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More thoughts and a note to Start Loving
In the last few days I’ve been thinking a lot about Mr. Jay McGinley, who is on a hunger strike outside of the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C. McGinley has adopted the moniker “Start Loving” to represent his call that the world start loving those in Darfur. He pickets with signs in hopes of drawing attention to his actions so that others will join him, that Bush and others leaders will be compelled to do more to end the atrocities in Darfur.
I wrote about McGinley a few days ago. He has left comments on the post as well as at Ben Witherington’s post which I quoted in mine. He also writes at two blogs. Loving seems to assume that, if people aren’t joining his hunger strike, then they don’t love the people in Darfur as much as he does. He also presumes to know more about the intentions and lack of love of world leaders, including President Bush, than he could possibly know. But even if he were right about them, his bullying, even with pity (which is what his efforts really amount to, aside from misguided inspiration), will not change hearts. Bullying and coercion do not change hearts.
I mentioned Mr. Loving, and my post, and Witherington’s, and comments, to a few people at my church. Their reaction was not the same as mine. It is curious to me that it seems almost a violation to suggest that someone’s ostensible giving of themselves to a cause, to the death (even mine were I to do this) could be the wrong kind of giving to the wrong thing. But why? Why does this misunderstanding seem so prevalent? Is it because we love the idea of sacrifice and works over obedience and faith? Does it seem more heroic to suffer to the death for a large-scale atrocity than, for example, to slog, day after day, in faithfulness to an unfulfilling but necessary job, or care for children?
Loving says that he is taking the suffering of people in Darfur on himself by suffering himself, in a sort of Jesus-effect, but of course there was and is only one Jesus. The suffering we are supposed to take is on behalf of Jesus and the spiritual salvation of others, as well as in service to them that they may have well-being of, first, spiritual life, and second, bodily life. It is a direct action, not an indirect one done in the hope of getting others to take the direct action. Loving’s actions betray a subtle twist of logic but a twist nonetheless.
Though it’s hard to accept, the end result is that Loving is destroying himself. Himself. I can’t shake thoughts of this from my mind nor its effects from my heart, in part because it hits close to home. Many whom I have known and loved have done very self-destructive things. I will grieve this always. One of those people is me. More than he probably realizes, I can relate to what Loving is doing to his body because for many years I suffered with an eating disorder. That’s probably a shocking statement for a couple of reasons. But let me clarify that I am not saying that Loving has an eating disorder. But he is nonetheless destroying himself, as is someone who has an eating disorder, or is alcoholic, or trapped in some other serious addiction. Though Loving’s motivations and rationale may seem vastly different from what mine were, I wonder whether they have psychological and spiritual similarities.
In his blogging there are indications that Loving is addicted to the concept of heroism, perhaps in a misguiding attempt to actually save himself. This may seem like an audacious and presumptuous thing to say; I know virtually nothing of him. I have no idea what his past has been like. But I read what he says, and see what he is doing; he is not hiding it. While his zeal and discipline are certainly to be commended, like Paul’s before his conversion, they are terribly misguided. Virtuous traits are not truly virtuous unless applied for the right reasons to the right pursuits.
Loving conceives of himself as a saviour, as do any of us who shake our fists and cry out about an injustice or an offense. We imagine that, in speaking out, we are “saving” someone or something. We want to be effectual; we want our lives to have meaning and purpose. But we already have a Saviour. And we all need Him as badly as anyone or anything we may ever speak out against. It is in submission of our lives, our ambitions, our hopes, our energies, our drives, to Him, in true deference to the sacrifice that He made, that we find our true meaning and purpose, and effectiveness.
Mr. Loving, if you should come back here and read, I beg you to not to destroy yourself in vain. Pray and fast, write letters, go to Darfur and help out there. Donate money to relief programs already in place. Make use of the body you have been given. Don’t throw it away! Your suffering is accomplishing only self-destruction, not salvation for you or the people in Darfur. This may seem harsh, like a stone being hurled at you, your life, your efforts, and your hopes and dreams. But maybe these need to come down so that other, better ones may take their place. I am not saying this to hurt you. I wish for you to truly be saved, in every way.
In love,
Bonnie
Dear Sister Bonnie,
My time at the terminal is measured in seconds given my "call" to be at the Embassy every waking minute. But once a week I am allowed a brief time to bathe, launder and internet.
In my brief reading your comment strikes me as humble, sincere and honestly thought through.
My heart grieves for your view as honestly as yours grieves for mine. You view Jesus as a mystical rule setter. I, like Gandhi, Bohave and others view Jesus, whatever else he was, as the ultimate example of Jesus. "If you love me, you will do greater works than these," John is where Jesus tells us that He is showing us the direction, the Way for living, heroically, selfless brotherhood. That just as Einstein might say, if you love my work, you will spend the next 10,000 years advancing and developing it.
Gandhi advanced the cause of brotherhood, humanity, unconditional love, love of God - all the things Jesus died for - with Hunger Strike. It was by God's will, not Gandhi's intention that he survived all those Hunger Strikes.
Dr. King, one of our few saints, was deeply impacted by the self immolation of Buddhist Priests in Vietnam. After one he began calling for the end of the Vietnam War.
Our Job before God and Jesus is to save souls, not bodies. We are given our bodies for the exact purpose of doing so - and for no other purpose. Yes, we are held to STRICKT ACCOUNT of whether we used our bodies to maximum effect - the parable of the three servents and their tallents. YES, I will be held to this strict account. You will be held to this.
Three final thoughts dear sister:
* RE, "Do unto others ALL that you would have them do unto you:" After four years of U.S. Christian, Jew, etc lip service on Darfur, millions of postcards, lobying of congress, banners outside churches - lip service - all of which predictably would have no impact on stopping the Genocide: If GOD placed your loved one in the camps today and told you the only way to save them was to stop the Genocide by June 30th, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? I bet you would behave radically differently than you have been to this point. "Love your brother as yourself."
* Do you believe in the military approaches of the world, basically I mean, are you comfortable with how large is our military and how it is our first choice in dealing with what we don't like in the behavior of some folks? I do not. If my "brother" is not behaving as I would like the last, LAST think I'll do is shoot him. Long before that I'll place my body in his "way" and allow him to kill me through commission or omission (neglect).
* I am aware that my writings can well seem to judge everyone, EVERYONE harshly on Darfur. This however is not my view. "As you do unto the least of these my family you do unto me." I do know that folks might be called to different "least of these" than those in Darfur - Palastinians, sick child, inner city children, 18,000 children starving per day.... But clearly less than .001% of the folks in the US, the "Christians" in the US are "doing unto the least of these," "Loving their brother as theirself." Thier/Our hearts are Lost, not "Saved." Darfur is the last great hope of "Saving" those hearts.
Dear sister, Jesus was our brother, of ALL of US. There is some Truth to your words, but you do not understand His Heart. He loved us like the ultimate brother. You must learn to love the people of Darfur like your dearest loved one before you can understand Jesus, His teachings, or my behavior and writings. It is clear to me that you have not yet developed this Heart for your / His entire Human Family. I pray dear sister who I love, that you do.
Loving always, Start
Dear Mr. Loving,
I appreciate your response, and your time.
I will respond to your points as best I can. First, I do not see Jesus as either mystical or a rule-maker; my view is pretty much summed up by the Scripture I quoted on the other post. Further, I would say that if you more or less require others to join you in hunger-striking in order to show love for the people of Darfur, or if you have any other requirement of others (such as accepting your hunger strike), then you yourself are making rules.
The verse I think you are quoting, from John 14, reads, “...he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.” (v. 12) Jesus’ works were teachings and miracles, especially of healing – the Father worked through Him. But a hunger strike is not a miracle or a teaching, nor a greater work. It is an act of direct self-destruction, and of manipulation. There are no biblical examples of either as acts of love. Negotiation/deal-striking is one thing, but trying to make someone else responsible for your actions is another.
The passage goes on, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
I am confused by your statement that you aim to save souls – do you mean of those people in Darfur being brutalized, or of those responsible? Or of those leaders whose certain response you desire?
You seem to imply that you are putting your body "in the way," but you are not in anyone's path. There is no one directly “behind” you for you to protect; your self-destruction is not taking the place of anyone else.
Certainly Ghandi was an important figure who accomplished much, and is revered by many. But he was not Jesus, nor was he acting on behalf of Jesus. The fact that he went on hunger strikes does not sanctify their use, and there is a grave difference between fasting and hunger-striking.
As to your “what would you do?” question, I am skeptical that God would give an arbitrary deadline for something. If I had relatives or friends in Darfur, yes, I would learn more than I know now, pray with different specifics, and perhaps take different actions, because my calling would be different. But am I applying myself to everything that God has laid in front of me, at this time? Am I taking care of the family I already have? Am I neglecting any of these? Those are the questions I must answer for.
Though certainly there is a lot of neglect of those who are needful, even among Christians, I think you underestimate the percentage who do help. And I am glad that you recognize that there are many in the world who have needs of every kind, not just in Darfur. Yet you mention that I must love those in Darfur more, or as you do.
Surely, though, we all have different specific callings to different members of the human family. For example, my family helps roll bandages for use in remote areas of the Congo and donates to World Vision, through whom we have sponsored children for 20 years. We have helped provide Bibles to the people of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, which, along with discipleship efforts, has greatly reduced their infighting. We have also donated to Mercy Ships, who provide VVF surgery to women in Africa. Just today I prepared a meal for the family of a friend of mine who suffered a late-term miscarriage.
There is much work of all kinds to be done, and we each have our work to do.
Wishing you all blessings and fullness in Christ,
Bonnie
Dear Bonnie,
Hmmm. Bless you dear your efforts. There is much complexity that can otherwise obscure all that is needful. "Do unto others all that you would have them do unto you." Did you do this? This is what Jesus asks us, and all that He asks." I have virtually no knowledge of what any individual besides myself is "called" by our Father to do. I am certain that He is calling millions of us to Rescue and Restore our Darfur brothers and sisters and that no more than two or ten have responded. This is a tragedy for Darfur and the beginning of the end for planet earth if we do not reverse course and listen to Him.
The sole reason Jesus came was to unite us all, ALL as one family, with one Father. You write, "If I had relatives or friends in Darfur...." This dear sister is a grievious error on your part. You DO have relatives and friends in Darfur. Are you as responsible to them as others in your global Family, our Father's family? You can know this, I cannot. Triage, immediacy of access are certainly important. However, I have met few people in my life, myself included, that will not be called to harsh judgment by hiding behind their biological family as an excuse for not serving our global family. In fact, this is the greatest of all sins (more at http://jesusgodgoodetcnjay (dot) blogspot (dot) com/2007/04/exploitative-us-family-values-will-be.html).
PeaceMaking, Start
Dear Mr. Loving,
I had a response in progress (to your comment here) when I saw your most recent ones. The conversation is much appreciated. In the interest of brevity I will address what I think is most important:
You said, The sole reason Jesus came was to unite us all, ALL as one family, with one Father.
No, not according to the Bible. He came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), so that his sheep might have abundant life, and life eternal (John 10:10, 28). He came to reveal the Father, preach the kingdom of God, testify to the truth, serve, bring judgment, bring division (Luke 12:51-53), and, ultimately, give his life (die) as ransom, atone for our sins, take away the sins of the world, and destroy the works of Satan.
The thing is, if you deny the importance of Jesus' death and resurrection, then you deny the way of salvation. There is no way around it. Nor does there need to be – that’s the good news! Romans 10:9-10 “...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
You make statements about what Jesus cares about, but your words do not agree with Jesus’ own words as recorded in the Bible. You aren’t looking at the totality of his words. In John chapter 10 (that I mentioned earlier), He makes a big deal about being the Son of God – “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). As He does in other places, and as the epistles also testify.
The love that He came to teach us is this: total, utter forgiveness of sins. Without this love we can do nothing. We cannot truly love. We love, because He first loved us in this way (I John 4:19). We can please Him with our obedience, but it must be obedience to the cross. This is how we receive the Spirit that enables us to truly obey and truly love. You see, we can never, ever please Him enough to earn our salvation. Salvation cannot be earned – that’s why Jesus came and died and rose again! He earned it for us! And we accept this (believe it), in faith.
Mr. Start, Mr. Jay – please allow me to say that you don’t have to starve, and grind your body into the pavement, for God to be pleased with you. You don’t! Please know this.
I so wish you well.
Bonnie
Dear sister,
I am really glad you responded.
I will study your response and try to understand and see your point of view. It seems much like the point of view that my Soul has rejected, and continues to reject since I was a child. It is the view that predominates in what thinks of itself as the "Church," and is largely responsible for why "Christians" are NOT known by how they love one another - why the Church has totally failed in its mission.
To be honest, not to hurt you or be disrespectful, I believe that it is a profound misunderstanding of Jesus and that nothing tortures Him more.
Paraphrase: I give you two commandments... Love God [with your whole being (we have one Father)]; Love your brother as yourself. Clearly to me in logic, Truth and practice THIS, not anything about "profession" is the whole of it. Nothing else makes any sense. Nothing else works. There is no hope in anything else. "They will kinow you by how you love one another [not, by what you profess.]
I must run but God willing I will return to the Embassy.
My guess is that our Father is not calling for my life now. Makes little difference to me but it seems He is not. Shortly I will be a visual representation of the Holocaust I hope, on Mass. Ave in the midst of the world's Embassies. At that point I will consume calories sufficient to retain me as that visual reference for as many months as it takes.
"Start, you don't have to...." Bonnie dear, the last time you "sacrificed" for a dearest one did you do it because you had to? No. The "sacrifice," "grinding myself into the pavement..." is incidental and only periperally experienced. Central is saving a love one. In my case, 3,000,000 in death camps in Darfur; and we non-Christians that "profess" but do not Love.
With much Love, gratitude and prayer that your Life and Joy are complete, Start
Dear Start,
I do thank you for this conversation. I have nothing new to add but would like to reiterate a few points:
1) You misunderstand love as it is referred to in the two new commandments. It is not a sentimental thing, done merely from passion for humanity. To love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength is to love Him in truth, meaning, for who He is and for the truth about Him, Jesus, ourselves, and the world.
2) The “greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friends” is from John 15. Earlier in that chapter Jesus says (paraphrased), “unless you remain in me you cannot bear fruit. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch, wither, and be burned.” Then He says, “love one another as I love you. Greater love hath no man...”
The context is important for understanding these verses. I encourage you to read this entire passage as well as the other ones I have quoted.
Laying down one’s life for one’s friends is not the same as destroying one’s life for one’s friends. It means to lay aside one’s ambitions and comforts, and put one’s life on the line should that become necessary. To be willing to die to protect others or for the cause of Christ, as did Stephen (Acts 7:54-60), Joan of Arc, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, hundreds if not thousands of soldiers, and, recently, Professor Librescu at Virginia Tech.
There is no evidence that your efforts will effect help for Darfur. This is not to say that we should not love people unless they love us back, but that our help must be actual. If you have a sense that, by hunger-striking, you have power to help the cause, it is a false sense.
3) My statements about my own involvement in the Darfur crisis are not about how I feel, nor whether I grieve for those who are suffering (I do), but about what I can do. You acknowledge this yourself, that there are many different needs in the world and everyone has different callings.
If those suffering in Darfur are my friends and relatives, then the VVF sufferers in Africa are your sisters, and the people who come to our local soup kitchen are your family too. My own blood and legal relatives are also your relatives, and you and your wife and children and other relatives are mine.
If you are speaking of the entire human family, then the corporate CEOs in this country are your family as well as those who hurl rude words as you picket outside the embassy. As are the members of the Sudanese government and the Arab militia who perpetuated the horrific abuse in the first place.
In peace,
Bonnie
Dear Bonnie,
"There is no evidence that your efforts will effect help for Darfur. This is not to say that we should not love people unless they love us back, but that our help must be actual. If you have a sense that, by hunger-striking, you have power to help the cause, it is a false sense."
What a fantastic comment! On what wisdom, knowledge, and expertise do you base this? Have you stopped a genocide before? Me either. Have you repeatedly workes "miraculous" turn-arounds of major situations? I have. Are you quite an expert in nonviolent actions? I am. Are you quite intimate with the traffic patterns, location, my actions, my daily routine, the recent NPR piece... to do with my specific actions and impact regarding Darfur on the people of DC and the nation? Hmmmm.
Also, yes of course I mean all people on the planet are my family. What do you know of me that would suggest anything other than this?
Start Loving
Dear Bonnie,
I find honesty and an attempt at truth in what you write. You are blunt with me but with what is at stake this is right. I pray that the same is true of me. I am upset, and I think you are too. I certainly am because I believe the beliefs, the interpretation you help to proliferate bars us from Heaven in this lifetime and the next. And, I suspect you have similar concerns about mine.
I too feel the need to summarize or restate points:
* I believe that your legalistic view of Jesus and His teachings, the 99.99% prevailing view among self proclaimed "Christians" has reduced His teachings to precisely what He died to eliminate. This does not require malice and I make no accusation of any. It requires incredible blindness - that of the Mind ungoverned by a barely functioning Heart.
* What kind of a god would rig this cosmic sweepstakes you seem to believe in? If you draw the lucky circumstances of a sufficiently dogmatic "Christian" family or experience that you profess properly; no matter how much one "does unto the least of these" under your legalistic "Christianity," or some other belief system, the "proper professors" go to Heaven!!!! What kind of "Father" would do such cruel nonsense? NOT A LOVING GOD. Gandhi for example - one of the few followers in history of Jesus ethic of love? One of the few Hearts that Loved all people, as Jesus Loved? Someone for whom Teresa of Calcutta had boundless respect and admiration? HELL FOR THAT MAN!!! He does not profess me as his lord and savior! Do you really want to be in league with such a petty gamester God? I do not. I AM not. Nor was Jesus.
* This legalism (sorry, I don't know a better way to express how I see your beliefs) of your system, you really think a Loving Son of God, a carpenter teaching "fishermen," would come up with such convoluted phrasing and structures? "Well yes, I said, "Love God...," and "Love your neighbor..." and "These are the two commandments." "Hmmm, yes, these sound simple and straightforward but they are not! Be sure to read the context (written 10's or 100's of years later NOT by Jesus!) How cruel! And, He didn't set the real "professing" rule did he? Wasn't that one of the Apostles? Hmm. The real rule for getting into Heaven and the Son of God forgets to mention it, or to make it clear? Odd.
* Are you not the least bit disturbed that your legalistic "Christianity" has produced the most non-Loving ("They will know you by how you Love one another," and from 1 John, "Whoever claims to abide in [Jesus] aught to live just like He lived"), the most un-Jesus-like culture known to man? Consumer Capitalism - "do unto others before they can do unto you" is our true Religion, we U.S. Christians; I implore you to see more about we legalistic "Christians" in a speech by Dom Helder Camara, Archbishop of Recif Brazil at peaceandnonviolence [[dot]]blogspot [[dot]] com/2007/03/fetters-of-injustice-dom-helder-camara. A quote that gives a flavor: "Our responsibility as Christians makes us tremble. The northern hemisphere, the developed area of the world, the 20% who possess 80% of the world’s resources, are of Christian origin. What impression can our African and Asian brethren and the masses in Latin America have of Christianity, if the tree is to be judged by its fruits? For we Christians are largely responsible for the unjust world in which we live... [a social "order"] that consists in leaving millions of God’s children in miserable poverty, should rather be called social disorder, systematized injustice. Private ownership? Is it not evident to everyone that on this point we Christians have abandoned the Fathers of the Church, and that we have ended by attributing divine right to private ownership, whereas God’s law says that the wealth of the world should be shared by all, and should never form odious, oppressive monopolies?"
* Does it not interest you at all that when people, the one in a billion that finds the courage and responds to Jesus not a legalistic entity but as a brilliant, most Loving man in history, people like Gandhi, Bhave, Teresa, Francis of Assisi, ML King you get people that briefly at least, transform the world clearly in the direction of Heaven on Earth? Not so for the Legalists. But they don't really believe in Heaven on Earth do they? Heaven AFTER earth is their interest.
* I could go on, and on. But the above is enough.
I am not trying to argue, or to win an argument; nor that you have been for which I convey my respect. I do think you and I are dialoging on the entirety of matters in life - on the entirety of what we need to get right. And we've been warned that it is extremely difficult to do so. "The will kill you and think they are doing God's will."
Your Loving brother, Start
Dear Start,
Thanks for the tip about the NPR commentary. I listened to it. I noticed that Ms. Eisele mentions guilt and curiosity as reasons she stopped to talk to you, saying, “Of course, I think my guilt is the point of his self-inflicted suffering.”
I must ask if this is true. Is this truly how you hope to hit hearts? If so – who are the guilty ones, really? And, are all the politicians really just trying to save face and not do anything? I’m sure it is a factor for some, but it’s certainly not the only one, nor is it that all are talking and thinking, and none are loving. Also I must point out that guilt, as a motivator, is not love.
In the commentary you asked, “What do you do in the face of genocide?”
Indeed, what do you do? It’s a very good, and very difficult, question. And the answer will differ, legitimately, with each person to whom it’s asked, and which genocide is being addressed.
I also want to point out that, in your correspondence with me and on your blog, you quote Scripture as defense, but then cast aspersions upon it when I point out where it doesn’t defend what you are doing. How do you know what is “authentic” and what isn’t, to use parts of it authoritatively yet disregard others?
As to this discussion, I agree that we are talking about what matters most in life; that’s why I’m taking part, as you are. I am disturbed by what’s going on in Darfur and other parts of the world as I’m disturbed by evil and suffering everywhere. And I am disturbed and grieved by what you are doing to yourself. Yet you get angry. Do you not see the love that I am showing you?
You also say that you have effected miraculous turnarounds, about which I welcome you to share. But then perhaps it would be best to table this discussion; it seems that we both have said what we want to say. As always I wish you well. It has been very good to talk with you.
Yours,
Bonnie
"Guilt?" Yes, Ms. Eisele does start with that, but finishes with "Heart," noting that nor is conscience what I am trying to be. A father of family in Darfur is what I am finding myself to be.
"Guilt?" Is that my goal? Thanks for the reminder. That is something I need to post about tonight at the JesusGodGoodEtcNJay [dot] blogspot [dot] com. My lifelong sense about guilt is that almost always guilt is destructive; and YES, guilt is NOT love.
In the face of genocide each persons answer is different - YES. But I did not make up the word. I did not make up "Never Again." In the face of these two concepts millions of us in year four of a genocide should have dropped everything as we would in a "family emergency" which Darfur is. And I know of a nurse and a writer in Darfur that have done so. This is a moral failure of Biblical proportions. If we don't wake up and see these folks as our "Family," as Jesus would, I believe our Father will give us no more chances. This was His "easy" last chance for us.
Casting aspersions: I hope I have not but have expressed great sadness and concern at what you have sighted. How to tell what is authentic; and I would say central? Using "Heart" not "Head" as the governing instrument. And in my comments to you I have done the best I could to lend some detail to my usage and focus as it differs from yours.
'Angry." "Upset" is a word I used above and sensed that our dialog was upsetting you as well. And I noted that this was understandable and valid for us both. Is this what you refer to?
Your Love: I accept that and I thank you deeply.
I am deeply grateful for our discussion dear sister.
God bless your soul, Start Loving
