Jesus-Loving Leaders

By Robin Øye 

[P]oliticians of all stripes within the narrow mainstream of the political spectrum attempt to imbue their programs with “Christianity” . . . wondering aloud, “What would Jesus do?” Election years are the worst because the endless stream of this sort of thing is so constant and can be seen and heard everywhere.

In the United States today, much political mileage is derived from the Christian faith. Indeed, many politicians go so far as to identify themselves with Jesus, and many people readily equate Christianity and the United States itself. Even discounting the more extreme elements of the Right, who would like to impose a sort of theocracy in place of the Constitution (a truly heretical Christianity is at work in this), politicians of all stripes within the narrow mainstream of the political spectrum attempt to imbue their programs with “Christianity”: from identifying them as divinely directed, to courting certain powerful church bodies, to wondering aloud, “What would Jesus do?” Election years are the worst because the endless stream of this sort of thing is so constant and can be seen and heard everywhere.

All this should mean that we are a faithful, Christian country, what with all these political leaders invoking the divine every time they turn around. But, if measured against even a small amount of Jesus' teachings, or the words of Old Testament prophets, the American reality is anything but Christian. What would Jesus do, indeed!

Jesus said, at the beginning of his ministry,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19, RSV)

Have our “Jesus-loving” leaders read this passage? After all, there has been no good news for the poor in public policy over the last 25 or 30 years and more. As well, politicians fall all over one another to proclaim captivity, not release to ever-larger numbers of people in the land. Governments are happiest when spending money on prisons. A collection of foolish and ineffective health care policies, developed by and for the greater enrichment of a health care and insurance industry, is ensuring that the blind are not the only ones who won't be getting their health restored any time soon. Far from setting the oppressed at liberty, administration after administration can only bend their efforts to oppressing more people at home and in other countries, through invasions and brutal economic and trade policies, and draconian measures against drugs and terrorism.

Many Christians who are disgusted by these policies are often so caught off-guard by the identification of this false religion of American politicians with Christianity that they seldom find adequate responses. Of course, a sort of American Civil Religion has been with us for a long time, and that is the starting place of the “Religious Right.” There is a response, though, and it is empowering.  

Any religion masquerading as Christianity that does not embrace Jesus' statement of his ministry is not Christianity at all, and is blasphemous. The proper response is atheism: that is, to state that you do not believe in that false Christianity, and its false idol of a “god.”

That response is simply this: Christianity is as Jesus defines it in these verses from Luke. It is liberating, not enslaving; it is comforting to the sufferer, not part of the suffering; it is the Good News that God is a God of justice. Any religion masquerading as Christianity that does not embrace Jesus' statement of his ministry is not Christianity at all, and is blasphemous. The proper response is atheism: that is, to state that you do not believe in that false Christianity, and its false idol of a “god.” It is blasphemous because it equates with Christianity such oppressive, unjust, and warlike policies that misrepresent and dishonor God.

Of course, many movements can arise that take on the symbols of faith. Many are good ones, but which run the risk of becoming corrupt and using religion to put a divine imprimatur on bad and evil policies. This means we must ask ourselves, as Christian revolutionaries, how can we avoid the trap? How can we make sure that we don't simply wrap ourselves in a faith tradition to cover our shortcomings? How can we avoid a blasphemous identification with religious symbols and doctrines? These are hard questions, requiring longer answers than can be given here, but there is a very good place to start. It is in the words of the prophet Micah:

And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8, RSV)

These words are good advice for revolutionaries, and for those in power. They don't ask people to hide behind faith symbols, or to advertise your faith with buttons and banners. These words, like Isaiah's, ask you to live faith in a revolutionary and liberating way: doing justice, being kind, and being humble. That means denouncing the false religion of politicians and their supporters for what it is: a godless, evil creed in direct conflict with the teachings of Christianity. It means joining with those who have been oppressed, brutalized, and discouraged by these policies. It also means that we can continue the struggle, no matter who wins the sham elections and how cynical the words of the winner and what kind of future is in store in the next months and years: we will be victorious if we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

Robin L. Øye was ordained a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and does not currently serve in a parish. He is a musician, a composer of music, a writer of essays and short stories, a publisher, and, with his wife, a gardener. Robin may be reached by email at rlopmo@pasty.com .