The situation in Burma has captured my heart over the last few weeks but I have been saddened and confused by the lack of media attention and the refusal of many within the Christian community to discuss the deteriorating conditions of the Burmese people. Tim Neufeld maintains a great Christ in Culture/U2 resource site called Occasio. Here is an excerpt from his article entitled “Can Christians Support Buddhist Monks?” The article was a great challenge to me and it helped reframe the way I think about and approach the situation and the monks. If you get a chance, click over to Tim’s blog and download the entire article.
“There is not only a need but a biblical mandate for such interaction. The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 is often used to teach that we should help our neighbors. While this is true, such a trite moralism falls short of the story’s intended impact. The surprise of this parable is that the abused Jewish man is helped by his enemy, the Samaritan—a man of different social status, different ethnicity and different religion. A vile Samaritan helping a pious Jew would have been incomprehensible to the religious scholar Jesus was speaking with. Even so, “Go and do likewise” was the teacher’s instruction to his pupil.
Christians are called to help the poor, speak for justice and stand against tyrants regardless of whether the people suffering from oppression are Christian or non-Christian. This is a critical time for Christians to support the monks and Aung San Suu Kyi and her followers. Theirs is a way of peace and non-violent protest. Can Buddhist worshipers share the same values as followers of Christ? It appears so. Should Christians pray for and support Buddhist monks in Burma? Indeed.
Pray for the monks. Pray for Aung San Suu Kyi. Pray for peace in Burma.”
Stop sharing such hard things Mike! This is challenging in many ways. I am currently working on a sermon about loving the poor, living justily and other things. I am wondering what would happen if I were to share these thoughts during a sermon. How do you think most congregations would respond to it?
Thanks for the challenge!
Solid entry. Thanks for the conviction. I will now add Burma to my causes on facebook. Not sure if I’ll give yet.
Going to The Lion King tonight at DSM.
Loved Crowder and Phil Wickham at HOB last week.
Chris Cornell coming up at HOB Oct. 30. Serious music. Ben Harper Nov.5
How do I think a congregation would respond? Jesus once gave a hard teaching about accepting him as the Son of God. He said that the words he spoke “are full of the Spirit and life.” Loving our enemies or loving people who believe differently falls into this same category.
Loving and caring for the poor and seeking justice is a hard teaching. Not hard to understand but hard to accept.
We say,
“But what about converting them?”
“We can’t support them because that means we would be supporting their false beliefs.”
“We’ll give you a meal after if you attend the church service.”
Jesus doesn’t address that in the story of the Good Samaritan. He doesn’t address the personal worship life of the Samaritan or the Jew. He simply says go and do likewise. Go and and love the Lord and love your neighbor so that you can live.
John 6:66 tells us that after Jesus challenged the people with a hard teaching that “many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”
He then turns to the Twelve saying, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”
Their response is exactly what I long to say. I’m not there on every hard teaching but I’m trying to live out the words, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
I don’t know JD. We need to be willing to take Jesus at his word.
Maybe the only cup of cold water I can give is a prayer in the night?