The Creed of Empire today

There’s a lot going on these days. Here’s my advice – don’t try to make logical sense of the inconsistencies we are witnessing, as if there was some kind of well thought doctrine or theme. Don’t assume that those who are doing these things are even attempting to be consistent in thought or action. You’ll get frustrated.

All of this is grounded in something very ancient – an ancient belief system that many empires adopted as their operating system: the ends justify the means, might makes right, and the strong survive.

I call these the three articles of empire creed. All three share one thing in common – that everything and everyone is disposable. There doesn’t need to be consistency in thought, speech, or action when the ends justify the means. Winning and getting your way are all that matters. And when the ends justify the means then everything is on the table, no one is to be trusted, back stabbing is acceptable, and so is screwing over everyone else. Think about that for a moment. And think about how lonely that is. And how pathetic it is. No trust. Society can’t continue when there is no trust. And in a way, that’s what happens when tyranny takes over – society dies.

When the three creedal articles are in force, then there are no boundaries. There is no bottom.

Creeds not only state what we believe, but also who and what we worship. Creeds offer a unified statement of core religious beliefs and offer a way to share the faith to future generations as well as sum up what the faith is about.

Empire creed serves the same purpose.

Here’s what I envision the creed of empire would sound like. Here’s what I hear when I witness the actions being taken currently. It is just the modern day version of an ancient creed. And it goes like this:

I believe in the end that justifies the means,
the highest law of power,
the rule that crowns violence with victory,
that blesses cruelty as necessity,
and names deceit as wisdom.

I believe in might that makes right,
in the survival of the strong,
in the division of peoples,
in the breaking of promises,
in the shattering of trust,
and in the disposal of all who are weak.

I believe in power enthroned,
to seize, to hold, to use, and to abuse;
in the sacrifice of truth for gain,
in relationships wrecked for ambition,
in lies spoken as strategy.
I believe all things and all people
are expendable for the cause of victory,
world without end. Amen.

I don’t have the answers to what is going on. I wish I did. I don’t think we are at the point of answers yet. I’m not convinced we’ve asked the right questions. I’m not convinced we even know who we are or what we actually believe to combat what is going on. We’re too busy operating from faulty assumptions.

I don’t have political answers for any of this. I’m sure there are great arguments for a variety of ways to handle this. My focus is on another aspect that isn’t being talked about – faith. Because this isn’t just a political moment. It’s also a spiritual moment. What is the church in this time? And what is it called to? How are individual Christians called to act? And what is an actual Christian? Who are we in this time?

Time will tell for the church as a whole. In the mean time, we each have our own calling and response.

As a Christian, here’s what I’m thinking about. We are called to start with a grounding of prayer. We need to pray for wisdom for ourselves. We need to pray for a spirit of peace for ourselves. We need to pray that we would have the courage and trust to speak and act when the Spirit moves us. We need to pray that we continue to put our faith in Jesus and not in other things.

And we need to pray for those that are carrying out these actions. We need to see their humanity, so that we can see our own. We need to refuse to do similar actions in response. When we meet violence with violence, or cruelty with cruelty, all we do is give justification for the violence and cruelty. We need to pray that those who are carrying out violence and cruelty will be released from the bondage of such things, that they will be released from selfish interest and the desire to be right at all costs. We need to pray.

And then we act. We speak up. We throw wrenches in systems. We cause delay. We stand in the way. And we prepare for the consequences.

We are called to love our enemies. This has got to be the most difficult thing that Jesus calls on followers to do. We don’t do this in order to change our enemies. We do this so that we don’t become the very thing we hate. We do this for their well-being whether they acknowledge it or not. Loving enemies isn’t about excusing actions or turning a blind eye. Loving enemies starts by seeing their humanity. It always has to start with that. If we can’t see their humanity, then we probably can’t see our own either.

Being faithful isn’t about so many of the things that society values and cares about. Being faithful isn’t about winning or being right or success or being comfortable. Being faithful is about being fully who you were created to be – fully human, made in the image and likeness of God. It’s not about being less than human (dehumanization), and it’s not about being more than human (a type of transhumanism or posthumanism).

God has always been about shalom – which means wholeness and completeness. It’s not about being perfect though. We are called to be completely human. This is the time for faithful humanity to be fully who it is.

None of this easy. But it’s not unique in history either. Human history is full of periods of cruelty and violence. And there have always been people who have responded in faithful ways. We are not alone in this. I don’t know of anyone who wishes we had to go through this. No one does. But I’m remembering what I learned about so many who God called. They weren’t perfect, but they were enough. God doesn’t expect perfection. God equips those that God calls to be enough. Now is the time for us to live into that enoughness. We have what we need. Now is the time to live what we claim.