What has happened in Syria is inexcusable. While all war is reprehensible, the use of Sarin gas is particularly disturbing. Not only is it a miserable way to die, it is generally considered ineffective against military targets. It is a tool for killing civilians.

It seems inevitable that Obama will attack Syria. It could even be argued that this is his Biblical responsibility. Immediately pacifist voices cry out “violence won’t solve anything!” I wonder if Francis would cry out “Pacifism won’t solve anything!”

When Francis realized that he was getting nowhere trying to convince European leaders to give up the war, he decided to go straight to Sultan al-Kamil, the ruler of Egypt. Bonaventure, an early biographer of Francis, notes that Francis went about this with “ardent love and yearning for martyrdom.”

When Francis was granted an audience with the Sultan, he proclaimed that he was not sent by any man, but by God, to tell him of Jesus Christ. Francis stated his case passionately and respectfully. The Sultan was impressed by Francis but was not persuaded. Francis refused to accept the gifts the Sultan offered, except for safe travel home.

History says that the Sultan was exceptionally kind to Egyptian Coptic Christians and even impressed the Crusaders. Legend says that the Sultan secretly wanted to convert and that Francis was so inspired by Muslim piety that he encouraged his followers to pray as fervently as they.

Gandhi once quipped “the only people on earth who do not see Christ and His teachings as nonviolent are Christians.” Non-resistance is key to any honest reading of the teachings of the Gospels. Once you are hit, turn the other cheek. But it is only a retaliatory tactic.

The accusation could be made that pacifist Christians would allow the innocent men and women of Syria drown in their own fluids just to avoid participating in violence.

The story of Francis and the Sultan would propose another option: risk your own life to tell the Syrians about Jesus and his peaceable kingdom.

In other words, what is the proper response of Jesus-followers to Syria? Missionaries prepared for martyrdom.

The post How Would St. Francis Handle Syria? Not with Violence or Pacifism appeared first on Chris Morton.

1. There are few Batman fans bigger than me.
2. These are developing opinions.

I grew up in Aurora, Colorado about two miles from the theater where last week’s shootings took place. I’ve probably been there dozens of times.

When I first encountered Batman, it was watching the campy 1960s Adam West series with my dad. The violence was a joke, marked with brightly covered “whams” and “bams” written on the screen.

When I was about 9 years old, I happened upon a library copy of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. The “holy gee Batman!” whimsy was replaced by a grizzled old man, drawn out of retirement by urban terrorism and an authoritarian goverment who used Superman as their stooge. Along with Watchmen, Miller’s work is generally considered the first step toward making adult themed graphic novels mainstream media. I haven’t put comics down since.

The portrayal of violence in the media has grown along with Batman, from cartoony cowboy fist fights and shootouts to the development of the horror subgenre startlingly named “torture porn.” The Joker has gone from a cartoony character who steals kid’s homework for fun to a terrorist who “just wants to watch the world burn.”

When I heard that the shooter in Colorado came into the theater with a riot helment, gas mask, gas cannisters and an automatic weapon, all I could think was:

It sounds like something out of a comic book.

Gandhi once said that “the only people on earth who do not see Christ and his teachings as non-violent are Christians.”  When I go back and reread the Sermon on the Mount, and I compare it to Jesus’s life, it’s seems impossible to miss: There is no cure or power in violence. I find this criticism easy to accept, and use Christ’s teachings to back me up when I point out the problems with just war theory or capital punishment.

But is it okay to stop there? Is it a sin to consume violence rich media? I’m not sure. I’m not quite ready to put away my comic books. But I wonder if we’ve become obsessed and insensitized.

What kind of people would we be be if we filled our minds with images of peace, and set out to settle disputes as Christ did? It’s easy to call oneself a pacifist. It’s harder to spend one’s life meditating on peace, and trying to build it in the world around you.

photo credit: laverrue via photo pin cc

The post Aurora’s Joker and Our Passive Consumption of Violence appeared first on Chris Morton.

My immediate reaction is to insulted and explain that MLK was a pacifist, and would never support any war.  The problem is, I don’t know if King would or wouldn’t support a war in Afghanistan. Neither does the Pentagon or the Huffington Post.

King has reached a point of secular sainthood rivaled only by Gandhi, “the historical Jesus” and the founding fathers.  Their ideals have become such a deep part of American folklore that few understand who they were and what they really accomplished. We use their names like some sort of magical incantation to justify our opinions.

We can learn from King’s thoughts on war, but he did not have an opinion on the 21st century war in Afghanistan.  Gandhi did not have an opinion 21st century trends in global warming.  Jesus did not have an opinion on capitalism or Marxist redistribution of wealth.

While it is essential to look to the great thinker and spiritual leaders for wisdom, it dishonors their legacy and credibility attach their name to opinions we have developed on modern cultural issues.

Today as we honor King, let’s remember what he did and who he was.  Remember that he was willing to suffer and die for his dream.

What have you done to honor his dream come?

What would you be willing to suffer to accomplish your dreams?

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