BLOG 4/17/2016. “ASLAN IS NOT A SAFE LION”

In C. S. Lewis’ wonderful children’s stories: The Chronicles of Narnia, the Christ-figure is the awesome lion Aslan. When the Pevensie children are first introduced to the other world of Narnia, they keep hearing about this lion and they are confused about who he is and what he is like. One of them asks Mrs. Beaver: “Is the safe?” Her response is that of course he isn’t safe. “Oh, he’s good, but he’s not safe.”

I think of that often in these days of this presidential campaign when many of those who are strident political conservatives identify themselves as “evangelicals” by horribly misappropriating that noble word that classically is used to speak of the thrilling and saving work of Jesus, and of his life-giving teachings. Their use is about as oxymoron-ish as one can get. Here are those who are by their own platform quite judgmental, discriminatory, prejudiced,  and uncompromising… and have obviously totally missed the whole point of kthe role of Jesus as the life-giving and forgiving and compassionate Son of God. Here is One who came not to condemn, but to save.

Here is Jesus, who at separate points indicates that he has found more faith in a Roman centurion and in a Syro-Phoencian woman than he has found among among the ostensibly religious and self-righteous Israelites. Here is One, who uses for his example as a true neighbor, a Samaritan, which Samaritans were among the most despised and compromised (maybe half-breed) foreigners.

Here is Jesus who inaugurated his public ministry by preaching good news to the poor, help to the imprisoned and the debtors, along with healing of the sick. His most familiar sermon begins with the sobering words: “Woe to you rich!” and continues “Blessed are you poor.” Here is Jesus whose call for lives of justice, of suffering for righteousness sake, of love for enemies and for those who dispitefully use us, for lives of peacemaking, and of mercy. That doesn’t sound like a conservative, or safe agenda. It is the Jesus who met with a notoriously dishonest official who had made a fortune ripping-off his fellow Jews, and the result of Jesus spending time with him was a life of repentance in which he promised to return all of that which he had defrauded from others, and in addition to give half of his fortune to the poor. Here is Jesus who, when a very attractive young man of wealth wanted to know how to become Jesus follower, instructed him to go and sell all that he had and give to the poor and then come and follow—knowing that the young man was wedded to his great wealth primarily.

Just this much of Jesus teaching is so obviously other to so much of the political agenda of many of those who call themselves evangelical, that one could almost conclude that the participants in the Occupy Wall Street movement were more evangelical than those who hijack that designation and are indifferent to the poverty, the economic injustice, the arrogance of the very wealthy, the helplessness of the un-employed, and the homelessness of so many. One wonders what motivates them to want to rescind governmental help for the healthcare of the populace, … or to have such animosity to immigrants.  Or the loveless discrimination against those whose lifestyles don’t suit their self-righteousness. This not to mention many desperate immigrants.

Building a political platform around the life and teachings around the teaching of Jesus  would be like Aslan: it would be good but it would not be safe! It would be quite radical in its legislation to seek the welfare of all of the people. It would be unselfish and merciful and peaceable. It would be hard on greed and injustice, on racism and prejudice, … but it would be good, even in not safe and even if costly.

So, I for one, and incensed at the obscene misuse of those who call themselves evangelicals while contradiction that very evangel by their political prejudices—Democrat or Republican. God’s people are not primarily American citizens, but citizens of God’s New Creation, but are to be his people of salt and light in the midst of this nation. But its not a safe agenda. It is more like Aslan: good but not safe. It is, however, the place of our present incarnation.