The assassination of Bin Laden, the absence of Grace and the imperative to witness!

Just in a session yesterday on Peace Making as Witness and Friendship: Local Practices, Global Implications at the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in Jamaica led by Rosalee Velloso-Ewell – the Executive Director of the WEA Theological Commission & John Baxter-Brown – the Consultant for Mission and Evangelism at WCC.
We were shown two pictures – the first a series of headlines about the death of Bin Laden – all sensational, most victorious, many vengeful. Then we were shown a picture of the bus blown up on 7/7 in London.
Where is the grace of God in the bombing? Where is grace in the assassination of Bin Laden?
Wow – that hit me – Two questions I was not expecting with those pictures in front of us.
Where is the grace of God in the bombings? A hard question but as we talked, as we listened to some of the stories from on the ground we began to see some glimpses of what were undoubtedly grace; the ministering of many people to those injured and dying. The ministry of Christians in and amongst those dying and injured. One member in our discussion group was from the USA and I asked her where she saw the grace of God in 9/11. She paused, it had obviously hit her as an odd question to ask too, but then she launched in with a determination and certainty: it had raised the consciousness of God in people across the USA and brought people together.
As we moved on to talk about where the grace is in the assassination of Bin Laden, there was an awkward silence. We struggled much more to see the grace of God in the assassination. Even our US friend seemed to struggle, despite perhaps having the most right to at least feel most aggrieved.
With our failure to see grace in this context we found ourselves asking whether there are times when there is an absence of grace and how we deal with that if it is a reality.
Where does the witness of Christians fit into this context? What should such witness look like generally, but perhaps specifically and most acutely when grace seems absent in a situation?
We looked at three passages of scripture:
Is 52:7
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Cor 5:14, 18-20
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Rom 10:14-15
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
We Christians have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We are not given the option of a ministry of reconciliation – we are given it and we must engage in it…it is our calling. We are the feet that bring and preach the good news – “be reconciled to God and to one another” – that is the gospel we proclaim, that is the salvation we can offer through Christ. This should move us away from old dichotomies of social action or evangelism, proclamation or demonstration. Reconciliation to one another means care, compassion and equity, reconciliation to God means delivery from bondage, sin and separation. The gospel therefore the gospel means that I care for you enough to provide water for you to drink and connect you to the living water.
So what, practically is Christian Witness? We need to move away from witnessing in general terms to an unidentified, nebulous “them” to witnessing to the individuals we have relationships with – that is what Jesus did.
Think about Christian witness as relating. Someone said “Jesus didn’t die so we can win an argument in a pub!”. So just what did Jesus die for? Traditionally we approach witnessing with “What is right about me and what is wrong about you?” Perhaps we should start with “What is so great about Christianity?”
Ask yourself, “Why are you on the journey with Jesus Christ and why would others want to take a look?”
With whom do you share your story?
Tomorrow I am in a workshop on “Peace, Mission & Evangelism: Exploring the implications ‘The Code of Conduct on Conversion’”

Tagged: evangelism, grace, wcc

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