Persecution &

Vindication
by Alaire, Chris, Darby & Pepetua
Introduction
Christians as minorities
Inevitability of persecution, marginalization
Gospel of Mark: when not if
Relatable narrative to Christians of global
South
The Powers That Be
Let every soul be subject unto the higher
powers [T]he powers that be are ordained by
God. -Romans 13
Obedience to authority, West vs GS
Interreligious violence & secular states
Christian submission, martial spirit of OT?
The Blood of Martyrs
MiG shrapnel cross
Funeral of Janani Luwum (Uganda)
Kefa Sempangi & Idi Amins thugs
Elijah
Revelation, Rome is Babylon
Liberation
Liberation Theology
Using the Bible to justify political activism
Mao Dun & Isaiah
Epistle of James: Malawi
Social injustice & exploitation
God dwells among the poor
Voices of Resistance
-Judea of antiquity similar to modern GS
-Nazareth Manifesto in Petals of Blood
Depart from me, you accursed, for I was hungry and you
gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink
-Namibian author Zephania Kameeta
-God as liberator of South Koreas Minjung
Dalits
- India-Between 25 and 50 million Christians, about the same population of largest European
countries, mostly from lowest castes
- Indian culture strongly ties wealth/power to religious status
- 70% are Dalits, but they are underrepresented in the church
- Dalits cling to the Christian Gospels as overthrowing tenets of Hinduism, and Jesuss love for the
marginalized
- Jesus, like the Dalits, offended the elites or higher castes
- Jesus taught a gospel of the last and the least of human history and not of the rich and the powerful
- Identify with crucifixion
- Other Tribal communities have similar beliefs- Korea, Japan, New Zealand...
- Ultimately, the triumph of Jesus holds out the promise of victory for the marginalized
The Joshua Syndrome
- Global south nations can closely identify with colonialism and imperialism
-Many times, these people identify more with the defeated or massacred Canaanites rather than the
followers of Moses or Joshua, especially when White colonists invoked the takeover of the Canaanites
to justify their takeovers
-Joshua seen as blueprint for colonization of Southern Africa one of the most troubling books in the
Bible -Zimbabwean Dora Mbuwayesango
-Reminds us that Old Testament stories are generally one-sided in favor of the Jews, at expense of
Palestinians
-Some communities have very hard time reading about conquest of Canaan
- The notion that exodus and liberation are founded on seizing someone elses land gives the Bible a
double-edged quality
-Naboth, rather than Joshua
-This is not the majority of Global South readings of Old Testament, but its not rare
The Great Disappointment
- In Latin America, some liberation theologians suggested that oppression could be
stopped using political action using the secular state
- Marxism
- Religion becomes intertwined with the secular state
- Destructive regimes swept under the rug
- Marxism crumbles, liberation theology is questioned. Pentecostal and evangelical
churches grow instead
- Newer churches suspicious of overt political involvement
- Old Testament
- Biblical traditions
- Ecclesiastes
Saving the State
-Loss of faith enhances influence of Church, Christian leaders play influential
role in society
-Post-independence, new organizations in Africa identified as materialistic or
worldy
-Nigeria-corrupted leadership
-As worldy beliefs receded, people turned to religion
-States fail; churches flourish
-Bishops and Pastors gained power from leading these churches
-Widely know for Church leaders to struggle for reform, human rights, etc.
Interesting Sermons
-Archbishop Ncube references drawn from Luke 4:18 ...set
the oppressed free
-James and Amos: denouncing wealth and corruption
-David Gitari
-The book of Daniel, the book of Amos
The Lord is My Shepherd
Psalm 23:1-6
Western Christians
Jesus is the shepherd, all believers are the flock.
Shepherds role- To protect, and care for the sheep.
Global South Christians
African Bible commentary The image of the shepherd referred to the kings but it also refers to all people entrusted with the task of
leadership
o When shepherds failed, the sheep were scattered. In this context the exiles, and in our present situation the refugees (Jenkins
146 [quoting Kinoti from The Bible in African Christianity]).
When Leaders fail as Shepherds
Shepherd of Psalm 23 Trust in God alone
The Good Shepherd of John 10 Abundant life in Jesus
To declare The Lord is my Shepherd you are denying all things worldly.
Psalm and Muslim declaration are closely related; Muslim: Whatever goals the world sets forward, and whatever power is claimed by
earthly authority, God is greater; Christians: God alone has the authority to shepherd His people.
The Lord is My Shepherd
Archbishop David Gitari (1937 2013)
Deployed Ezekiel 34 during Kenyas growing political crisis of the early 1990s.
o You are doomed, you shepherds of Israel!
-Illustrated failure and betrayal by shepherds
-A lesson on how not to govern
-There is hope!
o Good Shepherd of Psalm 23 a model
Defending the Land
Christ as overlord of all creation
Gospel of Matthew All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me
Colossians 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist
Christian-based ecological movements
Association of African Earth keeping Church
Zimbabwean Institute of Religious Research and Ecological Conservation (ZIRRCON)
o Ceremony to welcome tree saplings 50 bishops sprinkled holy water on ground
o Offered communion and blessed saplings
o Confess sins including against the land One woman nursing a baby says Ive cut a living tree without planting one
to replace it
Gitari Defends environmental causes
1991 Responded to local politicians who secured a grant of public land, a mountain of natural beauty and environmental
importance.
1 King 21 - King Ahab and the peasant Naboth who refused to sell his land to the king
o Was there no Naboth to say no?
By These Words We Are Comforted
Book of Revelation and the Apocalypse A source of ferocious moralism or comfort
Northern mainline believers
o Alienated by the violence and apocalyptic outcome
o Suggests the thought of a world of cult compounds and armed militias
Global South believers
o Correlation across the political spectrum Secular States As: Deceptive and evil persecutors
o Apocalypse is a source of hope to the oppressed, and judgement of God that puts an end to the crisis that the people suffer
The book of Revelation is suitable for societies living in disaster and violence
Churches in Sudan Read revelation for its promise that Gods justice will ultimately prevail
Uganda Christians in 1970s And when they shall have finished their testimony, the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit
shall make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill them The preacher continued, By these words we are comforted.
China Christians During times of persecution and Cultural Revolution, the hope portrayed is what sustains them.
Brazilian Scholar Gilberto da Silva Gorgulho states, The Book of Revelation is the favorite book of our popular communities. Here they
find the encouragement they need in their struggle and a criterion for the interpretation of official persecution in our society
Kenyas independent churches tell their members to be neither surprised nor discouraged by political persecution.
They should turn to their bibles, to revelation chapter 3, and to Lukes little apocalypse. There they will find infallibly
prophesied both the coming of persecution and the promise of immortality to those who keep their faith unto the end.
Texts for Democracy
Transition to democracy across Africa, Asia, and Latin America (1980s and 1990s)
Churches and church-based activists serve as the key figures in promoting the transition
Malawi used both the Bible and African proverbs to urge social cooperation for the common good
Many sermons drawn on Old Testament books, Judges through 2 Kings
o Stress how the conduct of the ruler affected the health of the state
o Only by obeying God and promoting justice did the Hebrew nation achieve stability and wealth among its hostile
neighbors
A call for national harmony
Ephesians 4 : From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up
in love, as each part does its work
Malawi has thirty-five ethno linguistic groups, and fourteen major languages are spoken.
Issues the Church might face under a democratic setting
Obeying Romans 13 when faced with acts of violence and persecution
Laws that pass but are not supported by the Church
Trusting the State
North American Churches
Largely respect secular notions of progress and social liberalization
Discussion of sexuality and gender are conforming to secular society
Americans view accepting changes in secular values represent progress
Global South Churches are puzzled that North American Churches feel the church should conform to a secular society
European conservatives from the Lutheran churches turned to Kenyan bishop Walter Obare for protection against their
liberalizing superiors.
o Psalm 118 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to
trust in princes.
BREAK!
A God for the Poor - Folk Catholicism and
Social Justice among the Yucatec Maya
Yucatec Maya
Indigenous Language spoken by about 1 million people in
Southern Mexico and Western Belize
Descendants of those who created the ancient Maya
Civilization
Diego de Landa (1524-1579) Launched an inquisition against
the Mayas
o July 1562 Burned five thousand native religious images
and destroyed much of the civilizations history, literature and
traditions
Yucatec Maya Village
Maya Village
Each Mayan village has a town hall and Catholic church in
the center of it
Basic unit of the colonial economy -
Mandatory tribute, taxes and labor drafts
Civil taxes include a tax to support the court system
and a community tax to support the village expenses
Church taxes include fees for baptism, confirmation,
weddings, burials
Labor drafts - Service in the homes of the Spaniards
for one week per year and one day per week on their
village
Reinforce a sense of shared responsibility within the
village
Yucatec Maya Villages
Cult of the saints
Each village was named after a patron saint
Established organization of Fiestas to honor the saint on the saints designated day on the Catholic Calendar
Ensures the health and welfare of the villagers for the coming year
Cultural values of Equality and Cooperation
Food is shared between households daily
Visitors will always be offered a little something
You should always give a visitor at least a glass of water, because you never know if that visitor is Jesus Christ
Himself
Folk Catholicism
Ceremony
Nine day Chaan in honor of the village saint
Includes nine days of prayer services
Bullfights
Jarana Dancing
Fireworks
Relleno-turkey pork and chicken in a blackened stew
Posada
Dec 16 - 24, Reenact Joseph and Marys Search for lodging
Dec 24 - the celebration of the Christ child begin
Dance drama - 2 Godfathers and the Devil
10 pm Villagers gather at church for mass
Festivities last until Jan 6th
Liberation Theology
Class Injustice
Global capitalism - Shift from agriculture to offshore manufacturing of clothing for tourists
vulnerable to Spanish speaking city dwellers, tourists and factory owners
Wage of $4 a day for factory workers and women earn $2 a week
Liberation Theology
Liberation Theology assures them a certain moral superiority
Preferential option for the poor: Poverty is seen as evil, Freedom of material goods which is necessary for
communion with God, The church should be poor so it can feel compassion
The Bible in Malawi
-Womens increased role in the Church
-Translation of Bible into local languages, profound effect
on spiritual life in Africa
-John Chilembwe, Nationalist uprising
-1992-Bishops Letter, Living Our Faith
-1993-Second Bishops Letter
-Overall, Bible is used to to measure government policies
against the Biblical message of Gods Kingdom
The Bible in Malawi
-Surveys done in Malawi in early 1990s
-Were the people influenced by Biblical passages?
-What were the characteristic emphases of contemporary
preaching?
-How was Bible interpreted?
-How did ordinary people understand Jesus?
-Prisoners
Desmond Tutu
Personal Info
-October 7th, 1931, South Africa
-Anglican Archbishop
-Activist for Human Rights and Social Justice
-Among the Champions of Human Rights along with Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Human Rights and Social Justice
-Human Rights
-Tutus objective: a democratic and just society without racial divisions
-Set out to accomplish this, including equal civil rights, system of education, and the stop to forced deportation.
-Social Justice
-Eco-nomic oppor-tu-nity is an essen-tial ingre-di-ent to social jus-tice. Equal opportunities as humans see social jus-tice is
the most impor-tant of all human goals, and that social jus-tice begins with eco-nomic jus-tice, and most espe-cially oppor-tu-ni-ties for decent
liveli-hoods for every-one who can work. Its the dig-nity of being human and of being the equal of our neigh-bor.
Ecology & the Environment
Justice issues in religious responses to
climate change: Inaction = Injustice
Climate crisis into global ethical dilemma
Who proposes solutions?
Who sacrifices?
Who acts first?
Christians, interfaith efforts
The Centrality of Justice
Religious activists, global economic powers
Millions affected will be underrepresented
Carl Sagan & The Joint Appeal
Environmental displacement (i.e. Maldives)
Bio- vs anthropocentric concerns
WCC & NCCEJWG
Environmental Justice or
Eco-Justice?
Community empowerment vs ecomovement
Warren County, NC & PCB landfill
Toxic Pollution in Minority Communities
Procedural, restorative, participatory justice
1994: Clinton & the EPA
Hostility to (non-human) environmentalism
Environmental racism
Animal Justice
Highlight poor conditions of agri-animals
Animal waste pollutes human communities
Vegetarianism
Ethics of hunting, poaching
Ethics of experimentation
Protection of endangered species
Human over animal rights?
Food Justice
Farmers exposure to pesticides, chemicals
Workers sometimes in slave-like conditions
Access to affordable and healthy food
Fair Trade Movement
Unnatural crops and effect on local
environment, economy (i.e. coffee)
Anthropocentric criticisms
Discussion Questions
Why do Christian organizations feel ethically inclined to
represent minority populations?
Where does Christianity fit into the ethics of acting out
eco-justice or environmentalism?
Do the Christian groups and organizations highlighted
in these readings represent the interests of all
Christians? Why (not)?
As the Global South moves towards a democracy, what
issues might Christians face that we don't in the U.S.?
Why?