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Over the years, I have been bothered by a persistent question, “Why are we so mean to each other?” Why do human beings inflict such suffering on other human beings?
That
question led to my study of international relations and to my reflections on
Christianity. I realized that not only does horrendous suffering exist in our
world, but that people who call themselves Christians, by their action or lack
of action, have played a large part in allowing suffering and injustice in the
world. Not only is this happening now, but if we study the history of western
civilization, we will see that people who called themselves Christians have
participated in much of “man’s inhumanity to man.”
So I asked myself how it is that Christians, who supposedly follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, could allow this to happen. After all, wasn’t it Christ who taught us to not only “love your neighbor,” but also to “love your enemy”? Is there something secret behind these instructions, or are they pretty straightforward?
Some Christians say that it is our patriotic duty to fight in wars declared by our political leaders. Can this duty be reconciled with the love of enemy? What did Christ mean when he said to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”? Is there any such thing as a “just war”?
If you share my concerns that we as Christians should strive for greater clarity of these crucial teachings, then maybe we should meet regularly to discuss them and how these teachings are related to what is happening in the world.
With this in mind, I propose a Christian Peace Study Group to have a forum for such discussion. We could meet once a month about a topic agreed upon in advance: We could read an excerpt from the New Testament; we could read a book or an excerpt from a book; we could review a movie; or maybe we could have a guest speaker. The ultimate purpose would be to determine those things that we as Christians should do to try to alleviate suffering and injustice in the world around us.
Don’t we as Christians have an obligation to promote Christ’s goodness in the world? Can we find a basis in the words of Christ for our values and attitudes? Can we begin to understand the implications of His teachings? Perhaps this discussion can help us understand what it means to be a Christian.
If you are interested in this opportunity, contact me, John Steinmeyer, at church, by phone at 756-5042, or via email at jkseeker@tampabay.rr.com.