Trawling through my emails this morning I came across one from a good friend of mine. The subject title read – “SHOCKING INFO ABOUT JESUS – PLEASE FWRD DONT IGNORE”!

I think I have a pet hate of circular emails. You know the ones – send this to ten people inside 10 minutes and your world will become so much better ones. Or – the – forward this email to everyone you love – including the sender. Do people really take it personally if they do not get that email back from you??

Anyway – I’m getting sidetracked.

This email this morning was about a film that’s due to come out later this year – CORPUS CHRISTI – a film that will protray Jesus and his disciples as Homosexuals.

The email called this a disgusting mockery of our Lord. Well – I agree with that. But the rest of the content of the email left me with lots of questions.
Here’s what I mean. The email was a call to action – to get this film banned from the big screens across the UK. “Lets stand up for our Lord is the battle cry”. “If the Muslims stand up against what they see as an attack on their religion – why should we not” was the justification! These statements make me a little uneasy.
But then again, I think that “Christian Protests” in general make me feel a little uneasy.

What is the role of a Christian in this setting? Should i be sticking my name unto the bottom of this email and sending it on to everyone i know encouraging them to do likewise? Do we really think we can get the film banned? Is anything less than trying to do so a weak display of defeatism?

I guess the question would be – what would Jesus himself do? Was Jesus an agitator? Was he a revolutionary? Was he a protestor?  Did he form a group bent on bringing about political or social change by pressurising others? Did he seek to enforce his standards (the best standards) on those who did not want to follow him? I think that these are basic questions and the Bible provides clear answers.

Jesus lived in a country which was occupied by a pagan power. There were heathen, Roman, feet in the streets of Jerusalem, the holy city. Some Jews had formed themselves into a terrorist band known as the Zealots and planned to use violence against the Romans when the occasion was ripe. Most Jews despised the Romans and regarded them as “dogs”, even though they were powerless to remove them. From time to time, even within the precincts of the temple, there were scenes of violence which the Romans suppressed or quenched by appropriate measures.

What did Jesus do about these things? As the Son of God in God’s land, what steps did he urge against the overlordship of the Romans? Absolutely none! There are no words of resentment, no threats, no instruction to his disciples that they must resist the Roman rule or seek to get rid of it. The silence is remarkable. One of the disciples had at one time been a Zealot, but he had to learn that such behaviour was not compatible with the way of Christ.

Far from using inflammatory language, or protesting,  Jesus seemed to ignore the whole situation. There is not one instance in the whole of the four Gospel records where Jesus came into conflict with the Roman authorities, except at the time of his final trial when nothing but false charges were laid against him. The Roman governor accordingly pronounced him innocent.

Further – the Apostle Paul, living under the ‘godship’ of Artmeis – could have been in the prime position to be a protester, yet it is recorded that “not one word was said against the goddess Artemis by Paul”.

We cannot escape the conclusion that the same teaching of Jesus and his apostles which commands abstinence from violence also teaches that we can have no part in protest against authority. It is part of the same logic of our faith. Protest — in any cause — is an act of assertiveness: it is incompatible with discipleship. However peaceable one’s protest might be, however passive the demonstration, however humble the approach to those in authority, one’s stance as a protester is that of a plaintiff who seeks to petition his lords and masters.

Those who petition are claiming the right to make a demand of worldly authority; the disciple, on the other hand, discounts his earthly citizenship (Philippians 3:20) and makes no claim upon those who govern him; even less does he demand something that those in authority have decided not to allow. Although the disciple of Christ, in common with others, receives the benefits which the state confers and is grateful for these, he neither expects nor demands them.

I’ve so many questions!!
But I guess I can not escape my biggest question in relation to Christian protesting – and that is – how attractive do we make Christianity when more and more, the world is only aware of what we are against? Is the knowledge of what we are against – sometimes violently against –  going to make Christianity in any well compelling.
For me – Jesus called us into life – life in its fullest. It is the greatest invitation ever to be offered – and yet we have managed to boil that down into a list of ‘this is what we are against’.

I think I got a similar email about the Passion of the Christ before it came out – and again about the Jerry Springer opera production.

I didn’t protest then – and I don’t think I will now.
The film will come out. And the release of it will get people up and down the country – talking about JESUS. How often can we get involved in direct conversations about Jesus? This film will provide just that – provide us with the opportunity to intorduce people to the real JESUS. The film will only highten the want for that information.

I know that this kind of thinking will offend people. I understand that. I know that it may even cause people to question my salvation. Praise God my salvation is secured. My name is recorded!
You may agree – you may disagree – I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!!