Jarrod McKenna’s Wednesday’s with Gandhi:
“If Jesus came to earth again, he would disown many things that are being done in the name of Christianity. It is not he who says ‘Lord, Lord’ that is a Christian, but “He that doeth the will of the Lord’ that is a true Christian. And cannot he, who has not heard the name of Jesus Christ, do the will of the Lord?“
-Gandhi (Harijan: May 11, 1935)
Last Friday night our church community watched an amazing (and disturbing) doco called “Jesus Camp” (we laughed, we cried… we ask “what the?” ). This is an important movie to discuss with our churches and friends who don’t share our faith. It documents “Pastor Becky’s” crusade (I used the word deliberately) to indoctrinate young people into a ‘spirituality’ of being ‘a generation of warriors for God’. It is nothing short of a ‘how to’ of Constantinian Christianity’s kids ministry on crack. It’s crazy. And it’s invading the imagination of many Christians. Like the movie “Saved” it holds a mirror to aspects of Christianity that looks nothing like Jesus and asks “What’s that?”. I found myself thinking I wish I was watching this with Stanley Hauerwas and could hear his reflections.
This film is important to see for a number of reasons:
1. This is what Christianity means for a growing number of people (not just in America)
2. It only takes walking into your nearest Christian bookstore to realise that this has money behind it and is getting into the mainstream even here
3. Many educated and intelligent people think this is what charismatic/ Pentecostal/ evangelicalism is (or the gospel is!) are as turned on by it as they are by the idea of their grandad sporting the swimmers that Borat wears.
Seeing a 10 year old kid say, “At five I got saved. Because I just wanted more of life.”
I couldn’t help but respond with… What the?!
He was 5! Was it that climbing trees left him empty? He realised Sesame Street and sand castles weren’t filling that whole in his life? And saved from what? An addiction to play lunch and nap time? The empty pursuit of kiss chasey and hop scotch? How can I five year old know what saying yes picking up his cross and following Jesus means? Now I’m not at all saying that kids don’t have a deep spirituality awareness, Jesus says that the kingdom belongs to these little ones. I have known many deeply spiritual little people with a beautiful and wonder-filled relationship with God who could lead us all in worship if we just watched the way they related to the world. Some are blessed with a wonderful awareness of God at a very young age and say “yes, with gratitude” as St. Therese the little flower put it. Hopefully our whole lives can be growing into a deeper yes and increasing gratitude. But this sence in the video was clearly that from a very young age this kid had been taught that the gospel was fire insurance for the afterlife. After I stopped laughing, it kind of made me feel sick.
The spirituality of these ‘camps’ is perfect to accompany sitcoms, sales and endless stimulation by mindless commercials which numb our ability to think critically, feel compassionately and dream imaginatively. In effect, it retards our ability to hear the cries of suffering that echo throughout creation and our ability to be swept up with all of creation in the glory filled worship of the God who saves not through violence but through the love revealed in Jesus. The God who wins not through domination but through the way of the slain lamb. But a god that looks like the Jesus of the Gospels who liberate us and send the Spirit to empower us to witness to Love’s liberation of all things was starkly missing. Instead a cardboard cut out (I’m not referring to the scene in the movie where kinds seem to almost worship a poster of George W. Bush during a service), of an angry American deity who saves ‘by any means necessary’, hates it when children think critically (ie. wouldn’t dig how Jewish rabbi’s like Jesus taught in ways to make people question) was present… and scary!
Pastor Becky quote: “Let me say something about Harry Potter, Warlocks are enemies of God!… Had it been in the old Testament Harry Potter would be put to death!”
The irony that in the sixteenth century the mass genocide of women as ‘witches’ by Christians (Pastor Becky’s not onto something new) was often because they were charismatic Spirit-filled women who were part of the radical wing of the reformation, the Anabaptists, who went out preaching a God who commands us to love our enemies in ways that look like Jesus (ie. Don’t burn them!) So they burn them. But Pastor Becky’s emotionally coerced pseudo-mysticism for neo-fascists suffers a disturbing historical amnesia when it comes to Christian spirituality. Not only just to the rich tradition of the desert ammas and abbas, or the Rhineland mystics, or the riches of eastern orthodox monasticism (or any number of other amazing movements) but also just 20th century Pentecostalism. I think the one eyed black preacher at the centre of the Azusa Street revivals at the start of the 20th century, would turn in his grave to see Pentecostalism has evolved from an early movement which was a pioneer in interracial worship, seeking to recover the Christianity of the early church so reject Christians fighting in war and was liberating for women in a patriarchal society had become the lap dog for violent Empire building. Watch this I thought of the incredible work of the “Pentecostal Charismatic Peace Fellowship” and there work of joyfully calling people to the charismatic history of “Jesus-shaped Spirit-empowered peacemaking”.
The spirituality documented in the film is perfect to accompany societies who are so unhealthy they have become an industrial-military-growth-complex, which institutionalise addiction to death and escapist illusions which fuel a rushing towards our destruction at the cost of the poor, the vulnerable and God’s good earth that supports us all. Unlike the early Christians which witnessed to God’s dream for creation (the kingdom of God), the aeon of justice, peace and joy breaking in admits the cries of our groaning world, this documentary shows that there is a huge Christian ‘evangelical’ movement which witness only to the seemingly endless aeon of domination, injustice and exploitation only now in Jesus drag. And I was so sad to read via my mate Tim, that prophetic traditions like the Mennonites are not immune to the miscellaneous-evangelical-Americana-mush which comes served in red, white and blue Styrofoam .
In my experience, what feeds the sales of not just Spong’s books but the popularity of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens evangelical atheism is a Christianity that looks nothing like Chirst. This is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to sharing our faith with others. It means people become Christians for the wrong reasons or don’t become Christians for the wrong reasons. It can be easy to rip into such distortion of the gospel but it’s much harder to ask the Holy Spirit for them empowerment and wisdom to be able to examine our own Churches and our own hearts for a Christianity that prophesy’s in the name of Jesus, drives out demons and performs miracles but don’t live the way of love taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:21-23).
Jesus asks us, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your sister’s or brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own?” Gandhi reflecting on this remarked, “We must be the change we wish to see.”
I find bashing fundamentalist easy. And doesn’t it feel great. I’m right! They’re wrong, stupid and silly!!! And that feels even better. But it is much harder to listen to the still small voice of God asking us to love our ‘inner fundi’. And to pray for pastor Becky and all of us captive to easy answers and hate-filled religion. Unlike Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens I don’t think the answer to bad Christianity is no Christianity. Like Peter Maurin I beleive “The best critique of the bad is the prastice of the better.” I think it’s living and inviting others to live a humble yet prophetic Christianity that looks like the nonviolent Jesus of the Gospels in ways that are good news to all of creation. So I’ve got to go, got some log removing to do.
And what logs would those be?
Does Ghandi have anything to say on the Australian church or does he just comment on the American church?
I find bashing fundamentalist easy. And doesn’t it feel great. I’m right! They’re wrong, stupid and silly!!! And that feels even better.
It’s not about that. If they were only stupid and silly, they would warrant little more attention than does The Flat Earth Society or cryptozoology. These people pose a very real threat to the secular liberal democracy (not just because they are anti-secular or anti-liberal, but because they are anti-democratic) that guarantees our freedom–theists and non-theists alike.
When a society is destabilised by change and gripped by uncertainty, religous consolations can be both appealing and comforting – Advance Australia Where, p 275.
The point? magic simplicities will save us from too much ambiguity and too much uncertainty, so to sweep away this doubt and uncertainty give people a faith that feels like certainty – I know these things, because I have traveled on this road but have discovered that doubt is both the essence and engine of my faith.
Jarrod an aside, though I do not take on board all you write, be assured that it is great stuff and forms the framework for many a homegroup here in Albany – bless you brother and a great big hug.
I sat in my Clients office today working on a presentation when I heard heated chatter about Christianity in Australia. The fact is that every person in this office spoke negatively about Christianity because of the image of Christianity in our media. The talk was venemous. I am glad I had a copy of “The New Friars” (Scott Bessenecker) with me. I was able to gently enter the discussion (I am a hired consultant and cannot engage in the discussion with the same heated passion) and, using photos and stories from the book, paint a picture of what genuine Christianity is.
The outcome of the discussion was a bunch of people who were apologetic (they did not realise there was a Christian in their midst), and open to the thought that what they see in the media with the fundamentalist right-wingers is not a true representation of the church.
But seriously; Harry Potter is of the enemy isn’t he?
Ha! both families in that film had Lord of the Rings on their bookshelves/kitchen tables at points in the footage….Ohhhh so Wizards created by the guy who helped to ‘convert’ CS Lewis are fine, even if he was a (shock HORROR…) Roman Catholic!
Maybe it’s ok ‘coz their Christian bookstores have sold them Bible Studies on how to read the Lord of the Rings as a home group, managing to dilute all the talk of ‘magic’ into Christian allegory….but Gay Dumbledore is just too queer to be saved….what a surprise.
The scariest thing is the indoctrination of Children into their parents twisted views…but it happens all over the planet from Kansas to the Gaza Strip, so I have decided the only way to combat this is to become a non violence advocating Clown and I shall spread my message of peace and love through balloon animals and (vegan) cream pies….mwah ha ha.
Seriously though, do we just have to ‘trust’ that justice will be served to hate-mongers like this, or take action and do what a group of Bikers in the US did in response to the hate fueled and demented ‘Westboro Baptist Church’ (for those of you who are unaware of them, see: http://www.godhatesfags.com).
So the Westboro Baptists have taken it upon themselves to turn up to soldiers funerals to scream at grieving families that their deceased relative is now burning in hell, because they are fighting in a ‘fag’ war….So this group of bikers, in an effort to protect the grieving families, turn up to the funeral of soldier, and line the entire route on the road side between the route of the hearse and the protesting so called ‘Christians’ and they play a funeral march on bagpipes! This audibly drowning out the pitiful cries of the protesters with the drone of a uniquely Scottish flavour….now that’s creative non-violent action (though I’ll dare say there might have been a few scuffles somewhere along the route…)
Anyhow, the point remains; someone who is convinced that they are ridding the world of evil, and so sure that, as the Nazi’s officers belt buckles proclaimed in WWII, ; “God is With Us.”….well they’re only gonna be drowned out by bagpipes for so long you know?
Yes, this movie is a worry! I see flashes of this very thing in churches and youth rallies here in Perth!
Gandhi’s dead dude.
I’ve only once found reference to Australia (talking about The experience of Aboriginal people) in years of reading gandhi.
If you’re talking about my writing I’m talking here about what’s happening in America because it has such a huge impact on Australia. As Scotty in all his expereince said;
“I see flashes of this very thing in churches and youth rallies here in Perth!”
Glad to have you apart of the journey Mark. We’ll have to hangout next time I’m doing workshops or preaching in Albany 😉
AV it’s great having another person who isn’t Christian getting in on the conversation. I agree that it is very serious. I’m sorry if that didn’t come across in the post. The point of Jesus teaching on removing the log is to fist get yourself right so you can challenge things (Gandhi is a great example of this).
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AV it’s great having another person who isn’t Christian getting in on the conversation. I agree that it is very serious. I’m sorry if that didn’t come across in the post. The point of Jesus teaching on removing the log is to fist get yourself right so you can challenge things (Gandhi is a great example of this).
There’s a point at which this becomes paralysing, though. You ought to be able to challenge those things with which you disagree (say, for example, female genital mutilation) while at the same time acknowledging your own fallibility–otherwise, it would not be possible to challenge anything at all.
G’day AV,
It sounds like you have a real desire to see things changed without people getting bogged down in a naive ‘only when I get myself right can I do anything’ that leads to constant navel gassing. AMen!! 🙂
I really understand that. But I think there is another temptation that I often see in activist circles where people point fingers at everyone else without first addressing our participation in those systems that we are ‘against’. I’ll never forget seeing someone interviewed at a globalisation protest where they where declaring the evils of Nike shoe companies practices. The camera scanned down to look at his shoes and then the interviewer asked him, “So why are you wearing Nike shoes?”
Are attitudes towards those who are ‘other’ (on the other side of an argument, or parliament, or the world or whatever) change dramatically when we realise our solidarity in hypocrisy. There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’ there’s just us. So instead of thinking change needs to happen just for those we are opposed to, we realise that transformation is needed for us both. What ya reckon?
What Jesus says to me I find amazing:
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s or sister’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your sister’s or brother’s eye.”
I find that Jesus words are not immobilising ideals that we can never reach (as some Christians have taught) but practical actions for the transformation of all involved.
What’s your take?
I’ll never forget seeing someone interviewed at a globalisation protest where they where declaring the evils of Nike shoe companies practices. The camera scanned down to look at his shoes and then the interviewer asked him, “So why are you wearing Nike shoes?”
I would have to say that the interviewer is missing the point (perhaps maliciously so): the minor hypocrisy of the protester is not really relevant to the evils of Nike shoe company practices. It’s like criticising Al Gore for flying: it’s a cheap shot.
I find that Jesus words are not immobilising ideals that we can never reach (as some Christians have taught) but practical actions for the transformation of all involved.
What’s your take?
I’d have preferred it if Jesus had said “Judge not without also judging yourself.” Socrates also talked about the virtues of self-reflexiveness, and fallibilism has been a central pillar of modern science and the critical thinking tradition.
But if a person judges without practising self-criticism, all it means is that he or she is a jerk. It doesn’t make the judgement any less sound.
i appreciate that the makers of Jesus Camp let the people interviewed do all the talking; over all, there is some truth in this flick as long as it’s taken with a grain (or maybe a bucket) of salt