My Commentary
Christian Fundamentalism is in no way synonymous with violence. Christian fundamentalism is premised on the teachings of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:43-46 and Paul's Teaching in Roman 12:19-21. Let us check out these verses:
Matthew 5:43-46
43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Roman 12:19-21
19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Christian Extremism
http://www.christianconcern.com/blog/anders-breivik-not-christian-extremist
Published: July 28th, 2011
I have been asked to film for Channel 4’s ‘4Thought TV’ on the subject of extremism.
It has been reported that Anders Breivik, the man who has admitted to carrying out the murders, described himself as Christian on his facebook page.
Whatever motivated this man to commit these atrocities, it was not the teachings of Christ.
Some in the media have begun to use the term ‘Christian extremist,’ a term which suggests that if one takes the teachings of the Bible seriously or holds them with any kind of conviction, it will result in violent behaviour.
This is a Satanic deception for the opposite is true; those who follow Jesus ‘in the extreme’ live lives of sacrifice and service.
Jesus taught His followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. He taught them to renounce violence. He taught them that His kingdom is not of this world.
More than this, he practiced what he preached by laying down His life as a ransom for many.
The power of Jesus’ message is found in Him giving His life, not in taking the lives of others. This is how His kingdom grows.
This is at the heart of the Christian faith and therefore in direct opposition to Breivik’s violent attacks.
Those who bandy about the phrase ‘Christian extremist’ should be more responsible; they cannot show how Christian teaching would ever justify such violence so they should stop using it.
There are many secularists who think that any kind of religion simply ends up being oppressive and violent. This is expressed in the subtitle of Christopher Hitchens’ book God is Not Great, which simply reads: How Religion Poisons Everything.
This ignores not only Jesus’ death in the place of others but also the deaths of so many Christians throughout history and throughout the world today who are killed for their faith.
All the great social movements show that Christian devotion results in sacrificial service, not violence. Think of Wilberforce, who fought the conventions of his day to abolish the cruel practice of slavery; Lord Shaftesbury, who strove to alleviate the injustices caused by the Industrial Revolution and ensured more humane working conditions; Florence Nightingale, who laid the foundations for modern nursing, or George Muller, who devoted his life to caring for and educating orphaned children. The list goes on.
Secularists are trying to give the impression that the violent attacks in Norway are a Christian equivalent to Islamic extremism. The Quran clearly advocates jihad, whereas it is the duty of all Christians to lay down their lives for others.
Let us be mindful, as His followers, to adorn the gospel in the way that we speak and act, bringing change through service and sacrifice, taking up our crosses and following Him.
Andrea
Andrea is the CEO of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre. She is married with four children.
Denouncing The Norway “Christian” Terrorist, Hate, and Violence
http://www.yesumulungi.com/index.php/commentaries/465-denouncing-the-norway-christian-terrorist-hate-and-violence.html
Kato Mivule | August 2nd 2011
For the past two weeks the mass media has been awash with references to the Norway killer, Anders Breivik, who murdered more than 70 people as a “Christian Terrorist”. Many Evangelicals, especially in the USA have been greatly disturbed by such references. Other media circles spoke of Anders Breivik as a “Christian fundamentalist”, a phrase that has received considerable opposition from Christian Evangelicals in America.
Of course the use of term “Christian fundamentalist” by the mass media was used with a connotation of violence as in Muslim “fundamentalist” or Muslim “extremist”, that is, one who uses religion to justify violence. Yet, “fundamentalist” could mean one who simply believes in the fundamentals of a religious belief and not necessarily violence. US Evangelicals did not want to associate Christian fundamentalist with violence but simply Christians who believe in Christian Bible fundamentals, and which is very understandable and notable.
The mass media is not without blame as they tended to get into exaggeration and hype to sell their stories. Yet still, the mass media's use of the terms “Christian fundamentalist”, “Christian terrorist”, and “Christian extremist”, was not from a vacuum but a Christian history that is filled with numerous shameful counts of Christians who used Christianity to justify their violent acts contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Anders Breivik, in his 1500 page manifesto claimed he is a “Christian”, and used terms such as “Knights of Templar”, in reference to the Crusaders, a hoodlum of Christian militants that raced and raged across Europe with violence, mayhem, murder, and slaughter of Muslims, driving the Muslims away from Europe all the way to Palestine and capturing Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, when the Crusaders arrived in Jerusalem, and having driven Muslim forces from Europe, the Crusaders then turned against the Jews in Jerusalem and slaughtered them, accusing them of crucifying Jesus Christ and not converting to Christianity.
These Christian Crusaders perceived themselves as in defense of Christianity in Europe being sanctioned and approved by the Roman Catholic Church then. The Knights of Templar were the leaders and captains of the Crusaders, they oversaw the Christian militant hordes that racked violence not only against the Muslims but other European residents who stood in their way to Jerusalem.
Some Christian Evangelicals have called on the mass media to self-examine and deal with all the bias and unfair treatment of Evangelicals in the liberal press. While such a call might have some merit, Evangelical Christians might be missing a great opportunity here, and that is to denounce ALL types of hate, violence, and injustices that are done in the name of Christianity.
Those who seriously need self-examination are not actually the mass media but Christians themselves. Many Evangelical Christian apologists miss the point that the mass media did not use the term "Christian Fundamentalist" with a connotation of violence from a vacuum. First, as we stated earlier, Christian History as is very well known, is filled with numerous counts of “Christian extremists” who used violence in the Name of God.
The contemporary Church is not without blemish in this, from the Crusades to present day hate groups in North America that strongly carry the Christian label, for example. Then look at the Tea Party campaign during Health Care Debate in America and the 2010 elections, recall all the Hate speech and buying of guns, recall the Pastor who burnt the Koran, Christian Preachers who came to Washington DC with a Bible in one hand and a concealed gun in their fight to "Take America Back", Talk Show Radio hosts and TV personalities who have used Christianity to justify their spew of hate, are all examples of folks using Christianity as cover for hate, and it is such hate that we must strongly denounce as Evangelical Christians.
Lastly, the Norwegian Killer called himself a "Christian" in his 1500 page manifesto. Now, his type of "Christianity" is certainly not your US Evangelical type. However, this is no excuse to blame the mass media but rather true Christians must stand out and speak out against ALL types of HATE and tell the world what true Christianity is all about, the rest is mere scapegoating and playing the victim card.
We do very well to remember that Jesus Christ calls us to be peace makers. This does not mean to agree with everyone, becoming sycophants, or letting go of your distinct convictions but having room to agree to disagree peacefully and not threaten violence or hate, returning good and not evil. There is no New Testament justification for any type of hate or violence as a Christian virtue.
In this world filled with wars, hate, violence, retributions, murders, slaughters, and killings, Christians ought to stand out and denounce any form of violence and call for peace and work towards peace. It is better to be known as a peaceful people rather than be associated with the hateful and violent.
Kato Mivule
Notes
[1] S. Scharfstein and D. Gelabert, Chronicle of Jewish History: From the Patriarchs to the 21st Century. Ktav Pub Inc, 1997.
[2] I. Singer and C. Adler, The Jewish encyclopedia: a descriptive record of the history, religion, literature, and customs of the Jewish people from the earliest times to the present day. Funk and Wagnalls, 1912.
[3] C. H. MacEvitt, The crusades and the Christian world of the east: rough tolerance. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008.
[4]“‘Christian terrorist’? Norway case strikes debate - Yahoo! News.”[Online]. Available: http://news.yahoo.com/christian-terrorist-norway-case-strikes-debate-181559379.html. [Accessed: 02-Aug-2011].
[5]“Norway attacks: Was Breivik a Christian terrorist? - CSMonitor.com.” [Online]. Available: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2011/0801/Norway-attacks-Was-Breivik-a-Christian-terrorist. [Accessed: 02-Aug-2011].
[6]“Norway Massacre: A Christian Terrorist Debate, Christian News.” [Online]. Available: http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-terrorist-norway-case-strikes-much-needed-debate-53177/. [Accessed: 02-Aug-2011].
[7]“Christians Belong Inside the Tea Party | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction.” [Online]. Available: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/october/31.54.html. [Accessed: 02-Aug-2011].
