Challenging Times

I’ve just read (on a Facebook group) this extract of Bono being interviewed by Michka Assayas:

Bono: “You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “as you reap, so you will sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.”

Assayas: “I’d be interested to hear that”

Bono: “That’s between me and God. But I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I’d be in deep s—. It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.”

Assayas: “The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.”

Bono: Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn’t allow you that. Christ says: No. I’m not saying I’m a teacher, don’t call me teacher. I’m not saying I’m a prophet. I’m saying: “I’m the Messiah.” I’m saying: “I am God incarnate… I know you’re expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. So what you’re left with is: either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase… The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that’s farfetched …

…I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there’s a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let’s face it, you’re not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled… It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

If only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. …When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s— and everybody else’s. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that’s the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it.”

It’s been a while. I’m sorry. My excuse is that life recently has been beyond manic.

This Saturday at 7 pm, BBC 4 is showing ‘Inherit the Wind.’ It’s described in Radio Times as:

A young teacher is put on trial for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution in a Tennessee school, in this drama based on a true story.

It’s based on the famous (infamous?) ‘Scopes monkey trial,’ which has gone down in legend, along with incidents like the trial of Galileo, as part of the mythology of how powerful obscurantist religious forces work to prevent free scientific enquiry and education.

The film-makers weren’t ones for letting the facts get in the way of a good story. So by all means watch the film, but don’t take it as gospel truth. If you want to get at a more balanced account of what happened, read Pulitzer prize-winning ‘Summer for the Gods: the Scopes Trial and America’s continuing debate over science and religion,’ by Edward J Larson.

‘Edward Larson tells the true story of the Scopes trial brilliantly, and the truth is a lot more interesting than the myth that was presented to the public in ‘Inherit the Wind.’ (Philip Johnson)

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John’s Gospel talks about eternal life. Matthew, Mark and Luke talk more often about the Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of heaven – the meaning is the same).

It’s important to think clearly about what ‘Kingdom of God’ means.

Quite a few writers talk about us bringing in the Kingdom of God here and now, by working to alleviate poverty, injustice, and oppression. But they don’t have much to say about eternity. It is all about this world and this life.

It’s right for us to strive against poverty and injustice, because this reflects God’s own character.

But we aren’t going to bring in the Kingdom of God by doing so.

Talking like this about bringing in the Kingdom of God may come from either ignorance or confusion, or from forgetting that there is both an ‘already’ and a ‘not yet’ aspect to God’s rule.

Jesus is pretty clear on the ‘not yet’ aspect in the Sermon on the Mount, when he says things like

‘Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matthew 5:20)

Or:

‘Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

How can anyone spin Jesus’ words here to be about anything other than the end of time?

The ‘Kingdom of God’ is not primarily something that happens in an individual’s life now, nor is it something that we can bring in as we work for justice and peace and freedom from poverty. It is primarily something God is going to bring in at the end of time – it is an eschatological reality, to use the technical phrase.

When we lose sight of this and focus exclusively on social issues here and now, the danger is that we stop bothering about the eternal question: will people get into the Kingdom of God? And this really does mean we’re losing the plot.

‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to live, and only a few find it.’ (Matthew 7:13-14)

The Slipstream podcast for June is now online, featuring Shane Claiborne, the best-selling author of ‘The Irresistible Revolution.’

About thirty homeless families had moved into an abandonned cathedral, and they were being evicted… We read about it in the newspaper and were deeply troubled, and we went down and found them, and we got involved in that struggle, and on the front of the cathedral they had hung a banner that said, ‘How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday and ignore one on Monday?’

Go here to listen.

This programme includes a review of ‘The Irresistible Revolution’ by Chris Ward of Unite Southampton.

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