Che vs Jesus
Alex is questioning left-leaning fashion T-shirts. Obviously he is bothered by Che-chic. Castro’s adherence to strick Communist dogma that all revolution must be violent, for those in power will never give up power peacefully… disturbs Alex’s peace-loving.
I talked with a good friend this week over good Mexican food, and I was on my usual rant about “your kingdom come on earth as in heaven” thing, meaning we the church are coparticipants with the Holy Spirit in changing the world - not in a subversive way (I disagree with Alex here [and probably S. Hauerwas]) but in large scale ways. Global peace is a possibility, nay, peace comes when Jesus followers actually follow (this may require death). Back to the Tex-Mex: My friend asked, “Do you really think this is possible - that we can change the world in large ways?” I said, “I am reading Bill Clinton’s new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change The World, and all it is a catalog of people changing the world - ALMOST ENTIRELY BECAUSE OF JESUS!” Clinton doesn’t make anything of the Jesus name, but it is there in spades. Actually, Clinton doesn’t give reason WHY we should change the world - he just assumes everyone wants a different world. But let’s be very clear: the world has changed most because of Jesus. Feeding the hungry, education, medicine, forgiveness in the wake of genocide, slavery, civil rights, freedom from sex trafficking (I just read about this one in The Economist - Christians intervening in the Asian sex trade - dangerous stuff) - on and on the list goes: the world is a better place because of Jesus (not Che).
My friend said, “Yeah but the liberal press never talks about this Jesus revolution.” I said, “Well who said they were suppose to?” Why do all revolutions (world-change) have to be popular? We Jesus followers are way past the whole tipping-point thing - chic, vogue, hip and i-thing. This Jesus-revolution is only increasing. And by the way, it goes funk when our revolution gets popular power. Case in point: G. Bush’s staff has some 150 graduates from Liberty University (that’s spelled Ja-heez-sus-huh), and what do we have to show for this right religious victory? Che-styled guns and iron-booted war, all to keep you and me driving our gasoline freedom-fighters. Oppression is so insidious, so quiet, so crushing. The only people who can change this are Jesus followers - but the price is personal and massive. “Who then can be saved?” With normal human beings this is impossible, but with god all things are possible.”
“We have left everything to follow you? What then will there be for us?”
Get the first statement done and then you can ask the second question.