Denying the Resurrection
It’s Holy Week, and so are thoughts are naturally drawn to Jesus’ cross and resurrection. We will listen to scenes from the Passion of our Lord read in church and meditate on our Lord’s suffering and all that it means for us. And on Sunday we will gather to hear, like the first disciples, the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. Gathered together we will pray and sing and give thanks for all this means for us and, indeed, for the world.
This is, to borrow the old words, “meet, right and salutary,” for as the Apostle Paul writes, the confession of Jesus’ death and resurrection is “of first importance,” that is, stands at the very center of our faith (I Cor. 15:3). Which is why debates – in the media or sometimes even in our congregations – about whether Christ was really raised can be upsetting.
Recently, however, I read a post by Peter Rollins who calls into question the value of these kinds of arguments. It’s not that he thinks questions about what really happened long have no value; it’s more, I think, that he would invite us to ask whether the difference these things actually make in our lives today matters even more. In particular, Pete invites us to move beyond pious words to holy action. Can we, he asks, really confess that we believe Jesus’ was raised from the dead if we act like he wasn’t? Can we profess our faith for the Lord who was crucified if we don’t simultaneously take the side of those who are today being oppressed and put to death?
It’s become something of Pete’s trademark to push his audience to the edge through his writing and speaking, and what follows is no exception:
Without equivocation or hesitation I fully and completely admit that I deny the resurrection of Christ. This is something that anyone who knows me could tell you, and I am not afraid to say it publicly, no matter what some people may think…
I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection of Christ when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and lend my support to an unjust and corrupt system.
However there are moments when I affirm that resurrection, few and far between as they are. I affirm it when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees, when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed.
You can read the rest of his post at his blog or watch an extended version of a similar riff below. Either way, I hope you let his words sink in, challenge you, and ultimately witness to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiG-nlDVvYM
If you like Pete’s work, you can find more at his website or in his recent book Insurrection.
Extremely powerful and hitting at a perfect time for me. Thanks for the thoughts, the post, and the video. Not only the placing of Christianity in the here and now but also in the reality that our actions are what create waves in the world, not just our ideas… be they constructive or destructive.
Terrific… How many times I have denied the resurrection and not realized that is what I was doing. We are to be God’s hands, feet, eyes and mouth. We were created in the image of God to love, respect and care for all things, not only man but all of God’s creation. What an awsome gift and responsibility.