"Love your enemies." Pastor's Pen for 5th October

Centennial Park panorama

Before the day of his assassination earlier this month, I had never heard of Charlie Kirk, American conservative activist and influencer of the young. Clearly I'm not the target demographic. I didn't watch the memorial service, but various details emerged. The grieving widow, Erika Kirk, made a point of forgiving the shooter and committed to pray for him, which was touching and admirable from a Christian perspective. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5: 43-45;

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven."

Right after the conciliatory words of forgiveness from Erika Kirk, the New York Times reported the words of the President, who was in attendance along with most of his cabinet; “I hate my opponent,” Mr. Trump told the crowd at the memorial in Arizona, “and I don’t want the best for them.” Never mind that the shooter came from a Republican family, with that constitutionally protected, easy access to firearms. This 'memorial' had to be hijacked for political purposes. Interestingly, worryingly, the crowd cheered just as loudly for the president's words of vengeance as they did for the conciliatory words of the widow. The juxtaposition of these two sentiments was concerning and thought provoking.

We should be concerned at the unholy entwining of so-called evangelical Christianity and the politics of empire building we increasingly observe in the USA. Historically, when the churches give in to the temptations of imperial power, they lose sight of their true purpose. American pastor, Brian Zahnd writes; "God is no longer raising up pagan kings to enact his purposes, God has raised Jesus from the dead, and the fullness of God's purposes are accomplished through him." Jesus himself resisted the invitation to imperial power in his desert ordeal, declaring to the tempter; "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him."

Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we can watch and learn. There is no 'us and them' but a diverse community to be prayed for and served as the Holy Spirit gives us strength. We too must worship the Lord and serve Him only, in Jesus' name.