Jesus for President

Jesus for President

Now that I watched much of the Republican National Convention, I also watched this past week much of the Democratic National Convention. My initial suspicions were confirmed, I have heard it all before. All the promises which will never be fulfilled, and even admittedly on Mr. Obama’s part have not yet been fulfilled, from four years ago. It grows old. What about Mr. Obama’s promises for Peace four years ago, for instance? I can remember these campaigns back as far as the Eisenhower days. It was Eisenhower who warned us against the Military Industrial complex that has sapped so much of our nations vigor, and the vigor of our young men and women in the military.

I liked Mr. Clinton’s and Mr. Obama’s speeches, and thank them for their preparation and dedication in their attempts to do what they believe is best for our country from their point of view. But, I still do not care to vote. I still could not choose either candidate. I cannot agree with Mr. Obama’s opinion regarding abortion and same sex marriage, although I do not see those sins as being any “worse” than those who have been so affected by this world’s culture of violence, that they kill in war, or my own sins, for that matter….

I nominate Jesus for President!

Now, I am not the first or only one. Shane Claiborne, another radical peace loving pacifist guy,http://www.thesimpleway.org/index.php/store/product/jesus-for-president/, has actually already nominated Jesus, so I am seconding the nomination.. :):) Here is a review of the book you may be interested in reading:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zack-exley/jesus-for-president-a-boo_b_93078.html.

It is us crazy, insane pacifists that apparently are stirring up the pot again and causing all kind of consternation among mainstream Christians who know what Jesus said, but cannot follow him in regards to his politics or nonviolent teachings. Shane Claiborne is one of those who has captured the vision of the young.

But, I have digressed…. Speaking of vision though, I did like Mr. Obama’s references to Hope. We needed that. Thanks! About this “hope” thing, this “bootstrap” hope thing that Mr. Obama referred to…, where does a person get it? Where does a nation get it? Where does the world get it? To me, Hope is a spiritual gift from God. I am viewing this from my personal Christian perspective, and I am sure there are other ways of viewing it, but let’s at least consider this:
From Romans 15, not far after Romans 13, the chapter most Christians believe command them to kill and go to war at the States’, any States’ command: [emphasis mine]
“7-13 So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! Jesus, staying true to God’s purposes, reached out in a special way to the Jewish insiders so that the old ancestral promises would come true for them. As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God. Just think of all the Scriptures that will come true in what we do! For instance:
Then I’ll join outsiders in a hymn-sing;
I’ll sing to your name!
And this one:
Outsiders and insiders, rejoice together!
And again:
People of all nations, celebrate God!
All colors and races, give hearty praise!
And Isaiah’s word:
There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse,
breaking through the earth and growing tree tall,
Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope!
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!”

What does this mean? What should it mean? To me, it means this root for outsiders and insiders, for Jews and Gentiles, for Everyman, all nations, all races, as it clearly states, is Jesus, in whom we have hope. It means hope is a gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift of this root, this Eternal King, whom we need to nominate for our President… Really… This is the larger vision. This is the real hope.

It is unfortunate that it was such a big deal to get God back on the Democratic platform… God should be on every nation’s platform. Every nation should look to God for Hope. Jesus was not really a Christian, he was a Jew, but a really visionary type of Jew who did not limit his Spiritual gifts, such as hope, only to Jewish insiders, but freely gave it and still gives it to us outsiders, and to the whole world. Where else do you think it comes from? If not from God, through the Son, tell me, from where else do you believe the Holy Spirit proceeds? From where else does Hope proceed? From where else does Peace proceed? From where else does Love proceed; From our own “bootstraps”?

The Quakers, a Historic Peace Church, (HPC) believed there was a spark of God in everyman… I do too.. I believe this spark is a Spirit of God that dwells “with” everyman, and returns to God at death. I believe this Spirit dwells “in” those who unconditionally give their lives to God. With, or in, I do not believe this Spirit will limit Hope to any particular nation or peoples. All can have hope. I believe it is an inalienable gift, similar to the inalienable rights in the United States Constitution to the pursuit of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…

It is to set this common Hope as a vision for our nation, and all nations, that I believe is one of the things Jesus would do if he were President. This is the bigger idea, the larger vision that I believe we need today. We need Jesus as President, if not of the United States, then the whole world. If not of the United States or the world, then let him start here, and be the President of your life, of my life, and President of a Kingdom that is not of this world, a Kingdom that is among us, a Kingdom that is in us, as Tolstoy, and Jesus, would say.

Is that OK with you? If not, speak up….

John Cooper
Tuscaloosa, AL

Defeating Cosmic Sea Monsters

Defeating Cosmic Sea Monsters

I watched the 2012 Republican Convention this week, staying up late way past my normal bedtime at the instance of my Aunt, Joan McCulley, who is an avid conservative. I had previously told her I was sick of politics and was not going to vote, and that I had heard all these promises before, none of which had come to pass.

I must say the speeches were quite good, heavily scripted, excepting Clint Eastwood’s one, and addressed the issues needed by the Republicans, mainly issues of trust, of women’s confidence, of trust in Mr. Romney’s religious beliefs, of trust in relationship to the Hispanic community, etc.

At one point in my life I would have jumped right on the band wagon, cheered, and held out high hopes for the future of the United States and our future generations… Not this time…. As interesting and plausible as the logic seemed to be, although I appreciated the skill and preparation of the speakers, I sat in wonderment…. What exactly is going on here? I thought to myself…. Haven’t we heard this before? Where?

My thoughts went back to what is believed to be the oldest book of the Bible, the book of Job….. Amidst the self-admitted talk of American Exceptionalism,[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_exceptionalismI was reminded of the “Myth” of cosmic sea monsters spoken of in the book of Job. Or, are they really a Myth, after all? Is American Exceptionalism actually a myth? [1] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/11/the_myth_of_american_exceptionalism?page=full

Speaking of Myths, what about the Myth of Redemptive Violence,[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_of_redemptive_violence that I have previously written of? If you wish to look into these things, the footnotes I have attached will be helpful. Most people in the world, including, obviously Americans, have little interest in exploring these ideas. Certainly those in political office or running for political office do not seem to wish to do so.

It seems the world’s politicians, including our own, believe they can defeat all these Evils all by themselves. Oh, especially the United States, the most “powerful” military force in the world, is so obviously capable of defeating these Evils all by ourselves…. “Make my Day”, it is said. We have heard this before, and Evil still reigns, and has not been defeated. Although it is attacked as the Sea Monster, Behemoth,[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behemoth with spears and arrows, and in the United States’ case, even nuclear weapons, the Sea Monster and the Evil it represents always returns, again and again.
Even Popeye cannot defeat it. Nor, do I believe our politicians will defeat it with warfare and rhetoric.

Job 41
I Run This Universe
1-11″Or can you pull in the sea beast, Leviathan, with a fly rod and stuff him in your creel?
Can you lasso him with a rope,
or snag him with an anchor?
Will he beg you over and over for mercy,
or flatter you with flowery speech?
Will he apply for a job with you
to run errands and serve you the rest of your life?
Will you play with him as if he were a pet goldfish?
Will you make him the mascot of the neighborhood children?
Will you put him on display in the market
and have shoppers haggle over the price?
Could you shoot him full of arrows like a pin cushion,
or drive harpoons into his huge head?
If you so much as lay a hand on him,
you won’t live to tell the story.
What hope would you have with such a creature?
Why, one look at him would do you in!
If you can’t hold your own against his glowering visage,
how, then, do you expect to stand up to me?
Who could confront me and get by with it?
I’m in charge of all this—I run this universe!

It seems that it is God who runs the Universe, and who is the one to defeat evil, not us, not the United States either. Why, even in the Lord’s Prayer, we give lip service in the words, “Deliver us form Evil”. Not so, American Exceptionalism, the United States is God’s gift to the world, a shining light on a hill, to defeat all Evil, ourselves, that is. Why, it has been mentioned in the Republican Convention, that apparently the military budget is sacrosanct… Don’t mess with that one… I recommend reading at least the 38th thru 42nd chapters of the book of Job.[1] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2038&version=MSG

Now, Job was quite a successful guy… Some even believe he was Cheops or Khufu, who built the Great Pyramid… Just build it…., it is said. He was quite successful, very rich, a worshiper of the one true God, a religious type of fellow too… Perhaps he was just a little arrogant though… Perhaps he needed some correction; perhaps we do also… He was also quite the speaker…..

Job 42
Job Worships God

I Babbled On About Things Far Beyond Me
1-6 Job answered GOD: “I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything.
Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water,
ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.
Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’
I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!
I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”

Therefore, I too, will shut my mouth. It is time in this nation to listen, not to speak, to repent and ask for forgiveness for all we have done in our view of our own Exceptionalism, not to make it our campaign platform…

Just some of my thoughts on the Republican National Convention…

John Cooper
https://jcooperforpeace.org/

Politics, of Jesus?

Politics of Jesus?

Isa 9:6-7
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace .
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
NIV

Just a couple of days ago, Mitt Romney chose his running mate, Paul Ryan.  From the looks of American politics, one might imagine due to the emotions displayed among individuals either for Romney, or for Obama, that politics is some kind of religion or something to stir the American soul…

Concerning religion, what about the politics of Jesus?

I am reminded of a book, by John Howard Yoder, “The Politics of Jesus”[1].  The first edition was published in 1972 and it caused quite a stir in Academic circles.   I have read the book and think of it often when hearing news of our political systems.  It is a pretty difficult read.  For a simplified introduction to the book, I recommend the link to http://perthanabaptists.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/politics-of-jesus-simplified-january-2005.pdf.  You will do well to read this synopsis to understand the political relevance of Jesus before reading the original book.  For plenty of in depth study, the link above will suffice to get anyone who is interested started.

What I am thinking of are just a few things about this man, Jesus, and his influence upon his followers for many years since his refusal to accept, pro bono, the kingdoms of the world offered to him by the chief principality and power that still rules over these kingdoms.  Jesus had in mind a Kingdom of a different sort, a Kingdom not of this world.  However, this Kingdom did affect and radically change political systems of his day and the times that followed him, and still does radicality affect those politics as a result of those truly following him.

Are Jesus’ followers to be conformists to the state, whichever state they find themselves living in, or are they to be radicals who follow the social ethics of Jesus?  Should Christians in the United States kill Christians in Germany in WWII, and vica versa?  How about Christians in the United States killing each other in the Civil war?  What about Christians in the United States killing each other in Iraq?  Should Christians kill their enemies or love them?  Which is it?  The way I view it, they are to be radicals, radically submissive to the political rulers over them, except when those ethics conflict with the powers, as those ethics often do.  I believe the heart of John Howard Yoder’s book, “The Politics of Jesus”, reflect these social ethics.

Does Jesus really have any social ethics, and if so, what are they, and should the world believe in them?  Should the political systems of the world believe in them?  Yes? __; No?__.  To me, the radically of Jesus’ ethics is reflected in the unabated and unqualified, unconditional love, that he exhibited, and advised his followers to practice to all mankind, including his political adversaries.  One might think of this active nonviolent love in the Indian term, Satyagraha,[2] coined by Gandhi.  It was a force of love, a soul force, a force of truth that Jesus brought to this earth and left with his followers.

For over two centuries, Jesus’ followers practiced this force of truth force that changed the political landscape and affected the political systems up until the emperor, Constantine, came upon a novel idea, (however, the same one Satan offered to Jesus),  for altering this nonviolent way by offering Christianity political power.  The world has not been the same since, nor has Christianity.  Early Christians affected the politics of their day by willingly giving their lives if called upon in submission to the way they were taught by Jesus.  They sang worship songs as they were impaled and slaughtered in the Roman Coliseum.  Their songs haunted the political rulers in attendance, who could not sleep well at night because of the willing sacrifices of these early Christians, and the songs of those killed for political purposes and personal entertainment, (like we support today by watching violence on TV and in movies), ringing in their ears.  Early Christians also affected the political systems of their day by their refusal to join the military, if they were Roman citizens who could join the military to begin with.  Slaves and those who were not citizens could not join the Roman military. These Christians dispersed throughout the known world, affecting other political systems too…

To me, counting the cost of discipleship and following the path to the cross Jesus speaks of, and the suffering it entails, IS a result of our submission to God and often results in confronting the powers behind the political systems of the kingdoms of this earth.  It is possible that many in political office are not aware of these powers, mostly fallen, but not completely fallen, (originally created good), but radical submission of Christians and others who have Faith toward God affect the political systems, and all systems, good and bad, for that matter, by submission to the will of God.

What are Christians to do now, in view of our own political systems throughout the world, and in the United States?  Can we place our hope in any political system of this world, or do we need to hope for the Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed?  Should we jockey both positions?  Would it be acceptable to have no political preferences at all?

How long would an Early Roots Christian last in political office anyway?  One Christian, that is, who followed the Kingdom come teachings of Jesus….., who dismantled the military, confronted the military industrial complex, canceled all debts, released prisoners from retributive justice systems or instituted restorative justice systems, how long?  Or, who in Biblical terms declared the year of Jubilee? Maybe this realization is the reason Jesus proclaimed a Kingdom to come.  Perhaps Jesus’ system was incompatible with the political systems of this world.  Maybe this is why Gandhi did not hold political office.  Maybe this is why Martin Luther King was assassinated…, and Jesus…, and Gandhi….  A change in paradigm from domination to radical submission, to an adherence to the force of actually loving one another in place of ruling over one another, a soul force or Satyagraha, if you please, would radically affect the world’s politics, over time, Just as Jesus so did…, Over time…. One of the greatest political effects of this Gospel of Jesus is the making of Peace between the Jews and the Gentiles by the abolishment of the Old Covenant law as a way to righteousness.  As Christians began and continued to love one another and their enemies, across political, racial, and nationalistic divides, this world’s political systems were and are gradually turned upside down.  Over time…..Resurgences of nationalism and warfare that is inspired by the Powers is principally an attempt to thwart the political movement Jesus, Tolstoy, Gandhi, King and others who subscribe to this soul force have promoted.

I may not be the only one this year asking questions like this.., Maybe you are also.  If so, I recommend looking into the links above and helping me sort these things out…

Love & Peace,

John Cooper

Tuscaloosa, AL