Who would Jesus assassinate...?

As a follow up to my post about Pat Robertson a few days ago, here is a great article from Jim Wallis at Sojourners...

Who would Jesus assassinate?

"I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific danger, and this is in our sphere of influence, so we can't let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, and we have other doctrines that we have announced, and without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another 200-billion-dollar war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."

- Pat Robertson, advocating the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Pat Robertson: An embarrassment to the church
by Jim Wallis

Pat Robertson is an embarrassment to the church and a danger to American politics.

Robertson is known for his completely irresponsible statements - that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were due to American feminists and liberals, that true Christians could vote only for George W. Bush, that the federal judiciary is a greater threat to America than those who flew the planes into the World Trade Center Towers, and the list goes on. Robertson even took credit once for diverting a hurricane. But his latest outburst may take the cake.

On Monday, Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Robertson is worried about Chavez's critiques of American power and behavior in the world, especially because Venezuela is sitting on all that oil. We simply can't have an anti-American political leader who could raise the price of gas. So let's just kill him, the famous television preacher seriously suggested. After all, having some of our "covert operatives" take out the troublesome Venezuelan leader would be cheaper than another $200 billion war, he said.

It's clear Robertson must not have first asked himself "What would Jesus do?" But the teachings of Jesus have never been very popular with Robertson. He gets his religion elsewhere, from the twisted ideologies of an American brand of right-wing fundamentalism that has always been more nationalist than Christian. Apparently, Robertson didn't even remember what the Ten Commandments say, though he has championed their display on the walls of every American courthouse. That irritating one about "Thou shalt not kill" seems to rule out the killing of foreign leaders. But this week, simply putting biblical ethics aside, Robertson virtually issued an American religious fatwah for the murder of a foreign leader - on national television no less. That may be a first.

Yesterday Robertson "apologized." First he denied saying what he had said, but it was on the videotape (it's tough when they record you breaking the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus). Then he said that "taking out" Chavez might not require killing him, and perhaps kidnapping a duly elected leader would do. But Robertson does now say that using the word "assassination" was wrong and that he had been frustrated by Chavez - the old "my frustration made me say that somebody should be killed" argument. But the worst thing about Robertson's apology was that he compared himself to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German church leader and martyr who ultimately joined in a plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler.

Robertson's political and theological reasoning is simply unbelievable. Chavez, a democratically elected leader in no less than three internationally certified votes, has been an irritant to the Bush administration, but has yet to commit any holocausts. Nor does his human rights record even approach that of the Latin American dictators who have been responsible for massive violations of human rights and the deaths of tens of thousands of people (think of the military regimes of Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, and Guatemala). Robertson never criticized them, perhaps because many of them were supported by U.S. military aid and training.

This incident reveals that Robertson does not believe in democracy; he believes in theocracy. And he would like governments, including our own, to implement his theological agenda, perhaps legislate Leviticus, and "take out" those who disagree.

Robertson's American fundamentalist ideology gives a lot of good people a bad name. World evangelical leaders have already responded with alarm and disbelief. Robertson's words will taint and smear other evangelical Christians and put some in actual jeopardy, such as Venezuelan evangelicals. Most conservative evangelical Christians are appalled by Robertson's hateful and literally murderous words, and it's time for them to say so. To their credit, the World Evangelical Alliance and the National Association of Evangelicals have already denounced Robertson's words. When will we hear from some of the groups from the "Religious Right," such as the Family Research Council, Southern Baptists, and other leaders like James Dobson, Tony Perkins, and Chuck Colson?

Robertson's words fuel both anti-Christian and anti-American sentiments around the world. It's difficult for an American government that has historically plotted against leaders in Cuba, Chile, the Congo, South Vietnam, and elsewhere to be easily believed when it disavows Robertson's call to assassinate Chavez. But George Bush must do so anyway, in the strongest terms possible.

It's time to name Robertson for what he is: an American fundamentalist whose theocratic views are not much different from the "Muslim extremists" he continually assails. It's time for conservative evangelical Christians in America, who are not like Islamic fundamentalists or Robertson, to distance themselves from his embarrassing and dangerous religion.

And it's time for Christian leaders of all stripes to call on Robertson not just to apologize, but to retire.

I couldn't agree more. Thank you Jim.

saying goodbye...

One week to go and it is finally starting to hit me - I will no longer live in Amsterdam as early as next Thursday. It's a bit scary to be honest. Most everything I know at this point in my life involves in this city. My friends, my job, my church, my community, my life - they are all here. What will I do when I don't have it anymore...? This is the question I'm asking at the moment.

Ridiculous - absolutely ridiculous...

Have you ever felt completely out of control...? I'm not talking about being on a roller coaster or in an airplane, or anything else physical. I'm not even talking about thoughts in my head, my own sin, or any personal struggle that is difficult to change. I'm talking about the actions and words of others. I'm talking about the actions and words of those who are suppose to be the leaders of your faith. Have you ever felt this chaos...?

I don't know what else to do. I have struggled with Christian leadership (so called Christians anyway) in the United States for years now. It slowly goes over the top. The latest comments made by Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition toward President Chavez of Venezuela have incited a shame in me I can barely contain.

I can separate myself from from Mr. Robertson's comments easily on a personal level, but it's nearly impossible to separate myself on an institutional level. I have worked, and in fact fought to separate myself from the institution of Christianity as it is generally represented in the U.S.A. Unfortunately, I call myself Chritian. Pat Robertson calls himself a Christian. This is difficult for me. Of course, maybe Mr. Robertson made a mistake, maybe it was just an off hand comment taken wrong my the liberal media. I don't know.

I'm struggling with this one right now. I suppose the best thing to do is to continue on fighting for light, fighting for love, fighting for Jesus. It's still a struggle when the very people I want to love, the very people I care for, are the same people who tell me that they would rather not be Christians if being a Christian means being like Pat Robertson. Ouch. What do you say..? Fortunately, I understand who it is to follow. I hope others will too - not a man anyway.

Arise, Shine

When I saw this picture my friend Matt just sent to me, I couldn't help but to immediately think of Isaiah 60...


1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.

3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the arm.

5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.........

14 The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you;
all who despise you will bow down at your feet
and will call you the City of the LORD,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 "Although you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one traveling through,
I will make you the everlasting pride
and the joy of all generations.

16 You will drink the milk of nations
and be nursed at royal breasts.
Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior,
your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,
and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace your governor
and righteousness your ruler.

18 No longer will violence be heard in your land,
nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation
and your gates Praise.

19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.

20 Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow will end.

21 Then will all your people be righteous
and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,
the work of my hands,
for the display of my splendor.

22 The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the LORD;
in its time I will do this swiftly."

Feeling Blue

I've been reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It has been a wonderful book for me and in many ways I feel like I should just quote the whole book here as the journal of my life. It is a refreshing drink to my soul. Here is one small excerpt...

"More than my questions about the efficacy of social action were my questions about my own motive. Do I want social justice for the oppressed or do I want to be known as a socially active person...? I spend 95% of my time thinking about myself anyway. I don't have to watch the evening news to see that the world is bad, I only have to look at myself. I am not browbeating here; I am only saying that true change, true life-giving, God-honoring change would have to start with the individual. I was the very problem that I had been protesting. I wanted to make a sign that read, "I AM THE PROBLEM!
"That night I rode my motorcycle...I went there to try and get my head around this idea, this idea that the problem in the universe lives within me. I can't think of anything more progressive than to embrace of this fundamental idea."

Oh, how true!

A link to see...

You have to check out this post from Todd about an interesting WAR in Amsterdam.

Faith and Fair Trade

Check this out - the InterFaith Fair Trade Initiative, it looks like a great resource for you can help your organization get involved.