i wrote a little bit last week about suddenly being thrust into a world of study as i joined the incredible LUT group to spend the rest of the year diving deeply into Leadership in Urban Transformation.
After just four days with the group, i feel like i could already write a ton of blog posts – on the obvious things, but also on some of the kind of side note AHA! moments that happened throughout our time together.
But one moment stood out that i want to share a little bit about now.
On Thursday we got to hang with Alan Storey, who heads up the Central Methodist Mission church in the middle of the city of Cape Town. Together we explored what it really means to be a follower of Jesus and live it out in the world today. Very challenging and so much to think about, but he also gave me some super helpful words to express things i already knew and thought to a much deeper level.
The one who builds the wall and the one who is blocked by it
Alan was talking about Jesus being baptised and the voice He heard from heaven saying, “This is my beloved whom I love. With Him I am well pleased.”
He spoke about four things we can get from that which form part of an ongoing daily baptism [as opposed to a once off event] with the first one being the knowledge that you are loved. Which should lead to the assumption that you are lovable. That your life matters. That you are not nothing.
The echo of that realisation is that everyone is loved [we can see this in the greatest commandment – Love God, Love your neighbour] and so the assumption that everyone is lovable. Everyone’s life matters. Everyone is not nothing. i wrote a piece recently for 1Africa on the significance of seeing the image of God in the ‘other’.
Alan used the story of Trump building the wall between the USA and Mexico. While it is easy to find love for those living in Mexico, the oppressed or marginalised or picked on… some of us may have greater difficulty finding a lot of love for Trump, or in other cases [race, gender, violence] the oppressor and those who marginalise…
What was significant was why Alan said we should love Trump in this scenario.
Alan gave the definition of ‘being saved’ as something along the lines of being able to live in the fullness of who you were created to be. Living life to the full. So the purpose of having love for Donald Trump as the wall builder in this scenario is the desire to see him be able to live more fully as the person he was created to be.
The message of love needs to counter the message of nothingness.
The knowledge of being loved can save me from hatred of others, fear of others, rejection of others.
Unless we can hear, digest and live that, we are not fully saved.
So we will protest against the wall out of love for those in Mexico who are being victimised by it, but we will also protest against the wall for Trump’s liberation, not so that we can break his humanity down further than it has already been. Him building the wall helps him to cement his broken humanity, so we protest the wall to preserve his baptism too.
Sho, that was so profound to hear and probably needs to be broken down a lot more. But it can be so easy in fighting for the rights of those who don’t have them [especially social media slacktivist vibes] to become hurtful and hateful against those who are threatening those rights, instead of wanting their redemption and healing and in this sense, baptism too.
Something to think about as we continue to engage…
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“So we will protest against the wall out of love for those in Mexico who are being victimised by it,”
Do you leave your front-door and/or gate open when you go off to work? At night while you are sleeping? The same applies to countries. These Mexicans are not “victimised”, they are just in their own country cos Visas and things like that are usually needed. Unless you’re campaigning to stop all borders?
Otherwise we could say that these house-thieves that may break into your house are being “victimised” by you if you keep your door locked…
So how is a country… and house door/gate/wall different?
Wayne, i would hate for you to get distracted from the point here because you don’t like the example. Think of another example and apply the point – this is not about walls and Mexicans…
I think you ask a valid question. It’s all about size really. And influence. You stab me. You invade my space, very literally. You rob my house. You’ve invaded my space. You hurt someone in my neighbourhood…
…well, that becomes a bit woolier. But we can perhaps, hopefully, see that it makes sense (from a selfish point of view at the very least) to stand together with our neighbours.
And the same kind of thing applies as we move outwards.
But what if WE become so big (what size that is might be open for debate) that WE become the invader. Perhaps we have everything we need. We could perhaps suggest that the USA, as the wealthiest country in the world, has everything it needs, even if that wealth is not well divided.
Perhaps we could acknowledge that, by putting up a “keep out” sign, or making ourselves a “gated” community, or by putting up a wall, we are actually, potentially, invading the need of others to merely live.
Luxury means “things that we don’t need”. If we have more than we need it makes sense (even from a purely selfish point of view and totally discounting mythical beings such as “Love”) to be pro-active in sharing that extra.
If we don’t, then the pure need for survival that some people will find themselves in would probably, sooner or later, become a threat to us. Of course we can build more bombs, more bunkers, and more walls. But is that REALLY the answer.
I speak, if I haven’t made it clear, from a bottom down, selfish, purely self interest point of view.
It seems your example then is wrong. Can you correct it then as it doesn’t look like a wall between countries would “victimise”.
I can’t really think of another example. Walls are there for a reason. Otherwise why do you sleep with your door locked? Why not just open up your door and gate 24 hours a day and let whoever wants to come, come in, take whatever they want.
So you come up with new examples…
#wallsmustfall then start with your own…
How about #AdventuresInMissingThePoint ?
Muslim vs Christian. Isn’t that a much stronger imaginary wall? Cultural differences are also walls. Walls are only there because of imaginary walls don’t you think? Some cultures believe you can just take a woman. Some believe raping small children cures aids. These the the things that we need walls for! If everyone respected others and had the same ideoloy no walls would be needed. If I want my own food stored in a cupboard because I work hard, then it should be allowed. Someone else may feel its okay to come rape my wife and take my food and thats not okay with me, so I build a nice big wall! The wall is not the point, so I think you’re missing the actual point. Its actually people’s cuiltural, religious beliefs etc. that cause walls or necessitate walls.
Nope Wayne, still you missing the point. Go and read my post again – the focus of the post is about needing to care about both perpetrator and perpetrated and the wall you are now using as a smoke screen to move us away from what i was really talking about, being my blog and all – feel free to have indepth discussions about walls on your blog.
With your example though the point i was making is that the reason you would want to interrupt the man coming to rape your wife and take your food [beyond the obvious] would be because you realise that this man’s humanity has been damaged so much to get him to that point and so realising that he is in need of love, healing and redemption in whatever form that might take. So stop him from doing those things absolutely, but how do we seek redemption and rehabilitation over simply killing or incarceration?
If I were raped, I’d want justice – preferably the death penalty or 30 years or more in jail… its not his right to violate my body and my sacred femininity. If I were in a relationship the rapist would be committing a crime against my partner as well as myself. Something like that shows that the man has no humanity and is most likely beyond redemption. Same for child murderers and rapists. You can’t bring back the child. I think that child rapists and murderers should be given the death penalty. What do you guys think? You should play out the scenario in your own mind and what would you really do?
I wouldn’t “interrupt” a potential rapist. I’d just take out my Nano and empty it! Ask questions later about his “interruptions” – couitus interruptus-fatalia…. lol
If your wife were raped, would you want him to have “redemption”? Go and paint the Church? I think you’d want real punishment. There is also the matter of this person not being able to fit into a normal society. So keep him away from others. Keeping him away from others and we must pay for his food and other stuff. I’d say hard-labor for 30 years should do it.
Regarding walls, I think they are needed. Too many out there with perverted views on reality. Sorry, assume this is about walls with the wall picture and wall talk stuff.
So try to put yourself in the place. You have a wife and kids and they are raped/killed… would you kill the perpetrator to stop him if necessary? Say he did it, would you want justice like 30 years hard labor, execution or would you prefer he come make it up to you by painting your house and going on the Apha course…? lol. Then its not just about you, but what the community wants – they don’t want rapists or child molestors out in the community.
What an absolutely tiny view of humanity and possibly a non existent view of God you have. This post was written to invite you into a bigger picture and i hope even after mocking it now, that it will disturb you in your mind and keep coming back until it turns with persistence into a “WHAT IF?”
What if God is big enough to bring redemption and turn even the worst of sinners around? What if a community was so hugely minded that they were willing to walk alongside people who have done hideous and horrific things and walk with them a journey towards reconciliation, healing and forgiveness. That would be incredible.
You need to dream bigger. i don’t believe the death penalty is ever the right answer…
I think death penalty for henious crimes. Like child killers. They must be killed – terrible. Society cannot have such types among us. Its the only way.
i don’t think it’s ever right to kill someone to teach people that killing someone is wrong…
Another terrorist attack in London. 7 or more killed. You still want no walls?
Absolutely. It’s the walls and the labels and the alienation and the “othering” that ultimately leads people to feel like these kind of attacks are necessary… imagine if the people doing those attacks had experienced more love than hate? Totally different outcome… it has to start somewhere.
They choose to be Muslim. It’s their choice. This comes with issues. So it’s their own walls that do this.
I understand your point, but in practice it can’t work. Too many are getting killed because of extreme religious views. There is no “loving” and helping them as if a woman helps them they want to rape. So how do we fix that? Maybe best to send them home.
i think this is a completely unfair and irrational and untrue generalisation – the same is made of christians and there are some incredible christians i know and some completely awful christians i know who embarrass the name of christianity for the rest of us. So it really isn’t helpful or true to broad brushstroke a whole religionfull of people…