The Jericho March and the Holy Name of Jesus

 

A march was held in Washington D.C. called a Jericho March with the intention of assuring a part of the American church that Donald trump who lost the 2020 election for president would be able to overturn the results. The name of Jesus was constantly used to undergird the wishes and dispel the fears of many.

Alex Jones used the name of Jesus loudly. He’s the fellow that insisted that the shooting of the elementary school children at Sandy Hook school never happened.* In the face of parents who could think of nothing but the terror, pain and great need of their dying children, Alex Jones said it never happened. Too many listened to Jones praise Donald Trump while insisting that many American citizens voted illegally in the election. Many applauded him.

Eric Metaxas, the author of a bestselling book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was the emcee. He also, both at the march, and on his radio and YouTube show, uses the name of Jesus, slanders others and lifts up Trump and Trump’s claim of a fraudulent election. In a recent video, in a parody of “Mary, Did You Know?” he accuses the Democrats, among other things, of being in league with the “Soros Folks” and Venezuela.[1] Many applaud his use of Christianity as he calls people to stand against the recent election?  

Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, a pacifist, who because of the horror of Hitler joined the German military helping a secret group of military officers as they helped Jewish people escape into Switzerland and plotted to kill Hitler. Bonhoeffer went to prison for helping Jewish people escape, he was killed when it was discovered that he was part of the plot to kill Hitler. Bonhoeffer struggled with his decision to join the military and to kill. He was devout and dignified, an intelligent and caring individual who wrote letters, poems and theology from his cell.  

Bonhoeffer wrote in his book Ethics of how those in the Church during the Nazi years must lead the German nation in confessing sins. One of those confessions was because the Church had allowed the nation to misuse the name of Christ. They tried to make Jesus Christ into a German nationalist. Bonhoeffer writes:

The Church confesses that she has taken in vain the name of Jesus Christ, for she has been ashamed of this name before the world and she has not striven forcefully enough against the misuse of this name for an evil purpose. She has stood by while violence and wrong were being committed under cover of this name. And indeed she left uncontradicted, and thereby abetted, even open mockery of the most holy name. She knows that God will not leave unpunished one who takes His name in vain as she does.[2]

Bonhoeffer’s call to confession was for the church, for himself and down to this day for me and you. Many men and women stood up during the Jericho march claiming Christ and his blessing but making it a political call to Christian nationalism and for the sake of one man, Donald Trump. But Christ is uniquely and only Lord of the Church—someday He will be Lord of not only this nation but all nations—but in the Parousia. The Church can claim Jesus but not the world, and it is the Church’s duty to hold His name Holy, to not use it as a political tool.

I am thinking now of how I fail to hold His name Holy. I am praying that both I and the Church in the United States find only praise for that name the name of Jesus.

*Here is where you can find a picture of one of the children who died that day. Jake Tapper just placed it on Twitter. He does this with the children every year .Home / Twitter

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[1] "Biden Did You Know?" A Parody - YouTube

[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics, 1949, reprint (New York: Simon & Schuster 1995), 113-14