Hello my friends!

I hope this finds you well. I first want to thank all of you who are here. I wrote on an especially difficult and important topic in last week's newsletter and I was so encouraged by the love, hope, and support that was shared with me. There are so many of you doing such important work. Thanks for your responses and thank you for all you do.

I have been working through a sermon series on the “seven deadly sins” for the season of Lent. You can listen to the series here if you’d like, or join us on Sunday to catch the rest of the series. Find out how here.​

This week, I am preaching on anger or “wrath.” In my research, I found this incredibly profound quote by Dorothy L. Sayers, where she describes wrath as "love of justice perverted to revenge and spite.” I think that is so powerfully true and such a needed message today, especially for Christianity.

But before we get into that, here are some things that have me thinking this week.

RESOURCES TO CONSIDER:

-I just finished Adam Serwer called, "The Cruelty Is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump's America." It not only gives a sobering and clear history of "how we got here," but it points to the Christian involvement as well. Serwer is an award-winning journalist at The Atlantic and these searing essays make a powerful case that “real hope lies not in a sunny nostalgia for American greatness but in seeing this history plain—in all of its brutality, unadorned by euphemism.” It is a very important read.

-I'm also in the middle of a deeply enlightening book called, The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market," by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway. In the early 20th century, business elites, trade associations, wealthy powerbrokers, and media allies set out to build a new American orthodoxy: down with “big government” and up with unfettered markets. With startling archival evidence, Oreskes and Conway document campaigns to rewrite textbooks, combat unions, and defend child labor. They detail the ploys that turned hardline economists Friedrich von Hayek and Milton Friedman into household names; recount the libertarian roots of the Little House on the Prairie books; and tune into the General Electric-sponsored TV show that beamed free-market doctrine to millions and launched Ronald Reagan's political career and so much more. It is such a needed historical read.

-The next book on my list to read is, Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism--and What Comes Next," by Bradley Onishi. The insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not a blip or an aberration. It was the logical outcome of years of a White evangelical subculture's preparation for war. Religion scholar and former insider Bradley Onishi maps the origins of White Christian nationalism and traces its offshoots in Preparing for War. If you decide to read this book as well, let me know.

Okay, onto today's content.

The Deadly Sin Of Christian Wrath

The primary question I’ve been asking myself in this sermon series is, “what makes these sins so deadly?” As I have been working through each one of the seven, it became pretty clear that they are at the root of so much oppression and death in our world, both individually and systemically.

If we think about it, at the root of trafficking human beings for the sexual pleasure of others is both lust and greed. At the root of over industrialization, climate change, and abuse of our natural world is unbridled consumption (gluttony). All this and more can not only cause spiritual suffering and spiritual death for individuals and groups, but very real physical suffering and death as well.

I think this is one of the most profound reasons as to why Jesus focuses on the motivations behind some of the worst things we do to each other in his sermon on the mount in Matthew 5.

He preaches on lust, distrust, manipulation, abuse of power, and so much more in this sermon. He especially does this with anger.

He says, “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” (Matt. 5:21-23)

Jesus is essentially reframing and reemphasizing the heart behind the 10 commandments in this sermon. Moses got the law “on the mount” from God. So, our minds are to be remembering that event as we now hear God incarnate giving that law new life to his disciples.

He is wanting the law to be written on their hearts instead of stone (Romans 2:12-16).

This is a crucial move because when the focus is just “don’t murder,” you can imagine how many loopholes people can find to either get right up to that line of “the law” or simply have other people do the dirty work for them (like David did with Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband). You have heard the phrase, “a fate worse than death.” There are my things people do to each other motivated by anger that are worse than killing them.


Yet, Jesus is saying, “you have heard it said, “you must not murder.” But I say to you, "if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!” Jesus is getting at the heart and motivation behind acts like murder, but he doesn’t stop there.

Towards the end of chapter 5 he preaches against “an eye for an eye” type retribution and to “love your enemies,” not just your neighbors. (Matthew 5:38-48)

I think why this resonates with me so much right now is how much this message is needed within so much of how we Christians approach politics in our culture.

I feel like so much of what I see and hear from some of the loudest Christian voices in the political arena is anger, hostility, and vengeance, especially towards those they perceive to be their “enemies.”

Unfortunately, I think a lot of this stems from an inaccurate view of reality. I recently wrote a newsletter called “The Myths We Believe,” where I talked about the mythes I believed where “absolute truth” as an Evangelical Christian.

These myths were the lenses through which I read the Bible and they influenced everything from the way I prayed to the way I voted.

I believed that the United States of America was a nation called by God to usher in Christ's kingdom in the world and I saw it as my personal duty to make sure my nation understood that identity and acted accordingly.

I believed there were hoards of evil elites actively working behind the world's scenes, conspiring against God fearing, gun carrying Christians like me, all of whom must be opposed and defeated by any means necessary.

I believed that anyone who even considered abortion was a murderer, no matter the circumstances of the mother .

I believed that the LGBTQ community was on the same level as pedophiles and they were trying to "groom" those around them.

I believed people from other religions were enemies of Christianity, especially Muslims.

I believed that anyone who was poor was mostly due to their own sinful decisions or immoral behavior and it was up to them and them alone to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps," because any government assistance whatsoever was a form a "laziness."

I believed women and people of color were equal, as long as they functioned within the ridged categories I believed God had created for them.

These myths, along with many others, are still so much of what I see from many Christians in the political arena, advocating them as “God’s absolute truth.”

The reality that so many believe in these myths and the inaccurate view of our culture it creates troubles me so much, but do you know what troubles me even more? That even if these mythes were true, there’s still no justification, according to Jesus, for Christians to pursue political outcomes rooted in anger, vengeance, and hostility towards those they believe are “enemies.” Even in the face of true, legitimate evil, like being unjustly crucified, Jesus calls his disciples, and radically models for us, to not respond with revenge or an “eye for an eye,” but rather to pray for them and even forgive them.

You may have already gotten there yourself, but I think this has really framed a core part of my lament over Christian political engagement over the last several years, especially from Evangelicals. It isn’t just political or moral disagreement within the democratic system from many Christians. It is a political posture that is motivated by deep wrath, vengeance, and animosity towards others, one that frames Christianity as a “war” rather than a “peacemakers.”

This sin truly has deadly consequences.

We not only saw this wrath explode on January 6th of 2020, but we have seen it in the policies and laws pursued by so many who claim to follow Jesus. Dehumanizing laws like those I mentioned in last week’s newsletter towards the LGBTQ+ community as well as those laws proposed that would seek the death penalty for women who have abortions. Where I live in Idaho, the legislature, who is filled with those claiming to follow Jesus, has constantly flirted with these harsh laws as well as most recently cutting free school lunches for children, cutting funding for child care and kids caught in abusive situations, all while the Idaho government is experiencing a massive financial surplus. One would be right to ask, “how is any of this “pro-life?” and "how is this pro-family?" Cruelty, it would seem, is the point.

What grieves my heart so deeply is how antithetical this political posture is to the teachings of Jesus, but how contrary it is to the powerful witness of the prophets in scripture and the prophetic witness of the early church. Not even to mention the powerful prophetic movements of Christians in our modern history, against slavery, fascism, women’s suffrage, civil rights, care for the poor, and so much more. The heartbreaking reality is we have such a powerful prophetic legacy behind us, one that pursues justice with the strength of love, humility, and compassion, rather than vengeance, with anger and hostility. Yet, we seem to see so many examples of those choosing the latter over the former.

It is as if we have forgot the constant refrain all throughout the Bible that "vengeance belongs to God." It doesn't belong to us. It doesn't even belong to Christianity. It belongs to God alone.

While this grieves my heart, it makes me deeply grateful for all those who follow Christ who really are pursuing justice rather than vengeance. Christians who include many of you reading these words today. Christian history also shows us that there is always a subversive, justice seeking movement within the ranks of Christianity that oppose “Christian imperialism” or what is known today as “Christian nationalism.” Or simply, a Christianity that wants to be an earthly empire rather than embody the kingdom of God.

It gives me great hope that this subversive, justice seeking movement of Christianity today will continue to speak prophetically to the misuse and abuse of power, especially within Christianity. It gives me great hope that while others within Christianity choose to pursue their political ends with animosity, anger, and vengeance, there are so many others, inside and outside Christianity, who are seeking justice, with integrity, accountability, humility, compassion, and love.

I pray we see love continue to overcome in our world today.

How have you navigated this topic in your life? As always, I'd like to hear from you.

If you'd like to help support my work, you can click here: support. My sincere thanks to all of you who have given so far. It truly does help keep this project alive.​

If you’d like to invite a friend to join, here is the link you can send them: https://benjamin-cremer.ck.page/​

I hope you have a wonderful week,

-Ben

PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS

​Hate Masquerading As Christian Love​

​What Do We Mean By "Revival?"​

​The God of the Bible​

​Not Everything Happens For A Reason​

​The Gun Problem is a Sin Problem​

​Conversations In Conflict​

​What Does It Even Mean To Be Christian Anymore?​

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