So What?
In westernized countries, Christmas preachers
are too often tempted to settle for sermons that do little more than rehash
the children’s Christmas pageant. Replete with sentimentality and silent
concerning consumerism, clergy are often ignorant of the real life implications
of the Infancy Narratives. (And even if they see it, they are often loathe
to upset their congregations on Christmas!).
On the other hand, the radical politicizing
of the Christmas story in which the birth of Jesus is seen as a justification
for ‘revolutionary violence’ also misses the point of peace and
God’s peacemaking in the story. Indeed, such a reading is no less guilty
of mimetic violence than the reading from empire.
The balance between the two can only
be found when we recognize the radical peace character of the God who is behind
the birth of this child. What if God were one of us?
We do well not to overlook the potential implications of such a reading as
a critique of a consumerist holiday mentality. The cultural stimuli of the
holiday season, gift-giving, parties, family get-togethers can all be seen
as ritual functions of a sacrificial crisis. Scapegoating is common practice
during the holiday season. Tensions run high as families struggle to produce
holidays that conform to Ozzie and Harriet ideals. Blame is shared as much
as cheer. No wonder there is more depression at this time of year than any
other. Peace on earth?
Only when we as a people acknowledge
that God is not in any way associated with violence will we find peace. God
is only associated with violence as victim, never as a rival with humanity,
never in retaliation. According to Luke, the Creator of heaven and earth loves
us and God’s gift to us is Jesus, the victim.
2005:
I’m tempted to say that on Christmas
we need to talk about the Incarnation. But I know that each year brings its
own readings, and each reading has a facet that is important to observe with
regard to God’s coming in the flesh.
But a growing concern for the influence
of dualism and Gnostic trajectories in both Christianity and the academy wells
up inside me and I so want to shout ‘The Word has become Flesh.”
In a sense the transcendence of the virgin birth story and the birth story
itself is perceived within immanence. This is the beauty of Christmas Day,
Creator and creation have become unalterably united. Marcion might not like
it, but it is the gospel. Thanks be to God.
Anthropological Reading
Both Matthew and Luke place Jesus’
birth in the midst of governing authorities that would use any and all means
to achieve their ends. In Matthew, Herod wages a pogrom against Jewish male
children, in Luke, the scene is the larger world ruled by the Romans. A census
is taken for the primary purpose of estimating tax burdens. Client kings like
Herod would then be responsible for acquiring tax money. It is estimated that
over 40% of an average “income” was handed over for taxes thus
making life for most barely tolerable (sounds kinda familiar, huh?)
This system of political-economic-social
exploitation has another side that is psychological-intellectual-religious.
In the New Testament this singular system with many facets is called the "“principalities
and powers." It can also be called “the world” (kosmos) in
John’s gospel. It indicates a complex of phenomena, all of which are
tied to one another, all of which result from and depend upon the scapegoating
mechanism. Thus they are, in a word chosen by Rene in his most recent book,
“satanic.” (I See Satan Fall Like Lightening)
From the perspective of Luke, the birth
of this child into this “world” creates a new possibility, viz.,
“on earth….peace.” This Peace Child is not like the peace
of the Pax Romana, the ‘satanic’ peace that results from the sacralization
of the victim. The Roman Peace, like all governmental peacekeeping, is grounded
in violence. Peace Through Strength. The peace that this child represents
is the alternative to mimetic peace.
Girard has observed that there are two
things that occasion reconciliation: violence and love. Violence accomplishes
it’s goal through the sacrifice, sacralization and mythologizing of
the victim (see Introductory Articles). Love accomplishes reconciliation through
forgiveness.
Luke may not be correct in his historical
timing, over which there is debate, and he may be using the census as a narrative
device to get Mary to Bethlehem, but the larger context in which Luke writes
is the world of the Pax Romana. His readers know full well the might and power
of the Roman Army, which crushed the Jewish revolt and destroyed the temple
and thus brought the full benefits (sic) of the Roman Peace to Israel.
In the Infancy Narrative of Luke, Peace
Through Strength is juxtaposed with the sign of a child lying in a manger.
Joseph Fitzmeyer: “Thus Luke, writing from a later period in the Roman
age, associates the birth of Jesus with a famous Roman emperor and suggests
that the real bearer of peace and salvation to the whole world is the one
whose birth occurred in the town of David and was made known by the angels
of heaven.”
Historical Cultural
Richard Horsley in his insightful _The
Liberation of Christmas_ remarks that “regardless of what Luke or a
conceivable pre-Lucan story had in mind, any reader or hearer of this story
in the Hellenistic-Roman world, particularly in Palestine, would have understood
here a direct opposition between Caesar, the savior who had supposedly brought
peace, and the child proclaimed as the savior, whose birth means peace.”
So exegesis which bypasses the social-political-economic
implications of the text and resorts to an interpretation that has no concrete
earthly referent (what Willard Swartley has referred to as the ‘Pietist
seduction’) and is all too often the norm from Christmas pulpits, needs
to be challenged.
Klaus Wengst provides an overall view
of the Pax Romana. He notes 5 aspects of this worldly peace.
- It is a peace established through
military victory.
a. It can be seen
the coinage which reflects peace by portraying vanquished foes suffering
under the feet of the Emperor(s) or gods along with weapons of war.
b. Peace is acquired through raids and the taking of hostages.
- It is a peace that allows one
to enjoy one’s possessions.
a. “Peace and Security” which refers to internal civic security
and “Peace and Concord” which refers to external national security
are common slogans. It is freedom from fear if you were a Roman citizen.
b. It is the peace of the rich.
- It is a peace which protects
the common market of the earth.
a. By it the Romans would build the remarkable system of roads they used.
Solders stationed throughout the empire preferred plunder to pay.
b. Peace allowed the Romans to set up toll booths on frontier roads (people
didn’t like taxes then either).
c. Rome was perceived as a parasite on the world, draining the world of
its resources.
- It is a peace which is established
by the imposition of Roman law.
a. It is a legal peace which is flouted with impunity by the upper class.
Money ruled. Wealth secured mild treatment, poverty ensured harsh treatment.
- It is a peace with religious
components.
a. If the emperor is great it is because the gods wanted him so. The emperor
serves as “vicar of God on earth.” What the emperor decides
is always and everywhere ‘truth, justice and law.’
b. Emperors arrogated to themselves divine rights as ‘sons of God.’
In the city, he is praised by the poets. In the provinces he is venerated
with official documents and calendrical feast days.
c. Sacrifice takes place before his image, to do otherwise was political
disloyalty.
It is this world into which Jesus was
born and why Luke gives us such a ‘detailed though incorrect’
narrative context. The census is a powerful tool of empire that clearly expresses
the burden of those who were forced to surrender so much to so few. Luke’s
context is deliberate. It is in this context that the angelic choir announces
a different peace, the peace of a God who favored humanity.
A second narrative touch by Luke indicates
this wonderful God. The announcement of the birth by the angelic messenger
comes to shepherds. Since Jeremias, it is common to point out the low social
status of shepherds in Palestine. Shepherds plied a ‘despised trade.’
It is not the religiously pure, nor the ruling authorities, nor the esteemed
to whom the angel came but to the “have-nots.” God’s Peace
is announced to those who only know peace as oppression. Charles Talbert notices
this: “This good news, moreover, is ‘for all people’ (vs.
10), outcast as well as in-group. In Luke’s time shepherds were often
considered outside the law. Their testimony was considered invalid because
of their reputation for dishonesty (b. Sanhedrin 25b). Yet it was to such
as these the angel announced the good news of the Savior’s birth (2:8-11).
This can only be regarded as a foreshadowing of the subsequent theme of God’s
grace shown to sinners which runs throughout Luke” (Reading Luke).
Either this page has not yet been completed, or we have not found any significant textual issues in the lectionary texts for this Sunday.
Introductory Articles
We will add articles as we are able,
or as users of the site request them, so if you have suggestions for additional
pieces, please write to us!
"Introduction
to Mimetic Theory"
"Mimesis"
"The
Scapegoat"
"The
Pillars of Culture"
"Jesus"
"The
Four Gospels"
A Brief Introduction
to Luke
What's New: (Hover your mouse over to pause cycling)
Christmas
Day I
Is 9:2-7
Ps 96
Ti 2:11-14
Lk 2:1-14,(15-20)
(Isaiah 9:2-7)
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived
in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined. You have multiplied
the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy
at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their
burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you
have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon
his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall
be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish
and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and
forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
(Titus 2:11-14)
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us
to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives
that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed
hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus
Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might
redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who
are zealous for good deeds.
(Luke 2:1-14)
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should
be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius
was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph
also went from the town
of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem,
because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be
registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she
gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid
him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region
there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock
by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood beforethem,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But
the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you
good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the
city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign
for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising
God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
(Luke 2:15-20)
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to
one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has
taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with
haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they
saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all
who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured
all these words and pondered them in her heart. The
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and
seen, as
it had been told them.
Occasional Articles
As with the Introductory Articles, we
will add other articles as time permits or as our readers request. If you
have a suggestion for anything, please let us know.
Michael Hardin
Is the Apocalypse Inevitable?: Native American Prophecy and the Mimetic Theory presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
Michael's Essay for a Celebration Volume honoring Rene Girard
Michael's Response to Willard Swartley's Covenent of Peace at the November Colloquium and Violence Meeting
Does
Peace Make A Difference? - Michael's essay in response to Rick
Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan (which somehow never mentions peace).
An Analysis of Rick Warren - Michael's response to "The Purpose Driven Life."
"The
God of Pat Robertson" - a response to Pat Robertson's words
to the people of Dover, PA.
"A
response to Charles Stanley's "A Nation at War"
"Must
God be violent? A Diagnosis and Prescription for Modern Christianity"
The
Scapegoat: Christologies in Conflict - A Study in Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Biblical
Testaments as a Marriage of Convenience: Rene Girard and Biblical Interpretation
Finding
Our Way Home: A Brief Note On The Authority and Interpretation of Scripture
"Does
The Passion of the Christ Preach the Gospel?"
A
sermon for the holiday devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King. (requires
Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
GRASPING
GOD: Philippians 2: 1-11 in the Light of Mimetic Theory
Rene Girard and the Recovery of Early Christian Perspectives (Brethren Life and Thought)
The Dynamics of Violence and the Imitation of Christ in Maximus Confessor (St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly)
"EcoSpirituality"
Or What Happens When You Sit Down With A French Literary Critic
Jeff Krantz
Mighty
One or Crucified Messiah? Competing Christologies and the Chiastic
Structure of Mark's Gospel
There's
No Such Thing as the Rapture - A sermon preached at the Church
of the Advent, Westbury (requires Acrobat Reader)
Holy
Scripture and the Consecration of Gene Robinson - a response
to the request of the Windsor Report for a Scriptural rationale. (requires
Adobe's Acrobat Reader)
Worship - The Redemption of Desire by Jeff Krantz
Myth
and Film - a piece written for the City of Angels Film Festival
The Stations of the Cross - Rewritten by Jeff Krantz
A Dramatic Presentation of the Stations of the Cross for Youth by Barb Fabijan-Waddell
Escaping
the Power of "My" - A NonViolent Approach to Stewardship
Preaching
Peace in Hollywood: The Theologies of Terminator, Lord of the Rings, and the
Matrix
V
for Vendetta - The Name Says It All A review of the movie.
Essays, Sermons and Liturgical Pieces by Friends of Preaching Peace
"Jesus and the Gibeonites: Reading the Bible from the Perspective of the Hidden Victim" by James Warren.
Mark Heim's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement
Kate Layzer's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement (and inspiration for Mark Heim's hymn!)
Alan Cork, "Transformation" in L'Arche: A Mimetic Account presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
"The Wisdom of God's Peace" a sermon by Jim Amstutz, co-pastor of Michael's church.
Girard's Christology - Per Bjornar Grande
Violence, Anarchy and Scripture: Jacques Ellul and Rene Girard - Matthew Patillo
Comparing
Plato's Understanding of Mimesis to Girard's - Per Bjorner Grande
C. Frank Terhune, an Easter Sermon: "God's Big But" (no kidding!)
Gerald Biesecker-Mast's paper from Theologia Pacis on Pacifist Gospel Epstimology.
An essay by the Rev. John Hill on Mimetic Theory and Catechesis
