"Prophets of Doom" and a Faith That Operates Through Love

I spent a few days glued to "The Prophets of Doom" episode of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast. Carlin opens the podcast by apologizing to everyone that he is going to offend in his attempt to tell the story of the Münster Rebellion of 1534-1535. That list included both  the religious and atheists. It's that powerful of a story.

I highly recommend the podcast to anyone who can stand a little gore and isn't afraid to plumb the depths of religious violence and Christianity. The story begins relatively quietly as a militant strand of the persecuted Anabaptist Christian religious minority takes over the town from the Catholic Prince Bishop and and the Lutheran City Council that had been in charge.

The roots of this Anabaptist movement include powerful concepts that have reverberated through history like the equality between human beings, a more modern view of marital relations, adult baptism, and the communal ownership of property. The rebellion eventually devolved into delusional religious fervor, murder, polygamy, starvation, and cannibalism. Every side committed violence that we would now consider war crimes. If you're not into podcasts, you can read a full description of the siege on the All Empires website.

I don't know what the next version of the "Doomsday Prophets" will be, but their arrival is as inevitable as winter snow on the Rockies. However, the spectrum of this issue doesn't just include "Doomsday Prophets." How many churches are classified as hate groups? How many churches are more easily identified by the people they don't like rather than the people they love?

While Münster's "Prophets of Doom" bring up a lot of interesting psychological and sociological questions, the one that I think is most important to the modern day religious reader is how to we ensure that we do not inadvertently travel down the same twisting but well-worn path that turns a good religious faith into something evil.

I think that the answer is that your faith must operate through love. Charitable love must be your faith's connection to other human beings. For Christians, any other connection between your faith and others risks defying Jesus's clear mandate, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2.

Beyond the danger of losing salvation through judging others harshly, the Christian theological basis for having your faith operate through love is summed up in Matthew 22:34-40. In that passage, a Pharisee lawyer asked Jesus, "Teacher, what is the greatest commandment under the law."

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

As Christians, we must constantly evaluate our faith and our actions against those two commandments. That is as close as we can come to inoculating our faith against becoming exactly the opposite of what it should be.j

p.s. Here is another "Running with the Current" video.

Running with the Current: Psalm One

I've started a new "Running with the Current" project focusing specifically on one spot of Ten Mile Creek near Rimini, Montana.  The goals is to do all 150 Psalms.

I hope you like them.  Here's Psalm One.

Election Fallout. Recapturing a Sense of Divine Providence

"Triumph of Divine Providence" by Pietro da Cortona

I've spent the last few years doing history research for writing projects. The three periods that I've dwelt on are first-century Israel, the American Revolution, and the American Civil War. The time periods are different, yet the stories of humanity, power, identity and faith have powerful common currents.

One of the most interesting things that I've realized is how our modern age has lost touch with the belief in Divine Providence and its utility in understanding the course of humanity. This lens that allowed common people and world leaders to keep a sense of historical perspective amidst turbulent world events has been all-but abandoned.

As described by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Theology, "Traditional theism holds that God is the creator of heaven and earth, and that all that occurs in the universe takes place under Divine Providence — that is, under God's sovereign guidance and control."

Historical figures utilized the theory of Divine Providence to help them understand the overall course of history and help guide their own actions in the midst of trying or tragic events. For example, Jewish historian Flavius Josephus explained how Emperor Caligula's assassination was an act of Divine Providence which prevented the desecration of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Similarly, President George Washington relied on the theory of Divine Providence to provide support for the American Revolution. In a letter to Governor Trumbull of Connecticut, Washington wrote, "The cause of our common country calls us both to an active and dangerous duty; Divine Providence, which wisely orders the affairs of men, will enable us to discharge it with fidelity and success."

It's probably too strong to say that we've lost our belief in Divine Providence when the sentence "All things happen for a reason" is repeated daily across the United States from people who range from just a little bit spiritual to deeply religious. However, it's difficult to keep that platitude in mind when trying to understand perplexing and vexing real world events. Yet, this is exactly when we need to rely on Divine Providence to help us keep the world in perspective so we can continue to do the good things that we are called to do.

In a short time, the United States will elect new President. Whoever is elected, a vast portion of the country will be some version of disgusted, saddened or disillusioned. You can give yourself a day or a week to grieve, but anything more than that is challenging the Divine and the Divine Plan. That President will somehow be used for good - even if that good is to stir up a movement in response to his or her actions. 

Saint Paul's called all Christians to trust in the reality of Divine Providence. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

That is not a call to fatalism, just the opposite. We are at a phase shift in history. The information revolution has connected over 3.5 billion people online. Our modes of communication, working, and governing are changing. These changes are making it more important than ever that each person to express their opinion and take action for the things they care about. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." That divine arc is real, but it relies on each of us to keep working to make our communities, our country, and our world a better place regardless of who is in the White House.

p.s. Go vote!