Radical Christianity: What is it????
Webster defines “radical” as: “of or relating to the origin: fundamental” and
“forming a basis or foundation.” The foundation of Christianity is Jesus Christ
and His command to “love one another as I have loved you.” In the Gospel
of Matthew, a Pharisee tests Jesus with a question: “Master, which is the great
commandment in the law?” Jesus replied, “…Love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. On these
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Love is the
foundational virtue in Christians’ relationships with God and with other
Christians and non-Christians alike.
But “radical” can also mean “extreme,” and Christians are explicitly called to
an extreme, or radical, love, which, following the example of Jesus on the
Cross, has at its core an authentic forgiveness that is to be extended towards
EVERYONE. It extends to those that are
socially unaccepted in our societies and even our enemies. Understanding
that love and forgiveness lie at the heart of Christian faith helps illuminate
why Christians respond by “turning the other cheek” rather than violence and judgment.
Consider this past case. When a New Jersey high school held a mock
hostage emergency drill for their students, it chose to portray the terrorists
as a group of fundamentalist Christians seeking justice after the daughter of
one of its members had been expelled for praying before class. Students
were further told that the terrorist group, called the New Crusaders, had
already gunned down several students and had taken hostages in a classroom.
While the incident provoked the anger of many Christians, no violent protests
were held and no death threats were issued. Instead, Christians wrote
letters to the editors of their local newspapers and parents voiced their opinions
by writing to the school’s principal and the city’s mayor.
Perhaps the best recent example of “radical Christian behavior” was on display
in the wake of the Amish school massacre last fall, when mentally disturbed
milk truck driver Charles Roberts stormed the West Nickel Mines Amish School in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and tied up and shot 10 girls before killing himself.
What the nation saw in the outcome of this unfathomable rampage was a Christ-like
love and forgiveness. While undoubtedly overwhelmed with feelings of
anger and sorrow, the entire Amish community immediately forgave Roberts for
his crimes. How did they do it? As one Amish leader explained, “We
forgive because God has forgiven us. God extends his forgiveness to us in
Christ, then, we must receive it. Once we do, we must share it with
others.”
For Christians, forgiving one’s enemies is not to agree with what they do, or
to be deluded into thinking they are nice people when they are not. It
means hating the sin but loving the sinner. Anyone would hate what
Roberts did. His actions were evil, and love does not diminish our hatred
of those acts. In fact, Christians are called to hate the sin specifically
because we should love the person. And our hate for the sin will deepen
when we realize what it has done to a person whom God loves and values beyond
our comprehension.
After
the school shootings, many seemed surprised that the family and friends of the
victims were able to forgive someone who had committed such appalling acts of
violence. Some even suggested that it was wrong for them to show so such
forgiveness. But the community’s response was the essence of Christian
living.
The same applies to loving the socially
unaccepted. What are your thoughts…what
do you do…how do you speak of those who are homeless, infected with AIDS, poor,
prostitutes, homosexuals, outcasts, foreigners,
mentally, physically, and/or emotionally handicapped. Scripture tells us, “Pure religion and
undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows
in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us, “If
you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When
God commands us to “love one another as I have loved you,” He means exactly
that. Is it radical? Yes. Is it a threat to America…the World?
Hardly. However, Adventures in Mission’s World Race is trying to change that. These rare breed of individuals are going out
to all nations spreading the Gospel and pouring their Christ-like love to
ANYONE and EVERYONE.
On the World Race, you are given a unique
opportunity to see, hear, live, and change lives. Through this race, I hope to become an
activist for those who have been forgotten and unloved by society. I encourage you to ask God, how YOU should
respond.
