Beware the namecallers

Article printed in Billings Gazette in Faith and Values Section, July 16, 2016

As we entered into the Scriptural study for this summer, the Revised Common Lectionary led us through Paul’s letter to the Galatians.  In the central part of this letter, one of Paul’s earliest writings, we find one of the earliest baptismal creeds, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female in the service of Jesus Christ.”  Think, for a moment, how radical that creed is in Paul’s time.  Paul acknowledges the wide diversity found underneath the boot of the Roman Empire and then suggests that this diversity becomes one in mission and ministry with Christ.  At a time of strong patriarchy, gender and sexuality are not cause for excluding people from the table of Christ.  At a time of disparate social and economic status, one’s place in the hierarchy is not a reason for excluding people from the table of Christ. 

Even more radical, to suggest that Jews and Greeks in Paul’s time might break bread together seemed impossible. Jews and Greeks were mortal, violent enemies at the time of Paul.  Greeks massacred Jews and burned down their synagogues during a circus in Antioch.  In turn, Jews slaughtered Greeks.  So to get people together at the table of Christ regardless of religious, ethnic, or cultural identity would have been truly a miracle—world-transforming. 

What Paul sees is a Roman culture of law and order that is based on aspiring status, hierarchy, and privilege.  Roman law and order established peace through military might

and economic domination.  Roman peace was maintained by Rome and its Caesar’s “power over” other peoples.   So Rome had a vested interested in deciding who was Roman and who was barbarian, who was in and who was out, who was welcome to the table and who was not.  As a Jew, Paul also suggests that too often Roman law and order had co-opted and conflated Jewish Law to move Jewish Law from values of “neighborliness” and “power with” and “solidarity” to spiritual practices and a way of life that closely mirrored the values of Rome and its Caesars. 

Rome regularly defined its enemies through art and

architecture (the newspaper of the ancient world) by referencing the conquered and the vanquished as the wild and unruly barbarians over and against the law-abiding and peace-giving sons of god known as Rome and its Caesars.  In that art and architecture, Roman State violence and massacre is justified to keep the peace.  Roman general Manlius Vulso justified the massacre or enslavement of 40,000 Galatians by calling them “the enemies of Rome.”  In his victory speech, the Galatians were regularly referenced as “terrorists.”  In fact, Rome art, architecture, and literature often labelled the Galatians as the people of terror and chaos.  Beware the people who call a whole group of people names:  savages, barbarians, terrorists, or thugs.  Such name-calling of others is often a prelude to the justification of State power to do violence and death against those we call “other.”

As I survey the current state of affairs in religion and faith, I believe that baptismal creed is still just as radical as it was in the First Century.  Paul believed authentic Jewish faith should be found in values of “neighborliness”, “solidarity”, and “power with” others.  Christians are to be baptized into that faith.  I would argue that too often Rome now co-opts Christian faith to make it one focused on law and order, who is in and out (both at table and for eternity), and “power over.”  

We can hardly pick up the newspaper without some headline about Christians who seek to exclude based on race, ethnicity, culture, religion, socio-economic status, gender, or sexual identity.   The Roman gospel is a seductive gospel.  For as Christians imitate the Roman gospel, values of neighborliness are trumped in favor of success, wealth, and “power over” others.  “Do you not see how faithful we are,” co-opted Christians are heard proclaiming, “for God has given us such success and wealth!” Paul saw how easy it was to co-opt the world-transforming news of Christ’s baptism.  This is the reason Paul preached “Christ crucified.”  Christ is the consummate conquered and vanquished “other” whose baptism undercuts the empire’s “power over” gospel.   

On the third Saturday of every month this summer, at 10:00 a.m., I will be in the alleyway behind our church for an hour to offer the baptism Paul teaches, the one of Christ crucified, to those in the Billings community who share in that hope of “power with” so that our grand diversity does not keep us from being one in common cause, love, and neighborliness.  For there is neither Jew or Greek (religion, ethnicity, and culture), slave or free (social or economic status), male or female (gender or sexuality) in love, mutuality, and neighborliness.  No baptismal records will be kept.  Not status will be conferred in these baptisms.  We just want to continue a grand tradition of welcoming you as a cherished, beloved, and precious part of God’s plan of neighborliness.