jLife

Hi everyone,

I feel that it’s only fair to warn you that this week’s email is much longer than the last few I have written. That being said, it was the hardest to write and the one I am the most proud of. I do hope you like it.

I figure most of you will skip the main body and go straight to III. and IV. – c’est la guerre. The day after Tuesday is considered to be one of the worst for getting people to read long messages. Anyhow, this is Second-In-Command Pothen with the latest Nav Email.

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Christianity sees the world as a “glorious wreck.” When God created it He pronounced it good, but after man’s rebellion it became tainted by sin. Today the world has polarized into those who see only the wreck (cynics) and those who see only the glory (sentimentalists).

Since cynicism is well-understood I won’t waste much time talking about it. I want to focus my assault on the sentimentalists. Let’s start with a definition of sentimentalism. I am going to borrow from Dick Keyes and Jeremy Begbie:

1. It sees a world without sin, evil, brokenness, ugliness, cruelty, complexity or confusion. These unpleasant things are denied, trivialized or euphemized. It is a world of niceness, warmth, harmony and simplicity.

2. Self-referential emotion, a turning of the feelings back on themselves, feeling about yourself feeling. This means that people in the grip of sentimentality who think they are in love, may actually not so much love another person, as love their own emotions about that other person. Their love may be largely for what the other person does to and for them.

3. It does not result in responsible action, especially if those responses are costly or inconvenient.

You want an example? Mr. Shane Claiborne is a pacifist, which places him solidly in the sentimentalist camp. When asked about how to handle Hitler he would claim that the best option is to simply accept the slaughter. I hope you can see how horrific such a sweet-sounding philosophy would taste once swallowed. The sentimentalists need to harden. They need to face the disgusting brutality of a world wrecked with sin. Will sappy love songs bring peace in Sudan, rescue prostitutes from abusive pimps, or help to clean water in Honduras? No. Good intentions are dangerous things and happy feelings are for the simple-minded.

The world needs Knights – people who have developed strength along with discipline. Did Tony Stark pull out a guitar and start singing “Waiting for the World to Change” when he saw horrors on TV? No. He strapped on an iron suit and did the righteous work of protecting the innocent.

I realize that not everyone shares my aggression. But even among those who do not exhibit valiance I sense a yearning for an age of honor. Who can forget Aragorn’s speech at the gate? Doesn’t it stir in you a desire – even if you don’t know for what? It is a desire for the divine.

Have you ever met someone so powerful you were afraid of them? I have. And when I approached Jesus that way I found a God far more compelling than the one SUnday School teachers had told me about. Here was a real man: stern and glad, fiercely devoted and powerfully gentle, perfectly poised. This was a man for whom my hero-worship could turn into worship.

I want to remind you of old stories from the Bible when Jesus appears ready for battle. The first is when He has a little chat with Joshua before the whole Jericho business. And the sedong is when He is revealed as the fifth horseman of the Apocalypse.

Jesus had little to no patience for the stubborn, the lazy, or the proud. He drove people out of His Father’s house with a whip. He openly insulted the corrupt religious institution. He became enraged when He saw the ravages of death. He was fierce.

And our Commander, our Divine Captain calls us to charge into battle – a battle against sins like gluttony, church segregation, homophobia, and injustice. He commands us to spend our blood, sweat, and tears to defend His flock from the wolves.