Another late post, this is my column for The Tahlequah Christian dated 12/08/09.

Last Sunday afternoon, I attended the NSU Singers’ performance of “A Concert of Lessons and Carols.” If you were unable to make it to this concert, you really missed out on a treat. In my opinion, this was the best selection of choral music for the program since I began my ministry here in Tahlequah five concerts ago in 2005. It was a truly impressive performance!

However, I was equally struck by the “lessons” portion of the program. This collection of nine scripture selections provides the framework in which the carols are performed. With readings from Genesis to Isaiah to the Gospels, these lessons reflect the classical doctrine of the developing Christian faith: the fall of Adam, Original Sin, and redemption through Christ, the New Adam. Keep in mind, both this theology and the lessons framework likely come from medieval times and don’t really reflect the 200-year old theological tradition of the Disciples. However, I often find it quite amazing how much power these older doctrines hold in determining how we think today.

Stating that, it’s a real source of frustration for me. Part of the problem with the “original sin” tradition is the violence within that theology. Human free will leads to disobedience, which invites Divine violence – the curse, expulsion from the garden, the end of a supposedly “carefree” life. Then, the solution to the problem of the fall into sin is the violent execution of the one whom we worship every Sunday morning. (Did you see “Passion of the Christ”? A very violent rendition of the cross.)

So I’m left to ask – what of the Jesus who spoke of peace? What of the Jesus who never acted in violence during his lifetime? (Ok, so there’s the temple story in John 2:13-22 where he does have a whip of many cords.) What of the Jesus who opposed a system that perpetuated violence? Our theologies (mine included) often have many instances of “violent love” bound into them in order to make meaning in our lives. I wonder what it would take to replace all of those instances with a more “peaceful love.”

I admit that I don’t necessarily have an answer to this question, but I’m joyful and grateful to be a part of a church community where people take their faith journeys seriously through careful and prayerful study and fellowship. Even though I may not have the answers, I look forward to working them out in community with you as we journey together.

Seeking to live out the peace of Jesus,

Clint