In Chapter 14 Neil and Dan tour the Holocaust Museum, and it was as profound an experience as you might imagine.
Neil asks Dan two profound questions. These are jarring questions; anytime you make comparisons to Nazi Germany you are inviting trouble. First, Neil approaches the issue on a national level:
"Could the same sort of thing be happening today? Could the so-called war on terrorism be keeping the churches here in America from speaking prophetically to the state?"
Ouch. Dan does not answer the question, and neither does Brian. Each of us is left to consider to what extent this may or may not be true. My own mind immediately went to the statement "If you're not with us, you're against us." While we're at it, there's the filibuster thing to consider. I'm not sure how the church could speak "prophetically to the state" in that environment. For some, this may be the most thought-provoking question in the entire book. For others, it may be the most anger-provoking. (Just the fact that one question could result in such diverse reactions from people of one faith is worth pondering.)
Neil then reframes the question on a personal level:
..."And could our preoccuption with individual salvation from hell after death distract us from speaking prophetically about injustice in our world today?
Personally I don't need to ponder this one for long. Dan does not answer this question either, but I will. I believe this is the case. I know because I had to shake this off myself. I am more convinced than ever that the gospel is about justice, about God's will being done here on earth. A gospel that is mainly concerned with life after death puts little stock in justice for the here and now.
As the people of God these are questions we need to ponder, and it will not be easy.
Recent Comments