Scriptural Basis
John 18:33-37
Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
Blog Reflection
In the same year that Karl Marx declared religion to be the “opiate of the people,” Frederick Denison Maurice wrote, “We have been dosing our people with religion when what they want is not this but the living God.” Like Marx, Maurice wanted to solve the questions of our complex society; unlike Marx, he called for a radical, but non-violent, reform, by the renewal of “faith in a God who has redeemed mankind, in whom I may vindicate my rights as a man.” Maurice was a founder of the Christian Socialist Movement, which, he wrote, “will commit us at once to the conflict we must engage in sooner or later with the unsocial Christians and unchristian Socialists.”
Maurice was born in 1805 into the family of a Unitarian minister whose life was marked by intense religious controversy. Maurice studied civil law at Cambridge, but refused the degree in 1827, because, as a Dissenter, he could not subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. After several personal crises, however, he became an Anglican and was ordained in 1834. Soon afterwards he was appointed Professor of English Literature and History at King’s College, London, and, in 1846, to the chair of Theology.
In his book, The Kingdom of Christ, published in 1838, Maurice investigates the causes and cures of Christian divisions. The book has become a source of Anglican ecumenism. Maurice was dismissed from his professorships because of his leadership in the Christian Socialist Movement, and because of the supposed unorthodoxy of his Theological Essays (1853).
Maurice saw worship as the meeting point of time and eternity, and as the fountain of energies for the Church’s mission. He wrote, “I do not think we are to praise the liturgy but to use it. When we do not want it for our life, we may begin to talk of it as a beautiful composition.”
After the death of the Christian Socialist Movement in 1854, Maurice founded the Working Men’s College, and resumed teaching at Queen’s College, London. Maurice awakened Anglicanism to the need for concern with the problems of society. In later years, he was honored even by former opponents. He was rector of two parishes, and was professor of Moral Theology at Cambridge from 1866 until his death. (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 300).
This commemoration is one that we could easily use on Christianists as a good April Fools Day joke. The word "socialist" is a word that people in conservative politics and religion fear. People like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh use this word regularly against President Obama and Democratic politicians. It is used to put fear in the minds of every day people, to suggest that it is through the liberal/progressive folks that the Nazi regime is taking over the United States and the liberal/progressive Christian Church.
My partner Jason has often said: "The idea behind socialism is not what is bad, as it is the people who want to use socialism to distort it's meaning."
Socialism has been used to say that our nation should not do health care reform. It has also been used to deny lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people equality, justice and inclusion. Dr. James Dobson the founder of Focus on the Family has often suggested that gay men are compared to Nazi's in wanting to take over the United States. Other organizations like the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, the National Organization for Marriage and others like it continue to publicly use the rhetoric of socialism to denigrate individuals who are LGBTQ for their own political purposes.
Why are Christians, even those who claim to be more progressive afraid of the word socialism?
Jesus' reply to Pilate in the Gospel for our commemoration gives us some clues.
Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." (John 18:37).
Notice that in verse 38 when Pilate asked Jesus: "What is truth?" That Jesus did not reply.
What happened? Was Jesus silent because he did not know? Did Jesus not answer because he was afraid of Pilate's response? Jesus knew he was going to be crucified. It was not like he had anything else to really lose.
Was Jesus' silence because Pilate was actually looking at what truth is? Perhaps Jesus felt that if Pilate did not see that for what it was, it really was not for Jesus to answer the question for him.
The truth that Jesus speaks of and died for, was the reality that every person born under heaven who is searching for some kind of meaning in this world is of tremendous concern to God. God is so concerned and wanting us to share eternal life with God, that God gave the life of God's Son, God's perfect revelation to die for our sins. God is so madly in love with every person created in God's image that God just could not stand idly by and see all humankind lost because of the wages of sin and death.
Therefore, it really is a sin if we stand idly by and disregard or do nothing for the marginalized and denigrated of our society and the Church. Christian socialism is a good word. It means that we care about each others welfare to the point that we are willing to act on their behalf.
If we are so loved by God, that God just could not do something to rescue us from our sins, that means that so is every human person. Therefore it is a very appropriate response for us to care about and care for God's people who remain poor and/or without human dignity and equality. In Jesus, God raised her heart and his voice up to draw all creation to God's Self so that all humankind could find their salvation in God.
Who are we then, to allow sick people to be denied health care, food, medicine and other needs that can help save their lives?
How can we just watch the budget debates in our United States Congress and in our States all over the country where they are affecting a woman's right to choose, collective bargaining rights for union workers, slash funding for low income individuals who cannot work through no fault of their own, and take marriage equality from LGBTQ people?
How can we just listen to the stories of LGBTQ youth who have committed suicide due to bullying in their schools, communities, and in some instances their own families and not take action with the It Gets Better Project to make a difference?
Why should Christianist and arch-conservative Catholic/Anglican/Orthodox groups be allowed to constantly use hate rhetoric towards LGBTQ people, muslims, Native Americans, women and so forth, without our voices and actions telling them how wrong they are?
We are at Friday in the third week of Lent. Three weeks from today is Good Friday. Three weeks from this Sunday is already Easter. Our Christian Faith is so much more than our beautiful Liturgical celebrations, our favorite hymns and pews. Christianity is so much larger than the stories and individuals in the Bible and the many denominations, and dogmas that are so controversial. Our "Faith without our works is dead." (James 2:17 & 28). Our creeds said, and Bible's read without our willingness to love and act on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves without our help, are worthless legends. The story of Good Friday is just some myth and Jesus remains dead and buried if we cannot see beyond our own needs and be willing to respond to those of others.
May this Easter find many of us who believe in Jesus Christ and the death and resurrection come alive with our concern and actions on behalf of all of God's people.
Prayers
Almighty God, you restored our human nature to heavenly glory through the perfect obedience of our Savior Jesus Christ: Keep alive in your Church, we pray, a passion for justice and truth; that, like your servant Frederick Denison Maurice, we may work and pray for the triumph of the kingdom of your Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the commemoration of Frederick Denison Maurice. Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 301)
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified; mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, Amen. (Collect for Fridays, Book of Common Prayer, page 99).
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hand in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen. (Prayer for Mission, Book of Common Prayer, page 101).
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