Tag: wineskins

‘You must be born again’

Intrigued Peter Rollins’ post.

ikonconvertable

I’ve mentioned here before that I think there may be something more than just a simple prayer or 4 spiritual laws.

When I hear “You must be born again” it really does sound like a new creation. It really does sound like you become a pacifistic because you’re a violent son of a gun, you build bridges towards a new humanity rather than building walls to further divide and you throw off the old wine skins in place of new fresh wine and wine skins.

It may not mean entering the womb again physically, but I think it has a lot to do with dying to ourselves and giving, loving and serving others.

The old becomes new

Day 39: 02-08-08

Shaun Groves has an amazing blog. If you’re not follow it – you should be. Monday he wrote a post that shook me. It took my ideas of pacifism and really made me rethink my ideas — and more importantly God’s ideas.

Shaun quotes theologian Stanley Hauerwas ::

“I’m a pacifist because I’m a violent son of a bitch.”

What in the world?

Let’s look at that again….

“I’m a pacifist because I’m a violent son of a bitch.”

OK. Really, its OK to go back and read that a couple more times. Think on it. Chew on it. Wrestle with it.

Shaun writes that while he doesn’t particularly care for his choice of words but he’s a big fan of Stanley’s honesty.

His brief explanation gets directly to one of the most convincing (at least for me) reasons I, a follower of Christ, must embrace non-violence: I am, by nature, violent.

He continues…

I am sinful so I must embrace virtue.

To be more specific…

I lust after women who are not my wife, so I must embrace monogamy.

I covet your cell phone and your neighborhood and your jeans, so I must embrace simplicity.

I lie to get a laugh or make my life easier, so I must embrace honesty.

I think I’m smarter than you, so I must embrace humility.

I need to be in control, so I must embrace submission.

I’m a loner, so I must embrace community.

I want to ruin your name, so I must embrace forgiveness.

I want to be served, so I must embrace service.

And I want to harm when I’m harmed, so I must embrace non-violence.

As Christians aren’t we called to put away the selfish and old way of doing things? Aren’t we called to take part in this upside down Kingdom of God?

Isn’t the Kingdom of God really about the great reversal? Where the last will be first and the first will be last? Isn’t the Kingdom of God really about serving the meek and loving our enemies — no matter how many times they’ve hurt us or ignored us in the past?

The sinful nature of mankind is often cited in arguments against Christian non-violence. Violence, it’s said, is sometimes necessary to slow or even stop sin’s march across the world.

Mankind’s nature? What about my own?

Non-violence stops my sinful nature’s march from within me into the world. Into your world.

I’m a pacifist because I know who I really am.

What about you?