Let Us Conspire

What follows is in no way an affirmation of doing anything violent or illegal. In fact, quite the opposite. The following is a dictionary definition of the word “conspiracy” or “conspire”:

To plan together secretly to commit an illegal or wrongful act or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action.

1. To join or act together; combine.

2. To plan or plot secretly.

conspire [kənˈspaɪə]

1. To plan or agree on (a crime or harmful act) together in secret

2. (intr) to act together towards some end as if by design the elements conspired to spoil our picnic

For the sake of this blog, I am contending that the Kingdom of God is, in many ways, antithetical to the structures and the norms of the world we live in – or the kingdom of earth. So when people of faith, inspired by the Holy Spirit, dream about living in the Kingdom of God, we are not dreaming about simply making this world a better place, but fundamentally shifting the “how” and “whys” of our existence.

While the definition of “conspiracy” in our society has a negative connotation, the questions I am asking are: Is it a conspiracy to dream, plan and live the ways of the Kingdom of God – the Kingdom of grace, peace, love and justice for all? And if the structures and norms of the society we live in today are impeding the breaking in of this loving Kingdom, what are we to do?

I think the answer is that we participate in a Divine conspiracy. A conspiracy that plans through acts of love and grace, compassion and justice for all – ways of living, communal initiatives and forms of relationships that subvert whatever blocks the goodness that we were intended to live.

So here are some questions. Rather than questioning how we plan good church events, what if we asked:

How do we conspire to subvert greed in our neighbourhood or where I work?
How do I subversively bring a form of justice where greed is no longer the norm? And how do I join with others who want to do the same?
How do I conspire to subvert apathy toward the afflicted and conspire to be compassionate with others?
How do I uproot prejudice in all its forms and with others, subvert through the powerful nature of love the systems that allow us to continue in our prejudices?
How do I dig out the foundations of judgementalism and shame in my family and in my community and replace it with the power of grace?

I think we need to conspire towards these things because our society doesn’t want us to think too much about it. A conspiracy takes effort, focus, sacrifice – and it involves more than just you. The Latin meaning of the word conspire is “to breathe together”.

Here’s one more question: Who could you conspire with for something beautiful? They are in your life right now. This question could lead you to the single most profound Christ-like action you have ever participated in.

So are you a conspirator for the Kingdom of God?