire spawns its own destructive spiritualities, such as the “religious right,” and thus it seeks always to co-opt the powers of religion for imperial aims. New spiritualities are coming forth to oppose imperial spiritualities, and these should be supported.” Of course they do not clarify who the ‘religious right’ is, but they do go on to write:

"Justice movements require a new solidarity among religious groups and all peoples of conscience (secular and religious), and thus we affirm and honour the full multiplicity of spiritualities that enliven such movements." (Emphasis the author's)

And:

"Religious groups and all peoples of conscience should recognize a leading role for indigenous peoples, honouring especially their earth-centered spirituality, focusing on interdependencies of body, mind, land, community, and spirit, as resources for a liberating justice for all creation. We affirm the struggle of all First Nations peoples for their land and for their rights to self-determination." (Emphasis the author's)

Along with this they insist that Christians, “relinquish the hegemony of their Christian language and rituals in movement work, even when this means leaving the comfort zones of Christian belief and practice.” (Emphasis authors’) The authors go on to assert that:

"Christian leaders and institutions, when participating in justice movements, must foster liberating spiritualities by re-interpreting their Christian stories, beliefs and practices to challenge forthrightly the forces of empire.

For all religious traditions, the demands made upon us by justice movements lead us toward spiritual openness to diverse readings of oral and written sacred texts and traditions, and even to a willingness to question and contest some emphases in these sources." (Emphasis the author's)

Not all of the author’s of this document have authored material that will clarify further the meaning of these unfaithful statements, however one of the signers Ivone Gebara, a Catholic ecofeminist theologian has written a book, Longing for Running Water: Ecofeminism and Liberation.

In that book she lays out a new form of spirituality which she considers Christian. The truth is, it is an old form of religion but it is not Christianity.

Of the Trinity Gebara finally concludes that everything that exists is the Trinity. She does not clarify whether this is a form of pantheism or panentheism. But she does reconstruct the Christian view of the Trinity writing of “Trinity in the cosmos; Trinity on earth; the Trinity in relationships among peoples and cultures; the Trinity in human relationships; and the Trinity in every person.” (155) Gebara then explains:

"This list undoubtedly suggests that everything is Trinity, that all things are part of that vital and intimate relationship between multiplicity and unity that marks both our character and our makeup. This perspective opens us to realities beyond Christian experience." (155)

As is always necessary when constructing a religion, Gebara tries to account for evil. In both pantheism and panentheism that attempt is not an easy task without reaching for scapegoats. The reason, knowing that humanity is divine or part of divinity means that somehow the transcendent within is involved in evil. In this case, Gebara locates evil not only in a political and economic system but also in those who insist that their Lord is the one way. She writes:

"Evil is the proclamation and imposition of my gods as eternal and exclusive, capable of saving all of humanity. Evil is the claim that some people know the will of God and are commissioned to teach it as irrefutable dogma, while others are obliged to humbly recognize and accept their own ignorance." (168)

This is of course not only unbiblical it is illogical thinking. If a revelation is truly given by God; if God has in Jesus Christ entered human history redeeming his people, that is not evil and it is God’s doing.

However, if religious dogma of any kind is based on false belief, it can become evil. Even Christianity can become evil. When Christianity is without the cross, without the grace and righteousness of the incarnate One, Jesus Christ, the door is open to evil. A reconstructed Christianity, an oxymoron at best, is the example since its proponents have chosen to see biblical Christians as the source of evil.

Now is the time for this verse:

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of this world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you , ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my names sake, because they do not know the One who sent me. (John 15:18-21)