by Tom Johnson
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life recently found that people who attend church at least once a week are more likely to approve of torturing suspected terrorists than those who don't attend. What message are these churchgoers listening to? When I attend church I encounter the message of the gospel, which calls me to love my enemies. While I don't actually manage to love them, Jesus' teaching does get through enough that I don't want to torture them, either.
David Neff, editor of Christianity Today and a member of the National Association of Evangelicals' executive committee, told the AP's Eric Gorski that white evangelical support for torture is based in the group's strong ties to the Republican party, not in the fact that they go to church. This is troubling: it implies that loyalty to a political party trumps loyalty to the teaching of Jesus. (We might find the same misplaced priority, on a different issue, among Democrats.) Perhaps some believe that Jesus' teaching doesn't apply to government conduct, but only to private individuals.
In Luke's Gospel, James and John suggest calling down thunder and lightning from heaven to destroy a group of Samaritans. The irony—just whom were the "sons of thunder" following in the preceding months?—is remarkable.
Still, the reaction is understandable. People who have real enemies, who lost family members on 9/11, who know that a group of people advocates everything they think is wrong, might want to kill them. We Americans often feel justified in this reaction, as if we had never offended others or caused serious suffering with our actions or inaction—we are that isolated from the impact of our policies on the rest of the world. When we feel the urge to call down God's fire on our enemies, we need to be wary of getting burned in the backdraft—especially if God can't tell us apart.
In James and John's case, Jesus' response is to rebuke them, not the Samaritans. Then they all simply go on to another village. On the way, a would-be disciple says to Jesus, "Lord, I will follow you wherever you go." Does this admirable plan include following Jesus' program for the treatment of enemies?
The one to whom we are ultimately loyal requires something different than calling down fire from heaven or torturing our enemies. Apparently going to church isn't making this clear, and too many church leaders are unwilling to challenge the priorities of culturally compromised Christians.
Tom Johnson is a retired professor of religious studies (George Fox University) and a former PCUSA pastor. He lives on Whidbey Island, Washington.
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9 comments:
Thanks for this.
Two things. First, the Pew finding is not surprising. I think any of us who reflects dispassionately on church attendance and membership will admit that what the gospel says or implies rarely supercedes what a person's positions happen to be. An implication for this is that Christian clergy (assuming that they themselves are conscious) need to be dealing with the tension--or creating it!--between the gospel and those positions that are contrary to it, as Tom points out.
As to the issue of torture per se, I am interested in the fact that this is just now becoming a subject of widespread outrage. I have been sickened at least since Abu Graib. It is not that this has only recently been revealed. But no matter. In my opinion we should demand full accountability for it, just the way Americans rightly (or self-righteously, whatever) demand that the Milosevics of the world be tried as war criminals. And that is a matter of justice, without which loving enemies sinks into the realm of pious platitudes.
Frank Dunn
Senior Priest
St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church
Washington, DC
A correction to Eric Gorski's story: I am not chair of the board of the National Association of Evangelicals. I am a member of the NAE's executive committee.
The Pew Report is the same evidence I got when I was called to jury duty. I was twiced picked as the first potential jurors for two capital punishment trials. I thought that I would be questioned by the prosecuting attorny because she would think I was too forgiving. Turns out I was excused by the defense attorney of both trials. I asked my lawyer friends about this. They told me that defense lawyers profile Christian pastors as "hang'em high, fry them tight." The defense lawyers have found that Christian pastors are much more likely to vote them guilty and to send them to the chair. It was a sad day for that day.
David: Thanks for your comment, and sorry for the oversight. Our mistake for not being more vigilant in fact-checking--just because it comes from the AP doesn't mean it's w/o error.
Rick: That's one of the more depressing stories I've heard in awhile.
This explains a bit as to why some of my Fundamentalist friends feel that torture is OK when the one being tortured is a "real bad person." In my stubborn way I keep telling them "right is right and wrong is wrong;" but I never seem to be able to reach them.
When one believes that his/her political party speaks for God, the need to decide between the two is lost. The Pew Report does surprise and hurt me, though - puts me in touch with how deeply I long to be a Christian movement that exhibits moral vision and heroic faith. In our impatience to establish the "Kingdom" here on earth, it seems that we have taken up the sword believing doing so won't erode our character. Has God chosen us to do God's killing and torturing? Seems that's the prevailing opinion. So sad. We should resign fom that task and focus on healing the wounds of hatred that surround us locally and internationally.
Well - as long as people are making a clear distinction between civil war and torture I think this is a good dialogue to have. I don't think most people in the American military approve of torture. Maybe I'm just naive - I've been called that before - so is there some kind of survey to find out about the attitude of military personnel in the pews?
I think it is right to assume that for many American Christians, political beliefs trump faith or we warp or faith to fit our political beliefs. We in the church have been silent on this topic for far too long and we need to be engaging in conversation around this issue, beginning with our young people.
As to the question of military persons--my understanding from the testimony thus far is that the military was opposed to the use of torture and knew it to be ineffective. It was the policiy makers in Washington who authored the decsion to torture. This does not negate the fact, however, that it was the military in conjunction with the CIA who carried out these practices.
Tom, thank you for these thoughts. I feel like you have hit the nail on the head of something that has been bothering me for a while now, but that I have not been able to so concisely articulate.
Reading over the comments of others on here I am also grateful for the conversation this posting has sparked.
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