"Is St. Joan of Arc Too Political?"
Peter Eichten
Sunday, January 26th, 2003

The short answer to that question is a profound NO! But, what the heck, I have 15 minutes so I might as well say something…

And, what does it mean to be political? There are various definitions of what it means to be political, the one I’m working with here is, “to be political,” means to be involved in the public life of a society.

As Christians our primary task is to follow the ministry of Jesus. What becomes difficult is to know what it means to be a follower of Jesus. There are all kinds of versions of Christianity out there all claiming to be following Jesus. Claims of following Jesus have been used to justify war, slavery, violence, homophobia, exclusion of women, and many other very disturbing things.

Here at St. Joan’s our understanding of following Jesus comes to us by using the best theological tools available (we have a staff that is highly trained in contemporary theology). For the past 10 years our staff has been reading and discussing the best theological materials available. Many of you have used those same resources in your study groups and in your SCCs. From these activities a particular theology is being formed and is emerging. And sometimes this emerging theology is at odds with traditional Christian theology. Some of those components of this theology you have heard George, myself, and others talk about are:

• Moving from an ancient worldview, where God is out there; to an integrated worldview, where God is within.
• Moving from a fall-redemption theology to a creation-centered theology - from original sin to original blessing.
• Moving from a high Christology - Jesus as God, to a low Christology - Jesus as human.
• Moving from a dominator way of being in the world to a partnership way of being in the world. As emphasized here at SJA through collaborative ministry.
• Moving from a spirituality based in hierarchy, doctrine, obedience, and pietism, to a spirituality based in relationships, creating partnerships, personal growth, meditation, and a holistic way of life.

John Dominic Crossan a contemporary Catholic theologian writes: “…Jesus and his earliest companions had not just a vision but a program, not just an idea but a plan. …the kingdom of God is not about me but about us, not about individuality but about society, not about heaven but about earth. It is about divine justice here.” That statement is very close to what St. Joan of Arc is all about. It’s about living in the world and working for justice for all. And this type of activity is by its very nature political.

Jesus lived in a country that was occupied by the Roman Empire. Empire in the history of modern Civilization has always been oppressive - that is the only way that Empire has been able to exist. Empire gains its wealth through conquering lands and using the resources of those lands for it’s own benefit, for the most part it doesn’t care much for the well-being of those being conquered. Empire was oppressive at the time of Jesus, and Jesus and his followers were the direct victims of this Empire. There were many movements in Israel against the Roman Empire, most of them were violent, some of them were non-violent. What Jesus does is to put forth a social program of non-violent resistance to Empire. He and his followers were so successful in putting forth this program that it resulted in the execution of Jesus, and later in the execution of many of his followers. The ministry of Jesus was totally and thoroughly political!!

The second point I want to make from this emerging theology here at St. Joan’s is that St. Joan’s as a community is on a journey. We have a slogan that we use often, “We welcome you where ever you are on your journey.” And that is true, we do. However, we all must realize that the parish is also on a journey, and people may or may not like the journey the parish is on. We still welcome everyone where ever you are, but that does not guarantee that you will like the journey SJA is on. But everyone is always welcome to be part of that journey.

One of the consequences of this emerging theology is that it is often at odds with traditional Christian theology, and is most often at odds with religion that has been formed by Empire. As Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer reminded us in the first reading, “Our embrace of imperial Christianity distorts the content and substance of Christian faith sufficiently enough to constitute a betrayal of Jesus.” Modern Christianity, American imperial Christianity has created a Jesus that accommodates Empire.

• The theology that we espouse here at SJA challenges that understanding of Jesus.
• The theology that we espouse here at SJA is one that we believe is faithful to the social ministry of Jesus.

Today’s gospel is a wonderful example of the political nature of Jesus’ ministry. Mark has Jesus’ first healing in his public ministry to be that of a woman. It’s difficult for us to understand the political nature of that little story. Women in first century Israel were less than second-class citizens, almost less than human. To have Jesus perform his first healing miracle on a woman would have shocked the listeners of this story. This is a shocking and a very political little story.

Then in the rest of that reading we see Jesus healing many, then retreating for quiet and solitude - to pray and to meditate. But very quickly he and his followers are out in the world again spreading the message. This movement of Jesus and his disciples of being active in the world, then retreating for prayer, and going back into the world is a common motif for the Jesus of Mark. What Mark is putting forth here is the activity of church. The activity of those whom claim to be followers of Jesus.

The church - us, you and me - we are gathered and we are sent. We gather for prayer and meditation, for support and strength, then and we are sent. Then we gather again, to reflect, discuss, pray and meditate, and then sent out again into the world. This is the activity of the Christian Church. Traditional Christianity has done a wonderful job on being gathered, on coming together and taking care of ourselves, and don’t misunderstand me, this is important - it’s an important function of church, but it can’t stop there. As a church we are also sent - sent into the world to make a difference, to work for peace, non-violence, justice, and the dignity of all human beings. And, most importantly we are called to challenge and expose those systems and structures that oppress people and that keep people from living a dignified life. And you know what? That type of activity is political.

There’s a difference between being political and being involved in partisan politics. We strive intentionally to not become partisan, that is not to endorse a political candidate or a political party one over another. However, we will obviously favor politicians that are working for justice and peace.

The emerging theology here at SJA is one that puts forth a low Christology where Jesus is understood first to be human; it’s a theology that is creation-centered, not understanding Jesus as a sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world; it’s a theology that is concerned about following Jesus, not worshipping him; it is a theology that understands that following Jesus means to challenge non-violently the evils of the world. It’s a theology that understands Jesus to be totally political.

The mission and the ministry of St. Joan of Arc is also totally political, we are gathered and we are sent - we strive to not be partisan, but we are political. We will not back down on our stance against war, and our stance for non-violence, we will not back down on having homilists that will help us understand the issues of injustice that permeate our society. And at the same time we will continue to gather well and to provide the avenues that folks need to help them take care of themselves. We will continue to be gathered and to be sent.

We welcome you wherever you are on your journey, but understand, that St. Joan of Arc is also on a journey.