Remember those types of questions? The, what would you do questions? You know, "What would you do if you were driving and the brakes went out and if you swerved to the left, you'd kill a bunch infants who escaped from daycare but if you swerve to the right you die?"
Remember those?
The question is supposed to be a playful scenario to imagine what you would do given a certain situation. There's a TV show based on the same premise. It's called "What Would You Do?" Appropriate, isn't it? I'm not a fan of the show, though I think this Friday's episode is actually worth a look regarding underage drinking and adults buying kids alcohol. There's also a book by John Howard Yoder titled, What Would You Do? It's a collection of essays of examples where nonviolent acts worked in the face of being attacked. It's a good book. Short and worth the read.
We read it for Christian Ethics while I was in seminary. Of course then, I only read certain pieces. It was a good book and I would have read more but that required more work than I cared to do. It's easier to make it look like I did a difficult job getting a B than an easier job of getting an A. Surpringly, I got an A. Must of not tried hard enough.
I was rereading the book today while I prepared a dramatic reading of Matthew 5:38-48. I struggled trying to find a way to explain the scriptures in dramatic form. Nonresistance and loving enemies is a hard topic to write or preach on in an American church. The book helped with the stories of people who, when faced with a violent act, found a nonviolent response.
I've never admitted outloud or in public that I have converted to nonviolence. It's difficult to stand up in front of people or to write in a public space, "I'm a Christian and I am choosing the path of nonviolence." It's difficult because people begin to ask that stupid question, "What would you do?" I remember making the statement that I could not ever take another human life. Immediately the scenerios came shooting out of people's mouths, "What if someone had a gun to Connor's or Lacy's head? You wouldn't kill them to protect your family?"
It's saddens me that people resort to such an extreme scenerio. It saddens me that my only appropriate response in this culture is to kill. In order to be considered a good husband, a good father, I have to kill another human being. In fact, someone told me that was a commandment. Not sure where Jesus said that but apparently he did.
I believe it is easy to sit behind a computer or behind a pulpit and say, "Jesus says love your enemies; therefore never take a life." I believe it is easy to come up with a scenerio in which your only logically conclusion is to take someone's life. I'm tired of the easy. I'm tired of the 'either ors' so I have made a decision. After two years of wrestling with this (you can read about here and here).
I, Joe Kendrick, am a pacifist.
I'll let you let that sink in.
What does that mean? For now it means that I will love everyone whole heartedly, never belittling them in my mind, rather build them up. Because there can be no distinction between my being and theirs; creatively contend with my enemies, showing mercy when needed, never compromising on issues of justice, and above all never take a life or violently harm another being. For the God who lives in me, lives in them as well and they are my brother and sister.
I am not sure what that fully means but I know that when Jesus says, "Do not resist an evildoer and love your enemies," he is asking me to sacrifice something so I'm sacrificing myself.
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