"Following Jesus in a Violent World" Lowell Erdahl follows up Homily with a Workshop

Those who would use the Bible to justify war or capital punishment have an impressive opponent in Lowell O. Erdahl, bishop emeritus of the St. Paul  ELCA synod who calls himself the “has been” bishop.There is nothing “has been” about his credentials or grasp of biblical knowledge and its implications for our times. These he graciously displayed in a talk last Thursday in Hospitality Hall to a crowd of about 50 persons, most of whom had heard him speak at St. Joan’s on Sunday and were eager to soak up more of his wisdom.

He began by saying that first we must trust in the promises  of Jesus, and then we are to focus on how we are to live through the teachings  of Jesus. “Following Jesus In A Violent World,” was his theme. Right off he made a distinction between believing in Jesus and following him. He quotes the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus says, “Blessed are the peace makers,” which according to Erdahl implies action of some kind.   

We also have to understand the unequivocal nonviolence of Jesus. This, even in the face of his own words in Matthew 10:34: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth, but a sword.” Jesus then goes on to say he has come to set a man against his father and all kinds of other relatives against one another. This is not meant to be taken literally according to Erdahl. He explained that  in this case Jesus is speaking metaphorically. What he actually is doing, according to Erdahl, is calling each of us to stand with him against all kinds of evil, and this very likely will cause divisions among people. In another passage Jesus tells us to “love our enemies. Do good to those who hate you.”

In Luke 22:47-50, when Jesus’ followers see Judas kiss Jesus to betray him and the hostile crowd that is forming, they ask him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword? Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his  right ear. But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched his ear and healed him.”

Erdahl quoted E. Stanley Jones who said, “Every person who belongs to Christ belongs to every person who belongs to Christ. Every person who loves God belongs to every person who loves God.” “We’ll never meet a person whom God doesn’t love,” Erdahl stated.

He told us that Jesus says no to life destructive violence, and showed us the picture of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. In the only known record of Jesus writing something, he lowers his head and writes with his finger in the sand when people bring the woman before him. They tell him that the penalty for this sin is death by stoning. What does he say, they ask in an attempt to trap him. When he looks up, he speaks those unforgettable words: “Let him who is without sin throw the first stone.”  With that the woman’s detractors slink away one by one. Erdahl called Jesus a protector of life in this instance since he stopped a terrible execution. As an aside, a smiling Erdahl quotes Joan Chittister who, when asked about this story replied that she knew what Jesus wrote: “Where is the man?”

According to Erdahl, Jesus chose the way of compassion, being willing to die rather than kill. In a quick history lesson, Erdahl explained that for the first 300 years of Christianity, most Christians followed Jesus’ way of nonviolence. Those years were times of persecution and struggle. But after Constantine established Christianity as the official religion of the realm, everything changed. John Wesley declared that official status  “. .did more harm than all the persecutions together.” Apparently Christianity is a plant that doesn’t thrive in too much acceptance.

Out of that time came the “just war” theory, which originally was meant to limit war, not encourage it. The theory said there may be some tragic circumstances when war would be necessary, but was never meant to bless war. Our tragic mistake, in Erdahl’s words, “is to make war a normal procedure.”

He asked the question, “What if the German people, Catholic and Lutheran believers alike, had refused to go to war during Hitler's regime? There would no doubt have been many deaths, but probably not the 40 to 60 million that occurred. The power of leaders, Erdahl said, always comes from the consent of the people.

He went on to say that we need to take a new, hard look at war and told about Leo Tolstoy in his essay, The Kingdom of God & Peace. “War will end,” Tolstoy wrote, “when people refuse to fight.” Tolstoy had a great influence on Gandhi, and Gandhi was a student of Jesus. He even considered becoming a Christian, but said he never met a Christian who looked to him like a true follower of Jesus. Gandhi said during his time that, “much blood must flow, but let it be our  blood, not our enemies.”

Erdahl assured us that nonviolence does work. There is power when people refuse to cooperate in the mechanisms of war. He says that there are tactics in nonviolence as well as in war. If you want peace, prepare for peace.    

Franz Kafka said that, “War is a monstrous failure of imagination.”     Erdahl adds, “And of love.”

A tenant to remember is: We never fight evil with evil. We must get beyond the glamorization of war. He tells the story of General Patton telling his troops in WWII,  “You didn’t come here to win the war for your country. You came here to kill for your country.”     The great tragedy, Erdahl says, is that so many active church people are so eager to go to war.

He states that we have to find alternatives to war and lists a four-fold approach:

1. Peace through justice. “If you want peace, work for justice.” Pope Paul VI.
2. Peace through negotiations, reconciliation.
3. Peace through a global security system strong enough to maintain peace, but limited, and accountable, so it is not dangerous.     
4. Peace through the way of the Cross - peace through Jesus

Lowell Erdahl has authored or co-authored many books during his career.

Erdahl bemoans the fact that before the war in Iraq no church leaders ever said If you are a faithful Catholic or Lutheran, do not participate in this war. Then adds that it is terrible how the Bible is used to support  war.

He says that the president’s great vision for the Middle East of democracy, freedom, economic prosperity for all, etc.,  is wonderful, but how do we get there? The means must match the ends, which has not happened so far.    

Erdahl offers hope because there are groups working for peace locally and throughout the world. He mentions Every Church A Peace Church, Nonviolent Peace Force, World Citizen, Inc., for which he is president,  Moveon.com and Pax Christi International.    

His talk is sprinkled throughout with titles of books and their authors on this subject. Here are a few:

• When Religion Becomes Evil- Charles Kimball    
• A Force More Powerful- Ackerman & Duval    
• Pro Life  Pro Peace- Lowell O. Erdahl    
• What Every Person Should Know About War- Chris Hedges    

Jo Welch-Youngren worked with Harvey Egan in the early days of St. Joan of Arc. At that time she, Cy and Joan Speltz, Nancy Anderson, Darlene Arbuckle, Ferry Deslauriers, and John McGowan made up the staff. We all pitched in and did everything that needed doing and had a ball every day. Jo’s first husband, Jack Welch, was buried from St. Joan’s in 1980. Later she married Dave Youngren, moved to New Mexico, then returned to her roots. Now she and Dave sit on the left side center at the 9:00 o’clock Mass on Sundays and love every minute of it. Jo can be reached at JYoundave@aol.com.

He ends his talk with these words from Jeremiah 9:23-24:

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord.”