Blurring the Lines Between You and Me

Our conversation on Solidarity last week has really stuck with me since. Kathy and I watched the Chris Tse video again together and talked about some of the ideas he brought up in his slam. The primary thought that has seemed to confront me many times since our conversation is how easy it is to label and judge and hate when the object of those feelings and actions is far away (either geographically or just in one's consciousness). But when we are in relationship with that person, it is much more difficult to live and act and feel in those ways. It seems that for Jesus the lines between self and "the other" were blurred enough to connect and identify. "The fruit of the Sprit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Last night I watched a documentary "Missionaries of Hate" on the growing target on homosexuals in Uganda. A long-running stigma against homosexuals was ramped up last year after several evangelical pastors from the US came in and spoke to local pastors and large groups warning them against the "gay agenda." The universally successful tactic of fear of the unknown proved to be an easy sell for these pastors, who terrified the Ugandans saying their children were the target of a well-organized plot to recruit them into that lifestyle and to use them in abusive ways. They, along with a popular local pastor, portrayed the most obscure, graphic acts as normative in that type of lifestyle, stirring up rage within the community and country.

Soon after the visit from the pastors/missionaries, the country introduced laws imposing life-sentence terms for first offenders and death by hanging for multiple offenders. Even if you merely know someone practicing homosexuality, you are subject to imprisonment for not reporting them within 48 hrs. This hatred and vitriol were countered by the personal interviews with a few homosexual Ugandans. These individuals were humble, gentle, and kind, not returning hatred for hatred. I wondered with whom Christ would identify himself in this chaos.

Later that night I saw a tweet from my favorite singer-songwriter Ryan Adams on the memorial service for Ronnie James Dio, heavy metal rocker for Black Sabbath and Dio. Throughout Dio's career, he was targeted by fundamentalist Christians as the "poster child" of devil worshipping hard rockers. I read on CNN, "Church Plans to Picket Rocker Dio's Memorial Service" that the vengeful group from Westboro Baptist Church (Topeka, KS) was going to picket his memorial service. As I read through the article, I paused on a statement from Dio's wife, Wendy, about the protest. "Ronnie hates prejudice and violence. We need to turn the other cheek on these people that only know how to hate someone they didn't know," she said. She (and I assume Ronnie) seem to get the idea of solidarity (or lack there of)...to "only know how to hate someone they [don't] know." Once again, I wondered with whom Jesus would identify?

Solidarity seems to be getting both more and less complicated all at the same time to me. But in the midst of the confusion, one thing is becoming more clear, that for me to change the way I view others I have to blur the sharply defined lines between myself and the other, and welcome her/him into my life. Because, to know someone changes the equation in how I choose to judge or bring harm to her/him. On top of that, my perspectives that have been formed over a lifetime on who is playing for which team (in/out, right/wrong, etc) are constantly being shaken. In the examples above, one set of groups is saying they represent the Christ, while the other groups who have been portrayed as enemies of God seem to be living out many of the values of the kingdom Christ initiated...love, patience, kindness, gentleness, forgiveness, peace, self-control?