The Myth of Redemptive Violence
Bible with Bill yesterday (Friday) was a remarkable learning experience for me. We learned about how this world of ours has worked for the last few millennia. The "Myth of Redemptive Violence" is in every sitcom, every comic book, every piece of fiction, it is everywhere and it goes something like this:
Life is fine... along comes an agent of chaos... this chaos grows like ripples in a pond... then comes a moment of violence to stop the chaos... and then life is fine.
Think about it. Let's look at Batman for instance: Gotham is quiet (life is fine). Then the Joker comes into Gotham and spins out of control. Batman watches the chaos being sown for a little while and when a certain line is about to be crossed, or has been crossed he swoops in and violently puts an end to the Joker's chaos. Then Gotham is quiet again (life is fine).
Let's look at the life of Jesus (more specifically Holy Week): Jerusalem is quiet (life is fine). This Jesus man enters to the cheers of the crowds. He start teaching and stirring things up. Then the Pharisees and Scribes and the Roman government step in and remove this radical thinker before he gets out of control. Then Jerusalem is quiet again (life is fine).
What we learned though is this is not really what scripture is saying, in fact it completely contradicts this.
In the Biblical Vision of the universe God is in the midst of the chaos, "In the beginning... the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters." And out of that chaos God creates and in that creative act comes order. What's lacking in this view of the universe? Violence.
The first version is the view of people in authority and power who like it that way. They don't like chaos and certainly don't think God works in chaos. This version constantly blames the victim with phrases like "you made me do it," "I had no choice," "if only you had done what I told you to do, if only you obeyed."
Jesus though names this system as a lie and as soon as we recognize this truth we are free from the Myth of Redemptive violence. In the Biblical Vision we see that it is only through creation that "life will be fine." The chaos and fear of death have been wipe away by the creative act of the resurrection.
This is powerful stuff and the participants really got it! The most powerful stuff we learned comes out of this:
There are three lies that you have to believe in order for hell to claim you
1. You are alone
2. You are trapped
3. Nothing will ever be changed
When we recognize that God is with us always, we always have a way out of sin, and all things are made new by the creative acts of God it is then that we are free - truly free.
Life is fine... along comes an agent of chaos... this chaos grows like ripples in a pond... then comes a moment of violence to stop the chaos... and then life is fine.
Think about it. Let's look at Batman for instance: Gotham is quiet (life is fine). Then the Joker comes into Gotham and spins out of control. Batman watches the chaos being sown for a little while and when a certain line is about to be crossed, or has been crossed he swoops in and violently puts an end to the Joker's chaos. Then Gotham is quiet again (life is fine).
Let's look at the life of Jesus (more specifically Holy Week): Jerusalem is quiet (life is fine). This Jesus man enters to the cheers of the crowds. He start teaching and stirring things up. Then the Pharisees and Scribes and the Roman government step in and remove this radical thinker before he gets out of control. Then Jerusalem is quiet again (life is fine).
What we learned though is this is not really what scripture is saying, in fact it completely contradicts this.
In the Biblical Vision of the universe God is in the midst of the chaos, "In the beginning... the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters." And out of that chaos God creates and in that creative act comes order. What's lacking in this view of the universe? Violence.
The first version is the view of people in authority and power who like it that way. They don't like chaos and certainly don't think God works in chaos. This version constantly blames the victim with phrases like "you made me do it," "I had no choice," "if only you had done what I told you to do, if only you obeyed."
Jesus though names this system as a lie and as soon as we recognize this truth we are free from the Myth of Redemptive violence. In the Biblical Vision we see that it is only through creation that "life will be fine." The chaos and fear of death have been wipe away by the creative act of the resurrection.
This is powerful stuff and the participants really got it! The most powerful stuff we learned comes out of this:
There are three lies that you have to believe in order for hell to claim you
1. You are alone
2. You are trapped
3. Nothing will ever be changed
When we recognize that God is with us always, we always have a way out of sin, and all things are made new by the creative acts of God it is then that we are free - truly free.
While at Generation 2008 Fr. Cliff had a workshop on this very same topic and it still blows my mind. I am so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. Since my experience, I have been reading Ched Myers and Walter Winks whom Fr. Cliff recommend well worth the effort.
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