Those who boastfully seek to kill their enemies in the name of Christ are preaching and following a false Gospel. There can be no equivocation on this matter. I dont care if you are a Reformed Calvinist preacher, a Catholic Priest, or an Orthodox monk - if you interpret the Cross as a call to arms then you have grossly misunderstood and perverted the Gospel. I am grieved and sickened by some of the vitriolic, hate-filled, and violent rhetoric I have seen posted today by some Orthodox Christian clergy. I want to assure anyone who is sincerely interested in learning about Orthodoxy that vengeance, retaliation, violence and hate are in no way compatible with the Orthodox Christian spirit. The witness of the apostles and the lives of saints bear witness to the nonviolent imperatives of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are commanded to love our enemies; and we are commissioned to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. And we are called not only to lead the righteous to salvation, but the wicked as well. Do not forget that Saul was an enemy of the Faith, a man who gave wholehearted support to the persecution and slaughter of Christians. But when Ananias met this notorious tormentor, he embraced him and called him “brother.” Imagine how different the course of history would have been if Ananias had viewed Saul as a “Christ-killer,” an enemy, a subhuman creature who was beyond the scope of redemption. Imagine if Ananias had killed Saul out of fear and hatred. There would never have been a St. Paul, and most of the New Testament would never have been written. Ananias would have prevailed over his enemy, but the nascent Church would have withered as quickly as it had begun to grow. May God give us the strength to love our enemies, the grace to bless those who persecute us, and the spiritual power to meet violence with peace and hatred with love. “Lord have mercy.” +++ Selam, +GMK+
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 02:52:51 +0000
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