![](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/543\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-yHlsTNcTsbY\/UB8w2BfejQI\/AAAAAAAAAjs\/xO5FQd-WTE4\/s1600\/earle+fisher.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\nby Earle J. Fisher<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
R3 Contributor<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
One of the most common tropes in the Christian faith tradition is that \u201cwe are living in perilous times.\u201d\u00a0 This statement customarily refers to the notion of an apocalyptic \u201cend time\u201d where the world as we know it will end (and for those steeped in the traditional Christian eschatology, the second-coming of the Christ will begin \u2013 or the 1000 year reign of \u201cthe Satan\u201d\u2026. or BOTH\u2026 or something like that).\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
We don\u2019t have to look far to see the evidence of evil.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The <\/span>AuroraMassacre\u2019s <\/a>stitches haven\u2019t healed well enough to be removed and now the <\/span>Shooting at the Sikh Temple<\/a> in Wisconsin has to be processed, both ideologically and theologically (<\/span>Sikhism<\/a> ironically is a Hindu Non-Violent Faith tradition).<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>What is it about the evolution of humanity whereby such senseless violence has become \u201ccommonplace?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
I believe the pathological perspective that violence (even sacred violence) is a new phenomenon is what is problematic.\u00a0 VIOLENCE HAS ALWAYS BEEN COMMONPLACE (at least since Cain killed Abel for my Biblical supporters of history).\u00a0 The theorizing of apocalyptic personification has been on the precipice of human minds for at least 2000 years.\u00a0 People have consistently been waiting on a savior to redeem humanity from the harsh realities of violence and human oppression.\u00a0 But at some point the \u201cimminent parousia<\/a><\/i>\u201d dissipated for those early faith communities shortly after they began to recognize that Jesus wasn\u2019t coming back so \u201csoon and very soon.\u201d But regardless of our sensitivity to ancient Christocentric cultural criticisms, the fact is, people have hurt, abused, oppressed and killed people for ages.\u00a0 And the world (and the church) rolls on.\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
What is worth more intense consideration and reflection is the widening divide of \u201cus\u201d and \u201cthem\u201d which indirectly supports the violence and oppression perpetuated upon \u201cothers\u201d as acceptable and even apocalyptic and violence towards \u201cus\u201d as repugnant.\u00a0 We are too out of touch with our neighbors and many of us think we have been destined or \u201cfavored\u201d to be better than our brothers and sisters whom we share the air of the world with.\u00a0 Of course, this dichotomous construction of social hierarchy and separation has existed since the early civilizations had oral legislation and unwritten rules regarding who was entitled to live closest to the rivers.\u00a0 Couple those sentiments with a theology that reinforced the social realities and you have the substratum of empirical tradition.\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Yet this divide has continued to be perpetuated by both groups.\u00a0 The apocalypse of otherness has become reciprocal.\u00a0 And it seems that our triumphalistic conditioning and royal consciousness leads us to believe that the Divine Winds blow upon \u201cus\u201d and not \u201cthem.\u201d\u00a0 Or worse, we perceive that it\u2019s alright to oppress, abuse and kill \u201cothers\u201d just don\u2019t do it to \u201cus.\u201d\u00a0 This lopsided interpretation of the world paralyzes our hermeneutic of self-critique and places us in a straight-jacked of pseudo-righteousness.\u00a0 This is the type of theorizing and theologizing that sets us up as protagonists that can calmly and conveniently wait for the apocalypse and condemn all of the evil activity accelerating the end of the world as something that only happens to \u201cbad people.\u201d\u00a0 This gives us an adequate amount of soul-cleansing to sit idly by as \u201cthe world is going to hell in a hand basket\u201d \u00a0while we rest comfortably on our \u201cBlessed Assurance.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
But the political and religious landscape and the recent shootings are more complex than this. This complexity forces us to wrestle with our hermeneutic of privilege and insensitivity which are elements of the elite-American ethos.\u00a0 Our unfamiliarity with the \u201cother\u201d emerges bluntly in \u201csuch a time as
\nthis.\u201d\u00a0 The recent mass murders and our political and theological discourse ought to give our society some serious food for thought.\u00a0 Yet it seems that a type of paralysis has our political, religious and civic leaders unwilling or afraid to address the divisive political and theological issues (i.e. gun law reform<\/a>) for the sake of the polling bottom line.\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nthis.\u201d\u00a0 The recent mass murders and our political and theological discourse ought to give our society some serious food for thought.\u00a0 Yet it seems that a type of paralysis has our political, religious and civic leaders unwilling or afraid to address the divisive political and theological issues (i.e. gun law reform<\/a>) for the sake of the polling bottom line.\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
While the moderately righteous are quiet, those who consider themselves to be the \u201cdivine exception\u201d are willing to project extremist views and, sadly, gain a lot of media attention.\u00a0 Consider the Coalition of African-American Pastors<\/a> \u2013 a group of pastors who are touring to encourage black voters to withdraw their support from the President because these pastors disagree with the President\u2019s stance. As an African-American Pastor I suffice it to say, \u201cTHIS GROUP DOESN\u2019T SPEAK FOR ME!\u201d\u00a0 In fact, it grieves me to say that this \u201cotherizing\u201d has become the order of the day.\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n