Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Alliances with the powerless...

"In a civilization that glorifies success and happiness and is blind for the suffering of others, people’s eyes may be opened to the truth, if they remember that at the center of the Christian Faith stands the assailed, tormented Christ, dying in forsakenness. The recollection that God raised the Crucified one and made him the “Hope of the world” must lead churches to break their alliances with the powerful and enter into solidarity with the humiliated."
—Jürgen Moltmann


Like Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, we have scales over our eyes. We are all in need of having those removed--in need of our eyes being opened to the truth. In Moltmann's imagery, we must remember a horrific scene--Christ on the Cross--what Moltmann calls the "center of the Christian Faith." That image, Christ dying in forsakeness--should help us remember that Christ was no earthly king, he was not a powerful person. He was one of the humiliated, those (of which all of us come from, but some of us forget) whom Christ lived among and lived for. Christ's ressurection is our Hope--the Church must not forget the powerless and the humiliated.

This Christ-centered viewpoint has always appealed to me. When the Church loses Christ as its center and replaces him with anything (scripture, a minister, a trend...so on), we fail. Like Christ we must live in solidarity with the other.

1 Comments:

Blogger Stephanie Marie said...

I agree with you that we need to have Christ as the center. Are you a Christian by the way?
The only problem I have is the Jesus was and IS a powerful person. I'm not sure if you meant it like it came out, but I just wanted to let you know. :)

1:42 PM  

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