Column: Apologize for past transgressions
James Stewart/Columnist
Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: Opinions
I read the book "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller a few years ago. In it, he discusses his experiences at a radically liberal college in the northwest. During one of the college's celebration weekends - a weekend when the local police are barred from stepping foot on campus to prevent members of the student body from being arrested - he and some of his like-minded friends hatched an idea. They were going to set up a confessional in one of the quads. Now, I know what a lot of you are thinking: A confessional on a public campus? They would be removed immediately. Remember, though, no police. They could get away with it. They constructed this confessional and erected it in the quad during the celebration, and they waited. Finally a student came up to them and asked what it was. When they told him, he decided, "Hey, why not. I'll give it a try."
This was no ordinary confessional, though. Instead of this young man going in and confessing all the bad things he had done, Mr. Miller was sitting on the other side of the screen with something unexpected. The gentleman sat down and asked exactly how he was supposed to proceed, since he had never confessed before. Mr. Miller explained it wasn't that kind of confessional. Instead of the individual doing the confessing, the man of faith on the other side of the screen would do the confessing. And confess he did. Mr. Miller talked about the failings in his own life. The doubts he had about Christianity. He apologized for how the Church treated people like this young gentleman, who had never stepped foot in a church for fear of judgment. Mr. Miller owned up to all the horrible, unflattering things the Christian Church had done to people throughout history, and he apologized for them.
On this Good Friday, the Friday before Easter and the date that it is traditionally believed that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, perhaps the Christian community at Eastern should take a page from Mr. Miller's book and confess to the failings of Christianity. Too often members of the Church feel they have to always be right, for to be proven incorrect would somehow defame the gospel that they follow. My fellow Christians, we follow a failure. Jesus did not raise an army to run the Romans out of Jerusalem. Jesus did not call down fire from heaven or perform miracles at every person's whim. He did not remove himself from the cross when he was taunted and commanded to do so to prove his divinity. Jesus died. What an epic disappointment.
My fellow Christians, we follow an individual who was doomed to fail but who ultimately succeeded. He, as the Christian scriptures say, was God incarnate, and therefore perfect. We, as his followers, are not. That has been proven time and time again throughout history, and is proven daily when we hear, "I don't go to church because once I went to (campus ministry), and they were so mean," or some variation. Perhaps, as the Christian community at Eastern prepares to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we should take time to reflect on the history of the Church that man made to honor Jesus, and apologize.
James Stewart is a junior English major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.
This was no ordinary confessional, though. Instead of this young man going in and confessing all the bad things he had done, Mr. Miller was sitting on the other side of the screen with something unexpected. The gentleman sat down and asked exactly how he was supposed to proceed, since he had never confessed before. Mr. Miller explained it wasn't that kind of confessional. Instead of the individual doing the confessing, the man of faith on the other side of the screen would do the confessing. And confess he did. Mr. Miller talked about the failings in his own life. The doubts he had about Christianity. He apologized for how the Church treated people like this young gentleman, who had never stepped foot in a church for fear of judgment. Mr. Miller owned up to all the horrible, unflattering things the Christian Church had done to people throughout history, and he apologized for them.
On this Good Friday, the Friday before Easter and the date that it is traditionally believed that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, perhaps the Christian community at Eastern should take a page from Mr. Miller's book and confess to the failings of Christianity. Too often members of the Church feel they have to always be right, for to be proven incorrect would somehow defame the gospel that they follow. My fellow Christians, we follow a failure. Jesus did not raise an army to run the Romans out of Jerusalem. Jesus did not call down fire from heaven or perform miracles at every person's whim. He did not remove himself from the cross when he was taunted and commanded to do so to prove his divinity. Jesus died. What an epic disappointment.
My fellow Christians, we follow an individual who was doomed to fail but who ultimately succeeded. He, as the Christian scriptures say, was God incarnate, and therefore perfect. We, as his followers, are not. That has been proven time and time again throughout history, and is proven daily when we hear, "I don't go to church because once I went to (campus ministry), and they were so mean," or some variation. Perhaps, as the Christian community at Eastern prepares to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we should take time to reflect on the history of the Church that man made to honor Jesus, and apologize.
James Stewart is a junior English major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Nate Atkinson
posted 4/10/09 @ 2:02 PM CST
I can certainly agree that the church has made mistakes, but haven't we all. I don't know what church you go to on campus, but I've certainly NEVER gotten the vibe you talk about. (Continued…)
Scott C
EIU Alum
posted 4/13/09 @ 6:58 AM CST
Once all Christians realize that Christianity is not a perfect religion, that their God is not perfect, the Bible itself is nothing more than a story told by many generations, albeit with a good plot and lesson to its credit, then and only then will there be Peace in this world. (Continued…)
Post a Comment