Violence is authoritarian. And authoritarianism is violence. This is demonstrated throughout history. Church can be a violent place. Media pay attention to attacks on worshippers. Yet, death threats against clergy are on the rise. Unfortunately, it is not discussed enough. But lay members know about it and tell some curious stories.
My Annual Conference recently spoke up about the threats African-American clergy in our conference experience. Another Annual Conference brought security guards into the conference because of death threats against a Bishop. People who are anxious over the future of the church are turning to violent threats to get their way. This authoritarianism is not going away soon.
Subverting Authoritarianism
The task for many of us in the church is to subvert those who threaten violence within our communities. We should first disarm. I agree with those people who claim the condition of the heart is the problem. They conclude it is not the gun. Again I agree.
The desire to possess and use assault weapons is a condition of the heart. Whether this desire comes from fear or hate is splitting hairs. Fear and hate go together like peanut butter and jelly. Only perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Owning the most dangerous weapon does not make one feel any more secure. And yet, this is the belief of many too Christians. “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition” is the attitude of authoritarians and nationalists.
Authoritarians do not rely on control. They rely on fear, first. If they can make a person “fear the consequences,” they can control. They grant grace while keeping subjects fearful. “I will let it go this time,” they say.
Subverting this kind of grace with an unconditional grace is going to be difficult. It will take a new understanding of divine sovereignty that opposes that of other people to put conditions on it.
Mutual Grace
Unconditional grace can only be practiced mutually. Those who live once authoritarianism is shown the door will work to fulfill the needs of each other. One pitfall to this practice is it can subvert grace becoming charity. But to preserve the dignity of the other person is true mercy and builds mutual respect and enhances practice.
Mutual grace is the practice of network building. Self-sufficiency is a dark fantasy. It is part of the belief of those who promote violence. No one is capable of meeting all their own needs. This fact is ignored in the self-sufficiency dream. Everyone needs means everyone should give or share. Progressive thinking includes different capacities and abilities to fulfill needs and gifts.
Building exchange networks for people to continue seeking to supply their needs and possibly exchange to fill others. One may say this is the original idea of a market. But modern society is not one market but many. All being unequal. Builders of a similar but equal network should consider mutuality as a value within the network.
Giving to Overcome Authoritarianism
Gift is the key to overcoming violence. Giving freely is the nonviolent response to any who would steal from us (Matthew 5:38-42). It is a paradox of resisting by non-resistance. This is the hardest lesson modern Christians learn. I remember being, when a teen-ager, foolish enough to say, “I would rather someone kill me rather than steal from me.” I did not have the vocabulary then. But then I feared suffering loss and continuing to feel the loss. Death meant I felt nothing.
How does one learn to love enough to practice the Sermon(s) on the Mount? Accepting the principle of unconditional grace and practicing giving is how. Mutual care is necessary for human living. As we have already shown, it takes great discipline to do it. Prayer and meditation are important for finding the peace within ourselves to overcome the evil.
An earlier post outlined 3 attitudes killing churches in America. These attitudes reflect a violent culture and a death cult. I propose 3 new attitudes to get us past authoritarian tendencies and the apparent authoritarianism that is growing. Of course, none of these are new. But for most people they are “new to us.” Can attitudes of unconditional grace, mutuality, and giving overcome authoritarians? The promise we have is they always will.
Am I being naïve? I hope so. I want the faith and trust of a child. Life is better with the grace implied there.
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