Some small thoughts on the correspondents dinner and President Trump

 I watched the Correspondents dinner last night and it left me having great sorrow for President Trump. There was an excellent documentary about the history of and what it means to have freedom of the press. I had hoped that the president really listened and understood the documentary. After that there were awards to reporters; I wondered what Trump was thinking as most of those awards were for articles about some problem with the presidency. He gave funny smiles and in some cases threw up his hands. and then it was time for him to speak. I don't think that he knows what it is to roast people, using satire. His speech was an hour long and filled with awful insults that were simply not funny. I realized that he has no ability to make jokes about others, only insults; and given his now seeming mental problems it was hard for him to stay on subject. I don't know if it is some kind of dementia or something else. But what I saw was a very broken confused man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I truly felt sorry for him.

You Shall Not Murder: An Unholy Army

 

“You shall not murder.” Exodus 13

An army is roaming about the United States killing, imprisoning, destroying people’s lives. It is called ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Its main leaders are the President of the United States, Donald J Trump, the Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor, Stephen Miller, the Immigration Czar, Tom Homan, and the new head of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin.

There is much in our country that I am troubled by for instance the corruption of the president and the failure of Congress to do anything about it, but it is our mistreatment of so many people by the leaders and organizations I have named that has me deeply depressed. In another time militia who roamed our streets wearing masks, driving unmarked cars, ramming other cars, shooting the drivers, watching them die without helping them would be arrested by the police. In fact, the police would undoubtedly shoot back at them and imprison them until they could go to trial.

In another time there would be no prisons for children. In another time no children as young as three, without parents, family or guardians would be set before a judge to have their fate decided. Yes, it is happening.

We are becoming a nation who cares little for the helpless, the stranger, the children, the orphan, the widow. The very ones that ancient Israel harmed and because of it finally were sent into exile. (of course, they started down this road because, they, while supposedly, existing as worshipers of God worshiped idols—deadly idols that came from self-will and love of power—read Ezekiel chapter 8.)

But to see people, some citizens, some who are not citizens but have lived here making a living, raising families, lying on our streets bleeding out and law enforcement nor city or government officials doing anything about it is unthinkable. It is like a nightmare descending on us. It is as though another country; another government has overpowered our democracy.

Congress needs to standup to it all. To say enough, to pass laws to make it impossible for an army of unknown members who disobey laws that should govern them, is allowed to exist.

Trust in Him at all times, O people. Pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuse for us.

Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie; in the balances they go up; they are all together lighter than breath.

Do not trust in oppression and do not vainly hope in robbery. If riches increase do not set you heart upon them.

Once God has spoken and twice I have heard this:  That power belongs to God; and loving kindness is yours O Lord. For you recompence a man according to his work. (Psalms 62:8-12)

 

(About President Trump) Why not King Saul rather than King David?

 I’ve started reading 1^st Samuel as part of my biblical devotional reading. Its just the beginning so once again I’m going over the story of Israel’s first king, Saul. With the help of some commentary notes from the compiler of the St. James devotional and umpteen rereads I see some information I hadn’t noticed.

I want to lay this biblical understanding beside some MAGA people who have suggested that Trump is a called leader like Cyrus who allowed the captive Israelites to return to Judea. But mainly many see Trump as God’s David. I have several times written of Julie Green a supposed MAGA prophet who has God speaking through her calling Trump his beloved David.[1] And of course, that cannot be because Jesus is the one the prophets of the Old Testament prophesized would be the descendent of David, the redeemer and King of the nations.

But I see in king Saul a picture of Trump. In Saul’s son Jonathan I see the faithful follower of the Lord. Saul was an impulsive, controlling man, seeking his own glory. Jonathan with a companion, with trust in the Lord, fights alone, against the Philistines and kills many. During that venture Jonathan sees honey flowing on the ground and eats some. Because of a religious command of Saul, which had nothing to do with faithfulness, but with his own need for being in command of  ritual, commands his soldiers going into battle to fast. They become so hungry that after winning they kill the captured cattle on the ground eating them with the blood which according to God’s law for the Hebrews was forbidden.

But it is Jonathan who is in trouble because he has eaten honey. When that is discovered, he is to be killed, but the soldiers plead for his life and he is saved. Here is some important points about authority, in the story. Jonathan, when hearing that his father has commanded the army going into battle to fast tells the men the truth.
“Then one of the people said, ‘Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, ‘cursed be the man who eats food today.’ And the people were weary.

“Then Jonathan said, ‘My father has troubled the land. See now how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more if only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! (1 Samuel 14:28-30a)

Jonathan often fought enemies beside his father Saul, in fact they died together in their last battle. But he was truthful and told his father the truth about his father’s sin.

Saul began his kingship with some humbleness, hiding when Samuel was seeking to announce his kingly anointing to Israel and forgiving some who refused to accept his kingship. But as he grew in power, he became arrogant seeking his own glory. He performed the sacrifice that Samuel, the priest and prophet of God was to perform. At one point when Samuel was seeking Saul he was told, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold he sat up a monument for himself …” (15:12)

Saul became brutal, desiring to kill David who fought beside him and Jonathan and the army of Israel. Saul believed a lie, that David was his enemy who intended to kill him. To that end Saul killed most of the priest of the Lord because they had helped David and prayed for him. In fact, using an enemy of Israel, an Edomite, he killed the people of the city of the priest including women and children. He covers so much of his sin with lies and half-truths. Finally in the end Saul turned to witchcraft seeking answers that he could not find from God.

So, the listing of Saul’s troubling characteristics includes performing religious acts he was not allowed, seeking his own glory including giving out commands (playing religious) that harm his soldiers and building a monument to himself, imagining a conspiracy against himself, making David his enemy, anger over his knowledge that he would eventually be replaced, murdering the faithful and as God turns away from him seeking the future through witchcraft.

Jonathan on the other hand becomes a friend of David acknowledging David, not Jonathan, will be the next king of Israel. He constantly protects David, warning him of Saul’s attempts to kill him. Jonathan several times decries his father’s murderous plans against David. He to Saul’s face insists on the innocence of David. “But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said, ‘Why should he be put to death? What has he done?’” (20:32) At this point Saul who has first insulted his son throws his spear at him and Jonathan leaves angry and grieved. This is truly righteous anger and grief. And Jonathan will at times bring comfort and encouragement to David.

So, Jonathan’s characteristics: faithfulness in friendship, acceptance of God’s will, speaking truth about and to evil, and encouragement to the persecuted.

I don’t want to say that Trump has chased so far as to reach into witchcraft but he has gathered some heretical teachers and leaders to himself—not all, but the leader—yes, Paula White, a prosperity teacher and one who has connections to the “we are gods” teachers and preachers. I don’t want to write that Trump seeks to kill whoever might be the next president, but he is willing to put innocent people in prison while rewarding criminals in order to avenge himself against those he believes to be his enemies. He is willing to rend America apart in order to stay in his position. And yes, he does have an obsession with memorials to himself. He is not following in David’s footsteps; he is following in Saul’s which ended in disaster.

The follower of Christ cannot be in rebellion but must speak truth; must be concerned with God’s true beloved David, the Messiah, the incarnate One, Jesus.

Jonathan made a covenant of faithfulness with David and David with him. God has through His Son Jesus made a covenant with His Church—it doesn’t rule out the cross—the suffering, but it does hold the promises of redemption and eternal life. No darknesses in a witch’s cave, no blackened egos breaking other’s hearts, but the throne of God founded on love, justice and truth.  

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You. (Psalm 89: 14)

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[1] Is Donald Trump God's David? The false prophecies of Julie Green, Naming His Grace: Is Donald Trump God's David? The false prophecies of Julie Green

 

The Controversy About the Pentagon's New Listing of Religions for the Chaplains Ministry

 

I put a small blurb on a Facebook posting I shared from the internet about the Pentagon’s new listing of religions for the military chaplain’s service. As I’ve thought about it I decided I should do a larger information essay with, of course, some of my opinions.

At the moment the big controversy is that while many Christian denominations were listed under the designation Christian, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints did not have that designation.

So first of all, as a Christian, a Presbyterian for many years and now a Lutheran (LCMS) I don’t see the LDS as truly Christian from a faith position. For instance, they don’t believe in the Trinity, nor the eternality of God. But that really isn’t the point, they see themselves as Christian and that is part of our freedom as Americans. The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth has probably had a hand in forming or guiding the list but I don’t know that for certain. What I do know is this list has many problems. Whoever made the list did not have a good understanding of religions in general.

If the LDS was left off because the persons forming the list thought they were not truly Christian then what about the listing of Christian Scientist and Jehovah Witnesses as Christians since they are on this list. The JWs do not believe Jesus is God nor do they believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. The Christian Scientist do not believe evil is real and see all biblical language as metaphor. Matter is unreal and the blood of Jesus has no meaning. But as I have written that really isn’t the point, in America we have religious liberty and all who call themselves Christians are allowed to do so. And while we as faith people are called to dialogue, to hopefully kindly point out our differences, government officials must respect the titles each religion give themselves.

So here is what I see as the real problem: Christianity has been over emphasized by listing so many different groups under the heading of Christian while all other religions are simply listed under what I would call generic names such as Islam or Buddhism. And yet all of these other religions have separate groups within them. For instance, one of the larger groups within Buddhism in America is Pure Land Buddhism, but there are others such as  Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism. So why not simply for denominations have a listing of just Christianity with service people deciding for themselves.

Then there is one more problem I want to address. One of the fastest growing groups in the United States and elsewhere is paganism which includes Wicca. They have been left off of this list and I don’t feel they should have been. I have written in several places about Wicca and I don’t endorse it but I care about the needs of these many women. I am familiar with the pastor who not too many years ago was Chaplain over all of the prison system in California. A godly Assembly of God pastor. I still remember seeing a list of some of the needs he had. One was wood for the wiccan prison members to hold sage ceremonies. And I laughed! But compassion reaches troubled people faster than condemnation. The point is when people and their faiths are ignored, they feel left out, dismissed as unimportant. We are being troubled by Christian Nationalism whose adherents tend to discriminate against women and those they consider outsiders. Just recently I listened to part of a video where several extreme pastors who are Christian Nationalist were discussing how if they could come to power in the United States, it might be possible to get the government officials to takeover all churches that are gay centered and/or had women pastors. While I truly believe that biblically marriage is between one man and one woman, no church in American should ever be in danger of having a government takeover.

The list should be done over, simplified and fair.

Tearing Down Buildings to Build Greater Buildings to Self:

 

Good Friday evening I watched a movie I hadn’t watched in a while, Que Vadis. I wrote in a different posting several months ago that I watched the original movie when I was 10. There is a later one but not so good. The 1951 movie was one of the stepping stones to my becoming a Christian. It is about the Christians of Rome during the time of Nero. And yes there are important scenes of the Christian suffering in the arena as well as the burning of Rome. But for those interested it does include a romance.

Something, different struck me as I watched the movie, something I hadn’t noticed before and the reason I noticed was because of President Trump. It was Nero and his character, played extremely well by actor, Peter Ustinov. As the movie jacket puts it “He is Caesar, madman, murderer an imperial ruler of the spectacularly doomed, of the glory that was Rome.” No, Trump isn’t that bad, not yet anyway, but I saw some traits portraited in Nero’s character that reminded me of Trump, the something I hadn’t thought about before.

Of course, there was the egotism, the desire to be seen by all and to be lauded by everyone. That was something I had already observed as most have. And there was the many who catered to those desires including the man who had some nobility yet learned to turn and twist Nero’s desire for praise and adulation into usefulness, preventing him from further evil. The movie portrayed that character as Petronius. He was historically an attendant to Nero concerning fashion and he did kill himself when he realized Nero was going to kill him. Also true to history he sends a letter to Nero defaming him and telling Nero how awful his music and poetry was. [i] However, the movie took some liberties since Seneca also was a role and his historical suicide commanded by Nero was portrayed more as Petronius’. Seneca did not commit suicide in the movie.

That trait that I discovered in Nero’s character and saw some of Trump’s in Nero was Nero’s desire to be a great builder and to tear down everything he saw as useless, buildings and organizations that failed to acknowledge the greatness or importance of Nero. He wanted to rebuild them with his own impotent image. The scenes of Nero showing his associates his newly planned Rome and the horrific scenes of the fire Nero set to destroy the old Rome were, yes, horrific but enlightening. Nero was a coward; he blamed the fire on the Christians. He was also a madman he enjoyed the reality of their deaths. When buildings and organizations were sacrificed to bring Nero glory and attributes of divinity he smiled and sang. He wrote poetry, awful poetry.

Part of my devotional reading for the last several months, have included the history of Israel and the prophets Daniel and Jeremiah; an interesting combination since Jeremiah prophesizes the defeat, the exile, and the return of Israel, while the exiled Daniel, the godly Hebrew wiseman of Babylon, prays in repentance for that time of return to come. One cannot miss the fact that Jeremiah constantly proclaims God’s coming judgement on sinning Israel, that sin which includes the burning of children to the pagan god moloch. There were many idols in Israel. But Babylon had their own idols and one an idol created by Nebuchadnezzar. That one was intended for worship or death. This is not off the subject of Nero or Trump or building memorials to self. Recently Trump posted a video of what would be, he said, was his library only he had decided it would be a hotel. It was extensive and full of aircraft. But in one large room seemingly for speakers was a large golden statue of Trump and that is not the first time that golden statue (idol) has shown up.

What do we as Christians hang onto in the midst of idolatry? First notice that this idolatry is about self. Grasping for human desires and exulting the self; refusing the hard parts of life. And this sin belongs to all of us, to myself greatly. Oh, this isn’t about refusing the goodness that God gives, the joys as Lewis or Tolkien might think of it, good meals, friendships, okay, pipes for some, good books, restful nights, gardens, etc. But it is turning away from glorifying the self. It is seeking and holding onto God’s will in our lives. It is caring about the needy, the broken, the frightened, (there are a lot of frightened people in our world today.) It is remembering that it is the presence of Jesus, it is His word, His strength, His forgiveness—it is all His, cling to that, hold on, not to self but to Him.

 

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[i] Petronius - Wikipedia

The Historical Suffering Church: Its Image, Its Faith Extending Over Our Tomorrows: The White Rose- Passive Resistance

 

Not unlike other tyrant’s obsession with gaining property, wealth and yes nations, President Trump seems bent on conquering other nations’ property, (oil) and lands. Wanting Venezuela’s oil, Greenland’s natural security borders, Canada’s expansiveness is hardly acceptable reasons for invading other lands. But with Venezuela it is beginning and may continue. That wanting and obsession includes demanding extreme loyalty and obedience which involves using what can only be called a private presidential army, ICE, to brutally remove people from the streets of Democratic cities, sending even American citizens to dreadful deportation camps.

Trying to face, before sleeping, all that is happening in our country I thought of a group and a person I have written about before, Sophie Scholl. She and her brother Hans were part of a small resistance group, The White Rose, that began in Munich during the Hitler regime. It began with those attending the university and although support for the group spread it remained small. These young people, mostly in their twenties, wrote pamphlets, sending them at first through the mail to mostly other students and professors, also simply leaving them in various places where they would hopefully be seen by others and read. Their biggest concern was that other citizens either did not know what was happening because of Hitler or they did not care, ignoring the suffering of so many. Of course, many lies were told by the regime and for some it was easier to believe the lies than to face the truth.

Members of The White Rose purposed a kind of resistance called passive resistance. I will write about this and what it was toward the end of this posting; in most cases it would be sufficient for concerned Americans. The pamphlets are all on line; six of them, I will link to them.[1] They are interesting for those interested in using cultural understandings to reach those who seem indifferent to the troubles and sufferings of a people. Such German literary figures as Goethe and Novalis are quoted. And because the group was Christian, mostly Catholic but also Lutheran has been mentioned, the scriptures are quoted in their writings. For instance, “So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead than the living which are yet alive. Ecclesiastes 4”

One section of pamphlet 4 offers a Christian perspective on the evil of their day, perhaps of ours:

“Every word that comes from Hitler's mouth is a lie. When he says peace, he means war, and when he blasphemously uses the name of the Almighty, he means the power of evil, the fallen angel, Satan. His mouth is the foul-smelling maw of Hell, and his might is at bottom accursed. True, we must conduct a struggle against the National Socialist terrorist state with rational means; but whoever today still doubts the reality, the existence of demonic powers, has failed by a wide margin to understand the metaphysical background of this war. Behind the concrete, the visible events, behind all objective, logical considerations, we find the irrational element: The struggle against the demon, against the servants of the Antichrist.

Everywhere and at all times demons have been lurking in the dark, waiting for the moment when man is weak; when of his own volition he leaves his place in the order of Creation as founded for him by God in freedom; when he yields to the force of evil, separates himself from the powers of a higher order; and after voluntarily taking the first step, he is driven on to the next and the next at a furiously accelerating rate. Everywhere and at all times of greatest trial men have appeared, prophets and saints who cherished their freedom, who preached the One God and who His help brought the people to a reversal of their downward course. Man is free, to be sure, but without the true God he is defenseless against the principle of evil. He is like rudderless ship, at the mercy of the storm, an infant without his mother, a cloud dissolving into thin air.”

I believe this fits well the evil of any age and any dictatorship.

And writing of evil, after dumping from the balcony, a large number of pamphlets at the Munich university they were purposely locked in and denounced by the janitor. Three were arrested, tried and later guillotined, beheaded.  Others were later arrested.

The director of the movie, Sophie Scholl (2003) Marc Rothemund, wrote this about Sophie:

“I admire her courage. She turned down the ‘golden bridge’ offered to her by the interrogation officer Robert Mohr—thus practically signing her own death sentence, I find this approach to death quire startling; how does such a life-affirming, positive-minded young woman like Sophie Scholl come to terms with the fact that her life is being taken away from her? How does she find meaning in her death? And of course, as an atheist, I ask myself: Is it easier to face death as a believer?”

The White Roses’ understanding of passive resistance is clearly meant for a nation attacking other nations and committing genocide on peoples, particularly Jews, but also imprisoning and killing Romas, LGBTs, and Christians who opposed the regime. One suggestion is sabotaging weapon factories. That is not what I have in mind as I write this. But the acts of writing and for our period filming and posting acts of violence by ICE are important. This is certainly passive resistance.

The use of whistles to warn others is excellent. The White Rose suggested also sabotaging Nazi rallies, and refusing to give to charities that were going into government coffers. In the book The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta he writes of attending a Reawaken American Tour which although it no longer operates had for several years pulled in MAGA, QAnon and various other strange speakers to promote Trump and many of the speakers still influence the far right. Alberta, a reporter for the Atlantic and a Christian, who was gathering information for his book challenged various Christians who were promoting the horrific political positions pushed by the leaders of the Tour. This is challenging the American First rallies. Challenging in fact the philosophical and religious basis of Trump’s administration since most speakers were and are friends and family of Trump. Other reporters and columnists have continued to question and challenge the horrific actions of ICE toward both United States citizens and permanent immigrants.

It should be noted that although it seemed that the White Rose group did not arouse their communities to more truthful opinions of what was happening, nor did their understanding of passive resistance seem to win out, they did become known by the allies fighting for freedom. One article, on The World War II Museum site in New Orleans states:

“While their deaths were only barely mentioned in German newspapers, they received attention abroad. In April, The New York Times wrote about student opposition in Munich. In June 1943, Thomas Mann, in a BBC broadcast aimed at Germans, spoke of the White Rose’s actions. The text of the sixth leaflet was smuggled into the United Kingdom where they were reprinted and dropped over Germany by Allied planes in July of the same year.”

Three other actions of passive resistance I will add, prayer for those being harassed and deported, caring for community, and speaking truth in faithfulness.

 

 

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[1] The Leaflets – Center for White Rose Studies

The Humbleness of God Meeting the Wickedness of Humanity

 

During advent season so much of my devotional reading was directed to Revelation and Daniel. One chapter in Daniel caught my attention. The story of Nebuchadnezzar being turned out of his kingdom into the fields with the beasts. It begins with the king speaking of the greatness of God and His kingdom, “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.” (4:3b) After this Nebuchadnezzar goes on to explain how he came to acknowledge the greatness of God. That event came after he was warned by God in a dream. He was warned of his arrogance and encouraged by Daniel to break away from his sins and show mercy to the poor.

A year later, walking on the roof of his palace these are Nebuchadnezzar’s words. “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and by the glory of my majesty.” (4:30). Immediately the king became like an animal in the field and under God’s judgement would remain that way until he acknowledged God’s sovereignty.

I, also noted in my Christmas reading, that while we are to praise God for His greatness the Psalms reveals that God is humble. But how can the One who created all things and rules all be humble? When we think of humanity as humble, we think of those who, unlike Nebuchadnezzar, do not boast but acknowledges their weaknesses, their inabilities, even their sinfulness. They are like the man who praying in the Temple will not even look up but asks for mercy. So, the contrast between the words of Nebuchadnezzar, his bragging self-admiration, and the biblical humbleness attributed to the Lord are undoubtedly vast.

So, what is the attitude and acts that make our God humble:

The Lord is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God. Who is enthroned on high, Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth? And lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people. He makes the barren woman to abide in the house as a joyful mother of children (Psalm 113: 4-9a).

The Lord looks on all he has made, unlike the religious deist’s views of God, the Lord of Scripture is concerned about His creation. And what follows is not His praise of His own self because of His Glory but His tender care for His creation. What could be more empathic than caring for the one reduced to such poverty or caring for the woman longing for children. It is the reaching down to the weak, the needy, the stranger, the broken and sinful that is really the opposite of human arrogance, the seeking of power, the willingness to hurt others, the dark need to avenge. And the greatest image of God’s humbleness is the Father’s willingness to send His beloved Son to redeem humanity.

There is much to be frightened about in all ages, and yes in this age. The desire to cover walls with gold and with insults—the desire to send people away into prisons that might as well be new gulags and concentration camps. The desire to overpower the true image of God, that is, the image of God in humanity—all of humanity, broken and redeemed humanity. The need to be honored for peace while pushing war in everyplace—around dinner tables, on high seas, amidst friends. The need to honor foes—for power—and threaten friends—for power.

But there is a power and grace and yes humbleness that is above every earthly power. While God reaches down, humbles Himself to touch the lives of the broken; still He is the one who warned Nebuchadnezzar and then humbled him causing him to live among the beasts until he acknowledged that the Lord was the one who raises up rulers and puts down rulers. Repeatedly, reading the Hebrew Bible, the history of Israel and the warnings of the Prophets, ones sees the constant rise of wicked kings and God’s judgments on them.

The most degenerate king of Judah, Manasseh, who Scriptures says filled Jerusalem with innocent blood met both that judgement and that redemption. Manasseh’s list of evil actions can be found in 2 Kings 21 and 2 Chronicles 33. Manasseh was captured by the ruler of Assyria and, interestingly, taken in chains to prison in Babylon. (2 Chronicles 33) In prison Manasseh repented and God brought him back to Jerusalem where he tore down all the altars he had built to false gods and removed an idol he had placed in the temple.  But still his people were tainted because he had seduced them too evil.

And we must acknowledge the evil about us, in us, and even in the leadership over us as a means of not participating in evil. This isn’t rebellion, this is being truthful. We must grieve as the Lord does both for those who are hurt and those who hurt. This isn’t rebellion its knowing, feeling and carrying the grace of God to brokenness. We must be willing to be slandered for telling the truth this is also God’s grace.

The Historical Suffering Church: Its Image, Its Faith Extending Over Our Tomorrows: The Christian Native Americans #4

I had trouble writing this posting. I feel it is important to obtain my information from books—some history, some commentary, but I, with quite a few books on religion in America, could not find the information I wanted. So too much comes from the internet. My apologies.

Lying on a blanket in the pasture and listening to my older sister read is one of my favorite memories. Until she didn’t finish the story and I had to read the rest of the Zane Grey western myself. I was either in the third or fourth grade but I loved the story. And because my mom and dad were often reading westerns including their favorites, the Zane Grey ones, I also read them. Grey began his writing career by writing about his ancestors. They were fictionalized but still there was historical truth in them. And so, I wondered about the Native Americans who became Christians and died for their faith in a burning church. Was it true?

 I couldn’t remember which book it was in but when I went searching, I found that in the book The Spirit of the Border Grey had written about the death of some native Americans who died for their faith. With further research I found that Grey had seemingly melded two historical events together. In his story the Moravian community was attacked by both unfriendly natives and decadent mountain men. Each time a Moravian missionary got up to speak in their church, he was shot. And then the Christian natives were burned alive—at least that is my memory.

 But the truth is there were two incidents, one during the French and Indian wars and the other during the Revolutionary War. In an article on Wikipedia, the first event is explained: “The Gnadenhütten massacre was an attack during the French and Indian war in which Native allies of the French killed 11 Moravian missionaries at Gnadenhütten, Pennsylvania (modern day Lehighton, Pennsylvania) on 24 November 1755. They destroyed the mission village and took one woman prisoner, and only four of the sixteen residents escaped. Following the attack, Benjaman Franklin was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Provincial Counsil to construct forts in the area, and in other parts of the Province of Pennsylvania, to defend against Native American attacks, which were becoming increasingly frequent due to the French and Indian War."

Clearly this was an attack on missionaries, any native Americans there escaped. But Grey seems to have centered his story on the second incident, the one that occurred during the Revolutionary war, 1782. The natives had been converted by the ministry of Moravian missionaries. The Moravians were pacifist and so the Christian natives were also. They lived in community but owned property. The missionaries’ history went back to Bohemia and John Hus in the 14 century. Hus was a reformer much like Martin Luther, but about 80 years earlier. And unlike Luther Hus was burned at the stake. The first followers of Hus were willing to take up arms and fought in the thirty years war. However eventually they were overcome, persecuted and exiled. 

 Some of Hus’ followers took shelter at the estate of Count Zinzendorf, a Pietistic Christian, coming under his protection in the 1700's. There they became a community concerned with missionary ministry which included their calling to the native tribes in America, first the Mohawks and later to the Lenape. In their ministry they were pacifists. 

 Because they were pacifists they were suspected of treason and arrested by a Pennsylvania militia. Wikipedia states this: 

“The Moravians asked their captors to be allowed to pray and worship on the night before their execution; they spent the night before their deaths praying as well as singing Christian hymns and Psalms. Eighteen of the U.S. militiamen were opposed to the killing of the pacifist Moravians, although they were outvoted by those who wanted to murder them; those who opposed the murder did not participate in the massacre and separated themselves from the killers. Before murdering them, the American soldiers "dragged the women and girls out into the snow and systematically raped them." As they were being killed, the Moravians sang "hymns and spoke words of encouragement and consolation one to another until they were all slain". Believing in nonresistance, they pleaded for their lives to be spared but did not fight back against their persecutors."

  Those who committed the crime were never charged but later history memorialized the martyrs and according to the Wikipedia article Theodore Roosevelt called the massacre "a stain on frontier character that the lapse of time cannot wash away." There is much more to this account at Wikipedia.

 As I have searched out the stories of faithful Christians, I am amazed at how these differing groups turned to non-violence in their faithful suffering. The Huguenots I wrote about earlier were not pacifist but in their deepest troubles found that carrying swords to worship was untenable and rather, instead carried only their Bibles. For the Christian natives the acts of hymn singing, prayer, and words of encouragement to brothers and sisters, was their defense, their only defense, against such evil. Their resistance to tyrants was truth—because the Lord of life is truth—it is our real means of resistance. Speaking truth about evil is resistance. 

I am trying to capture the meaning and fortitude for Christians despised in the midst of tyranny. It's not happening here you say. In the Hispanic churches, both Catholic and Protestant, it is. Among Iranians and Afghan Christian refugees sent back to their countries it is death. And among those who are speaking the truth about what is happening, that is, the loss of freedom for the immigrant and refugee, the brutality given to those arrested, there are already insults, isolation and death threats.

But there is a name above every name:

 

My Rant: Facing Lies, Facing the Church's Future

 

I’m at the moment working on another article about the suffering church looking back to the French-Indian wars and the following Revolutionary war to show the suffering of some Christian native Americans. But for a short time, I feel the need to stop and do some explanations and even rant about why I am doing what I am doing.

I have been thinking about this for a while and then I saw a small article posted by someone who used to be a friend and who is an expert on homosexuality from a biblical point of view and someone who I often defended on my blog. But I can’t defend the constant putdown of so many Christians who disagree with Trump and his administration. The insistence, in his posting, that the No King protests were funded by billionaire’s millions and that people were flown in to make crowds etc., is to use a good old-fashioned word, stupid. It was written by Ken Blackwell without any proof and posted by him. Then copied by my friend. But anyway, it caused me to write what I am going to write.

I have written before about the false prophet Julie Green and her insistence that many who disagree with Trump are enemies who well in the end be in jail or be hung, even picking on Chief Supreme Court Justice Roberts, insisting he will be jailed. She gets by with this by seemingly having God speak through her in prophecy, even calling Trump God’s beloved David. Green is an influencer and a friend with Eric Trump Jr. one of the President’s sons.  She is fairly well known by many who are involved in the Trump administration. None have ever, at least in writing to the public, denounced her insistence on the hurt to those who disagree with what is happening in our government.

At the moment I have and am terribly concerned about the actions of ICE and how they are intimidating American citizens and even refugees who have made a life in America. I am appalled at how the churches that minister to Mexican and other diverse groups are being treated. I am appalled by how many, who are followers of Jesus are ignoring that treatment.  But I am concerned for the church in the future, for their ability to withstand what is happening to our nation and our freedoms. If people like Julie Green and those who follow them have neither compassion for those, they consider enemies—they believe that those who disagree with Trump are enemies and must be jailed or even killed—where will the Church stand—will they be faithful? How will they be faithful?

That is why I am exploring the various ages and groups of Christians who have faced suffering.

To bring it back to the posting about the NO Kings, I believe we must look to all Scripture that confronts worldly sin, both those against life, against purity, those fostering lies, those slandering, those hurting the refugees, the poor and the needy. We must weep and advocate against the death of unborn babies, but also against the harm happening to the refugees. We must weep and advocate against the mutilated children because of their identity needs, but also for those who are being beaten, kidnapped and deported by ICE. How can we honor Christ when we ignore children being awakened in the middle of the night having their hands tied by masked men while they are separated from their parents?

My desire is to know how we can give comfort to the Church amid what is happening now and may happen in the future? We need the whole Scripture poured into our hearts and lives. We need to encourage each other with love. We need to let go of idolatry and cling to Jesus.

The Historical Suffering Church: Its Image, Its Faith Extending Over Our Tomorrows: The Huguenots of France 3

 

My husband and I used to haunt the bookstores of Berkeley. Many are gone now, but hopefully not Moe's. On one of our trips I found this wonderful old book on the Huguenots of France. The book is not the first printing but the one I own was published in 1877. The author of The Huguenots in France after the Revocation of Nantes, Samuel Smiles, was interested in both the region and the religious movement. I had said in my first posting about various Christian groups and the persecution they endured from mostly the state but also other religious groups that the Anabaptist were probably the most persecuted of the Reformation groups but at least the Huguenots are in competition.

While the Anabaptist were pacifist the Huguenots were not. Some of them, but not all, participated in the bloody religious wars that engulfed France as well as other European countries.

The Huguenots were part of the Reformed movement which began with Calvin. At the time of their movement the government was ruled by kings and Catholicism was the religion of the state. The Huguenots were prosperous farmers and businesspeople; they were also among the intellectuals of that time. Jumping ahead for just a bit, with persecution, France lost over 200, 000 of their most prosperous and industrious citizens as they fled to safer places such as Switzerland, England, and America. But in writing this I am interested in those who stayed in France and endured until freedom came.

There was often persecution of protestants in all of Europe and some controversy about a particular persecution, that is called the massacre of St. Bartholemew in Paris in 1572 where a royal wedding was used to trap some Huguenots in the city. Almost all were killed and much of the controversy is over how many were killed. Eventually some freedoms were given to the Huguenots by the Edict of Nantes but in 1685 King Louis the XIV rescinded the edict. The Revocation of Nantes made the Huguenot’s faith illegal. They could not meet for worship, nor sing the Psalms which was part of their worship. Many were forced to submit to Catholicism. And many fled, as I have written above.

At first this seemingly brought the worship, the meetings, the preaching of the Huguenots to an end. But two movements began. One was the bloody reprisals of the so called Camisards, groups of Huguenot men who went to war against the state and the catholic bishops. The groups and leaders of the Camisards in their outrage and radicalism listened to and followed those they called prophets. At first, they won many of their battles but in the end they either submitted to authorities or were tortured and killed.

The other movement consisted of pastors and preachers who yearned to bring the church members together in worship and to teach the word of God. Some of these preachers and pastors were those who had slipped out of the country but hearing how the Huguenot people had no one to shepherd them slipped back into the country. They were not without methods. Their worship was referred to as “the church in the desert.” Word would go out to a neighborhood of the meeting and one by one, in the evening, they would travel to the place of worship. Too often authorities would find out and attack the worshipers. The men would be sent to work in the galleys where they would set in the same place, rowing, eating and sleeping, as well as being whipped until they died. The women and children were sent to nunneries but often to the dungeon of a castle. And the pastor would be sometimes racked but always hung.

The churches were in such desperate conditions spiritually that their development needed to be restored. Because of the lack of Bibles both boys and girls were given chapters to memorize for their meetings. Training for pastors was usually outside. As one pastor put it:

“I have often pitched my professor’s chair,” said Court, “in a torrent underneath a rock. The sky was our roof, and the leafy branches thrown out from the crevices in the rock overhead were our canopy. There I and my student would remain for about eight days; it was our hall, our lecture room, and our study. To make the most of our time, and to practice the students properly, I gave them a text of Scripture to discuss before me—say the first eleven verses of the fifth chapter of Luke. I would afterwards propose to them some point of doctrine, some passage of Scripture, some moral precept, or sometimes I gave them some difficult passages to reconcile. After the whole had stated their views upon the question under discussion, I asked the youngest if he had anything to state against the arguments advanced; then the others were asked in turn; and after they had finished, I stated the views which I considered the most just and correct. When the more advanced students were required to preach, they mounted a particular place, where a pole had been set across some rocks in the ravine, and which for the time served for a pulpit. And when they had delivered themselves, the others were requested by turns to express themselves freely upon the subject of the sermon witch they had heard.” [i]

Eventually a seminary was founded at Lausanne. It was funded by many refugees in various countries. Even the king of England gave five-hundred guinens yearly. [ii]

The preachers traveled by night sometimes across pasture and often disguised. Eventually the worship gatherings grew even by thousands.  This led to greater persecutions since not only was there a greater awareness of the meetings but also a greater vengefulness toward leaders and the persistent faithful. One later pastor. Paul Rabaut, had to counter a desire of some to return to the time of the Camisards, those who wished to fight against their enemies. Smiles writes:

“Besides being zealous, studious, and pious, Rabaut was firm, active, shrewd, and gentle. He stood strongly upon moral force. Once, when the Huguenots had become more than usually provoked by the persecutions practiced on them, they determined to appear armed at the assembles. Rabaut peremptorily forbade it. If they persevered, he would forsake their meetings. He prevailed and they came armed with only their Bibles.”

In the end this was their usual stance against the horrific persecution they faced. Eventually the persecutions came to an end because of the work of a man who was a surprising gift to the Huguenots, Voltaire. In case you do not know who he was; he was an important philosopher and activist at the time and more importantly an atheist. Voltaire hated both the Catholic and Protestant religions. He did care a great deal about justice.

A father, Calas whose son had committed suicide was convicted of murder by Catholic leaders. It was not unusual at the time for Catholic officials to blame Protestant parents for the death of their children, insisting they had killed them to keep them from converting to Catholicism. Calas was convicted and hung. His wife and family fled to Switzerland where they met Voltaire. He became obsessed with the case; writing and speaking about Calas’ trial and death. Although already dead French officials retried him and acquitted him. The same event occurred with the last person to be sentenced to the galleys. A young man who, purposely taking his fathers place, suffering for six years was helped by Voltaire’s writing and speeches.  

While the Declaration of Rights in 1789 gave greater freedom to the Huguenots much was lost with the reign of terror. With the rise of Napolean Buonaparte Catholicism was once again established as the state religion but he also protected Protestantism. On a visit to a church in Paris, I don’t remember the name, we were given brochures and information including, information that Napolean had also given the Jews freedom of worship. [iii]

As I have been writing about various persecuted Christian groups I have searched to see if there was among them any reaction to the rise of Nazism in Europe. At first I found no information for the Huguenots but then I remembered stories about a town in France where all the citizens protected the Jews from the authorities. Concerning Le Chambon-sur-Lignon in an article on the Jewish site Forward I found an article which included this:

“Ever since the Louis XIV’s revocation in 1685 of the Edict of Nantes, which had imposed a century of religious tolerance, the low and sturdy stone houses had been a haven for the Huguenots, or French Protestants. Hunted by royal troops and hounded by Catholic inquisitors, the Huguenots nevertheless held fast to their faith. Their ministers led Sunday services in the craggy folds of the Cévennes, and their military leaders led a guerrilla war against the Bourbon battalions. As a result, even after the Revolution of 1789, which emancipated and enfranchised both them and French Jews, the Huguenots remained deeply marked by the so-called “years of the desert.”

The author,  Robert Zaretsky,  writes of a pastor, André Trocmé, a pacifist who led the area and town in saving thousands of Jews. He writes:

“Well before most of France, Trocmé and his flock in Chambon were acutely aware of the future that Vichy was preparing for the Jews. In 1940, an utterly dispirited nation had embraced Marshal Philippe Pétain, head of Vichy. Yet Trocmé kept his distance, refusing in 1940 to sign the oath of allegiance to Pétain or to sound the church bells in 1941 to mark his birthday. In these and similar cases, Trocmé avoided confronting the authorities directly: holding fast to his beliefs, but not endangering his church.

All this changed, though, when a mounting stream of Jews — in 1941 they were ordered to wear the yellow star on their outer garments — quit the Occupied Zone and began to find their way to Chambon by train.”

The article Protestant French Village That Resisted Vichy is a wonderfully  written article I leave it to the reader to read. In another article on the same site, Q & A: Why The Citizens Of A French Plateau Saved Hundreds During The Holocaust, author PJ Grisar writes:

“For centuries, its residents have taken in refugees. In the 16th century, the largely Protestant plateau sheltered its coreligionists during religious wars. Two centuries later, the population hid Catholic priests during the French Revolution’s anti-clerical Reign of Terror. In the 1930s, they accepted mothers and children fleeing the Spanish Civil War.

The community continues the tradition today with a welcome program aiding asylum-seekers from African and Eastern European countries and, recently, Syria. But the region’s most conspicuous act of sanctuary came in the 1940s, when, in the midst of Nazi deportations, the plateau’s residents provided hundreds of refugees, most of them Jewish children, with shelter, clothing, food and education.”

So, one understands that those who were so badly persecuted sheltered those who in the past had persecuted them. The persecuted Huguenots sheltered the persecuted Catholic priests. This is faithful Christianity.

But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne

And He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; 

naked, and you clothed Me, I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to me

Then the righteous will answer Him, "Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thristy, and give You something to drink? 

And when did we see You a stranger and invite You end, or naked and clothe You?

When did we see You sick, or in prison and come to You?

The King will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to the one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me." Matthew 25: 31, 33-40) 

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[i] Samuel Smiles, The Huguenots in France: After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, (London: Daldy, Isbister 1877) 222.E

[ii] Ibid. 223.

[iii] To read a good book about this time of the Revolution, the reign of terror and Napolean see, Mike Duncan, Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis da Lafayette in the Age of Revolution, (New York: Public Affairs 2021)

Stephen Miller and that Dragon...Again!

After writing about Stephen Miller’s speech at the memorial service for Charlie Kirk I have been pondering the idea, the metaphors and the reality of dragons or a dragon. Originally, I wrote about Miller’s words and their pagan-like essence when he insisted that the killing of Kirk had, “awakened a dragon in those who cared about Kirk and his mission. He spoke “You have no idea the dragon you have awakened,” Miller goes on to speak of how that will cause him and Kirk’s followers to fight for the West and save the Republic. 

A commenter on my blog took exception to my words “The book of Revelation filled with metaphors speaks of a dragon. His war isn’t good, he attempts to kill Jesus, he lives in rage and gives his power to a despotic being—he ends in hell.” 

And yes, that is both the biblical and often Western understanding of the dragon—a vile creature, greedy and seeking the death of others. Think of Saint George killing the dragon, of the boy Eustace in C. S. Lewis’ book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader who falls asleep on a pile of gold belonging to a dead dragon and becomes a dragon. Only the Lion, Aslan, can wash him clean of the horrific skin and scales of a dragon. The first battle of a man with a dragon occurs in Beowulf, an early mythic western story. 

But the commenter is right. There are other versions of dragons, ones that might be more familiar to Miller who is Jewish. At least, probably, the New Testament image of a dragon might be new to Miller, and yet Jewish people often read the N.T. Still, even the Hebrew Bible has images of dragons which biblically simply mean serpent and/or monster. 

But yes, the dragons of the East, of Asia, are not considered evil, but wise and/or strong warriors—a creature to absorb or emulate. And there is another image that belongs to both the East and West through paganism, some “New Age,” mostly what is called tantric and the supposed kundalini (serpent) which is thought by eastern religious adherents to lie at the base of the spine and must be awakened. It is generally awakened by different technics, usually sex, directed away from fulfillment toward opening one to a deeper consciousness. But now, supposedly, more expansive than just Kundalini is “dragon kundalini” which is supposed to lead to a more universal consciousness. So yes, there is supposedly a dragon within. 

But there are several truths that go beyond any of this. There, biblically speaking, is only one dragon, serpent/monster who also goes by the moniker lucifer or Satan. (All other dragons are fairy tales, untruthful fairy tales—I am thinking of Tolkien’s On Fairy Stories, where he calls the story of Jesus a true fairy story.) The image of Lucifer in Genesis is as a serpent, a deceiver. And while in Revelation he is pictured as a great dragon ready to devour the God-man Jesus; he is also pictured as one who brings other ugly, terrifying monsters on the scene giving them his power. He is also pictured as defeated. Defeated by a cross as Jesus brings many children to glory. 

 Lucifer is defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus. And he is defeated by the martyrs (witnesses) of Jesus. 

After these things I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. Rev 7”9-10 

Perhaps no one can save the West, particularly not someone who is metaphorically or otherwise counting on an awakened dragon. If we are overcome by a man who longs to rule and brings us down beneath a democracy—whose only desire is toward himself. If we are overcome by those whose desires bend towards power and false religion that ignores the way of the cross there is still that kingdom that is forever—not of this world but eternal—full of God’s love and forgiveness.

The Historical Suffering Church: Its Image, Its Faith Extending Over Our Tomorrows: 2- Paul Schneider & Stephen Miller

 

I did not intend for this to be a part of my new small series on the persecuted church but as I began to write I realized it would be.

Sometime after Hitler came to power, in 1934, pastor Paul Schneider, the first Confessing Church martyr officiated at a funeral for a young man of the Hitler Youth. It was supposed to be a Christian funeral. During the rite a deputy of the Hitler Youth spoke of fate gathering him to his fathers and said the young man, “had now crossed over into the storm of Horst Wessel.” This was said twice and Schneider protested because this was a Christian ceremony. In a letter to his superintendent he wrote, “I protest. This is a church ceremony, and as a Protestant pastor I am responsible for the pure teaching of the Holy Scriptures.”[i]

This led to Schneider’s first arrest. He would be arrested several times, lose his churches, be beaten in prison and finally poisoned to death.

But what is the storm of Horst Wessel. And who is he.

He was a soldier in the German army who was shot and became a mythical creation of the paganized Nazis. They used his death to unite their rallies and turn their followers as much as possible away from their Christian faith. Goebbels speaks of Wessel’s immortalization.  The storm of Horst Wessel was meant to evoke a pagan eternity earned by Germanic patriotism. Goebbels, Hitler’s chief propagandist, used this idea in at least two of his speeches. He began the myth with a speech, Raise High the Flag, the first part of a poem written by Wessel.

The author of Paul Schneider writes:

National Socialism wanted to introduce its worldview to the German people openly but it did so surreptitiously because it knew it was incompatible with a biblically based faith. Its “national” faith was not permitted to know anything about the “full reality of sin so deeply rooted in the heart and life of man” because it alone felt chosen to set the standard and did not tolerate any critical discussion.

This can be seen in many of Goebbels’ and other Nazi speeches and writings. There was always the righteous, (the Nazis) and the despicable (all others who rejected Nazism). It is constantly there as here in an early Nazi speech; The Storm is Coming:

You, men, women, and comrades, are the bearers, witnesses, builders, and finishers of this unique people’s uprising. Our policies have not been popular. We have served the truth, and only the truth. For twelve years, they have insulted and outlawed and slandered and persecuted us. Now that we are standing at the doorway to power, Marxist lies have joined with bourgeois weakness to fight us. Were we only a party like all the rest, we would collapse under the offensive of our opponents. But we are a people’s movement. That is our good fortune. Here and everywhere else in the land, the red shining Swastika flag flies over people of all camps, parties, classes, occupations, and religious confessions. Our opponents laughed at us in the past, but they laugh no longer.

You men and women standing before me, a hundred or two hundred thousand in number, with heads high, upright, proud, and brave, the carriers of Germany’s future, in your eyes it is written:

We think no longer in terms of class. We are not workers or middle class. We are not first of all Protestants or Catholics. We do not ask about ancestry or class. Together we share the words of the poet:

“People, rise up, and storm, break loose!” …

So our dead comrade Horst Wessel wrote, and we are fulfilling his prophesy. The others may lie, slander, and pour their scorn on us — their political days are numbered.

Adolf Hitler is knocking at the gates of power, and in his fist are joined the fists of millions of workers and farmers. The time of shame and disgrace is nearly over.

You are the witnesses, the builders, the will-bearers of our idea and our worldview.

So this is the pattern; (1)a great need, (2)a hero to lift up, (3) enemies who are worthless, (4)the righteous who are the builders. This is the Fascist’s method of propaganda. But it came up against biblical truth which declares all humanity sinners and only one solution the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who gifts humanity with mercy, forgiveness and rather than immortalization, eternal life and bodily resurrection.

As I have placed the suffering church in contrast to a despotic government in my last posting, The Historical Suffering Church: Its Image, Its Faith Extending Over Our Tomorrows:, I will place this image of a suffering pastor and a despotic government beside a government official who now pushes the same propaganda. Stephen Miller, President Trump’s deputy chief, speaking at the memorial service for Charlie Kirk, uses, often the same words and concepts as Goebbels.

The image of storm is often used in Nazi speeches—Miller—"The storm whispers to the warrior that you cannot withstand my strength and the warrior whispers back I am the storm.” He then calls Erika Kirk the storm, but hardly; she is the forgiving Christian. The praise of the hero; Miller’s speech, “You thought you could kill Charlie Kirk. You have made him an immortal.”

The praise of the Nazi followers is often wrapped up in the title builders, “You are the witnesses, the builders, the will-bearers of our idea and our worldview.” Miller, “We are the ones who build, we are the ones who create, we are the ones who lift up humanity.”

There is always the enemy in the Nazi propaganda, for Miller that is also true:

You have nothing, you are nothing, you are wickedness, you are jealousy, you are envy. You are hatred, you are nothing, you can build nothing, you can produce nothing, you can create nothing.

Here is the anti-Christian attack on Christianity too often used by Miller. Taking MAGA’s supposed Lineage all the way back to Athens and Rome he places their humanity and goodness in a racial context which eliminates the other. He adds righteousness to them because of their supposed lack of sinfulness. He glorifies what is sinful and so shuts them out of the Kingdom of God for the sake of the kingdom of man. At this funeral he shuts the door on Christian faith never mentioning it—yes, he mentions angels whose tears put fire into the hearts of the supposed righteous ones. That is unbiblical but also borders on the edge of paganism as does his words of awaking a dragon in them—in MAGA—in those who follow Trump. “you have no idea of the dragon you have awakened, you have no idea how determined we will be to save this civilization, to save the west, to save this republic …”

The book of Revelation filled with metaphors speaks of a dragon. His war isn’t good, he attempts to kill Jesus, he lives in rage and gives his power to a despotic being—he ends in hell.

The Christian, those who pray to always put Jesus above any worldly ruler, needs no propaganda in its cruder form, they have the Holy Scriptures—the Word of God, the promises of God.

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where is Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life is revealed then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (Colossians 3: 1-4.)

 

 

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[i] Rudolf Wentorf, Paul Schneider: Witness of Buchenwald, (Vancouver: Regent College Publishing 2008) 152-153.

The Historical Suffering Church: Its Image, Its Faith Extending Over Our Tomorrows:

I am beginning a small series looking at the various forms of the historical Church and their experiences of persecution as it is fomented by its relation to the secular culture and governments of their time. This may include a rising unfaithfulness in the midst of persecution. I will not put these events necessarily in a historical sequence because I am more interested in the interplay of Christianity, state, and culture rather than the rise and fall of nations. And I am also interested in how the faithfulness of the Church produces in the end, sadly, the antagonism of state and culture. I am starting with the Anabaptists simply because I was thinking about some of their music when I felt this would be an exploration that would be helpful in these days. 

The Anabaptist were mostly in Switzerland and Germany and were undoubtedly the most persecuted members of the Reformation. As, William R. Estep, author of The Anabaptist Story, writes “Martyrdom became an Anabaptist hallmark.” It was such a hallmark that they have a hymnbook covering most of their sufferings. This was printed in 1564 but also there is the Martyrs Mirror published in 1660 which is still used by the Amish and Mennonites. I will place one of their hymns at the end of this post. 

The persecution of the Anabaptist came about for several reasons. It was of course a time when religious freedom was not generally considered. And the Anabaptist had no king, ruler or pope to protect them. All of the state churches as well as governments persecuted them. One of the reasons is something that has happened too often in church history; true Christians being accused of the crimes of other religious groups. One of the more radical groups, a militant group, took over a town, took power and instituted polygyny. They were eventually overcome by military forces and destroyed but too often the Anabaptist were thought to adhere to the teachings of the militant group. 

The Anabaptist had several distinctive beliefs that rankled other Christians of their day. They did not believe in infant baptism or that communion consisted of the true body and blood of Jesus. (Reformed theology did accept infant baptism.) Beyond this and probably more importantly the Anabaptist were pacifist and believed in living in community. This did not necessarily mean that they lived as a commune all owning the same property. But they did share a great deal and attempted to live separately from others. While they attempted to live as law abiders their preaching was too often considered against the law. And much like in Islamic countries and autocratic countries like China, Russia and North Korea today, even in secret meetings they were sought out and arrested.

 Estep gives an account of the fate of one of the preachers Michael Sattler: 

Michael Sattler shall be committed to the executioner. The later shall take him to the square and first cut off his tongue, and there forge him fast to a wagon and there with glowing iron tongs twice tear pieces from his body, then on the way to the site of execution five times more as above and then burn his body to powder as an arch-heretic. 

 Different Anabaptist groups would form mainly the Amish, the Mennonites and the Hutterites. They would spread to many countries including Russia and North and South America. It was in Germany during the Nazi years that some of their past Christian endurance would be tested. In Germany where their concerns about social evil and pacifism, their sense of Christian community, came in deep conflict with the Nazi officials. 

 It was the Hutterites in particular who came into conflict with the Nazis. Some of the other groups of Anabaptist like other German citizens felt that Hitler was bringing morality to Germany and did not oppose him. Pastor Martin Niemöller at first also thought Hitler was bringing morality to Germany since he had promised to protect Christianity—of course a lie. But Niemöller became Hitler’s adversary and was his personal prisoner for eight years. 

The Hutterites, under the leadership of Aberhard Arnold used all of there distinctive beliefs to continue as citizens of Germany but would eventually fail. They schooled their children in their own community, they tried to avoid military service for the young men, they took in strangers, farmed and sold much of their produce to their surrounding community. At first, they attempted to continue this by appealing to German officials, trying to convert them to what they called the way of love. When at one point they were raided they baked their oppressors a cake. Another time, differently, behind a closed door, they threw documents into a stove so there would be no proof that they had ever spoken against the Nazis.

 The important point here is that they never gave away their own principles nor their Lord who they served rather than worldly leaders. But one by one, as it too often happens in totalitarian regimes, the Hutterites’ lives and principles were attacked and their property destroyed. They needed Hutterite teachers and had to tell outsiders to no longer send strangers to their door. As they began to lose their property and looked, quietly, for property in Switzerland and then eventually, carefully, stealthily, began to move across the border. They did not go all at once and two men spent some time in prison but not for long. Their community in Germany was gone but they would eventually emigrate to the UK and then to South America. 

Much of what I have been writing comes from a history on the Aberhard Arnold, Burderdhof site. There is a series of articles there dealing with their history in that time. It begins: 

“It is inherent in imitatio, in being Christlike, that we are ready for imprisonment and death,” Eberhard Arnold told members of the Rhön Bruderhof in March 1933. It was two days after Adolf Hitler’s address to the Reichstag and granting himself complete power, the moment Germany passed the point of no return to become a Nazi dictatorship. Eberhard spoke to his community about the challenges National Socialism would create for them as a result of their commitment to Jesus’ way of peace. Indeed, the fate of the entire Bruderhof in the years 1933–1937 serves as an example of Christian resistance and witness in this era of state violence. 

The pacifism of the early Anabaptist movement was a core principle of the Bruderhof's identity. This meant that from the very beginning they distanced themselves from the regime, which quickly revealed its brutal, violent nature. The community members were also firmly opposed to the National Socialist racial principles. The Bruderhof thus stood in decisive opposition to National Socialist ideologies and expressed this antagonism in clear terms.” 

 Some of the experiences of the Hutterites can be acknowledged as helpful for Christians in any totalitarian setting. While the Hutterites did not suffer all that the Confessing Church, the White Rose, Corrie Ten Boon and others suffered they did lose much yet faithfully stood their ground in the faith. As scenarios changed, they keep on finding ways to stay together and hold to their faith. As so many experienced in that time they experienced communities and individuals who took no real notice of the evil happening around them leading to a sense of isolation but still they clung to each other and to the Lord—the best that history can write about anyone they were faithful to each other and to Christ.  

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymnal I don’t usually use Wikipedia for endnotes but this one is so interesting that others may want to read it.

[1] Estep gives three references for this quote far to long to add to a blog post, but the quote is well referenced—it is historical.

[1] Eberhard Arnold and National Socialism, Part One