Rev. Dr. David Dubovich
Recently I re-read one of my favorite books on Christian identity: “Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?: Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World.” The book is by Brian McLaren, a former conservative evangelical pastor who’s angered his colleagues by greatly expanding his understanding of grace and redefining who’s in and who’s out of God’s kingdom. Although written over a decade ago, the message of the book still resonates with me today. In this book, McLaren takes on the challenge of maintaining our Christian identity in a world that is growing smaller every day and in which the lines dividing religions are becoming blurred.
In the past, Christians have responded to this encroachment by drawing their lines more starkly, clearly defining what separates “us” from “them.” Unfortunately, these lines of distinction have grown into walls of division, keeping us from being in a mutually beneficial relationship with people of other faiths. After all, it’s a lot easier to live in a world where there’s a clear understanding of who’s “us” and who’s “them.” But in our world today, such an understanding may no longer be possible.
When your neighbor is Muslim, your son-in-law is Jewish, and your doctor is Hindu, identifying who’s in and who’s out becomes a lot messier. I believe this scenario applies to more than just religion; it also is applicable to people of different political persuasions (Republicans and Democrats), different ethnicities (Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Asian), even different sports teams (Kansas…and those other teams)!
McLaren boldly names the challenges of trying to maintain our identity in a multi-everything world: “All of us are poised between two dangers. The obvious one is ‘the other.’ The subtle one is ‘us.’ To be rebuked, marginalized, or excluded by Us is an even greater threat than to be attacked by the Other. We live in fear of Us. We risk our status with Us when we try to build solidarity with the Other.” In other words, if I dare to cross the line “We” have drawn in order to stand with “Them,” I risk being excluded from the very group to which I belong. I believe the implications of this point are significant. Many of us are concerned by the lack of civil discourse in our country today. From the top down, so many people seem incapable of having a thoughtful, polite conversation that includes disagreement and conflict. It seems like every other conversation I see on Facebook that involves a controversial topic ends up in name-calling, mud-slinging and malicious stereotyping.
Why can’t we just talk anymore? Maybe it’s because we’re afraid of what would happen if we seek solidarity with the “other.” If our old categories of separation no longer apply, then we lose the ability to define who we are, which historically has been done by saying how we’re different from others. If those differences continue to dissolve, it’s going to become more difficult to tell us apart. What will separate Christians from believers of other faiths? Well, the correct answer is “Jesus” (in a church, there’s a good bet that “Jesus” is always the correct answer).
But if we step back to look at Jesus, we may find that he didn’t draw a lot of lines himself. So, what would happen if Jesus came in contact with Moses, Mohammed, and the Buddha? I’ll let McLaren say it: “How would Jesus act around the other three? His followers would pull out a sword and slash off their ears, or herd them and their followers into ghettos, concentration camps, or reservations, where their influence could be limited. But not Jesus. Never.”
For too long, Christianity has operated under the assumption that I can belong to “Us” unless I’m against “Them.” And sometimes, the “Them” is other Christians! But those lines of division are becoming less helpful, and in a time when our country needs movements of solidarity and collaboration, the church should be leading the way.
Who is a “Them” in your life? Is it someone in a different church, a different political party, even a fan of a different team? What’s one way you can cross the road this week to reach out to someone you consider a “Them”?