From the Salmon

Our chief weapon is surprise .... surprise and fear .... fear and surprise .... Our two weapons are fear and surprise ....

Cardinal Ximinez — Monty Python’s “The Spanish Inquisition” sketch

Kevin at Wasp Jerky posted recently on how pervasive fear is in our culture and even in the church. He concludes with a series of questions:

The question, then, is would many evangelical Christians even know how to evangelize if they weren’t allowed to scare people? Would evangelical Christians know how to, as St. Francis of Assisi said, preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words? Would they know how to persuade people, as Paul did, that Christianity is both reasonable and true? Would they, and do they, know how to love their neighbor as themselves? Or is it just so much easier to scare people shitless?

Fear is unquestionably powerful stuff. It’s so ingrained in our nature as humans. And it’s there almost from day one of the Christian story. Some of the first words spoken in the Bible were “I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

But just because it’s such a part of our makeup doesn’t mean that this is how we’re supposed to live. And it certainly doesn’t mean that this is how we’re supposed to talk about God. As I thought about Kevin’s post, it reminded me of something Machiavelli wrote in The Prince. It’s not so much about Christians, but it’s about motivating and manipulating people, which is what evangelism can so easily become:

Moreover, men are less careful how they offend him who makes himself loved than him who makes himself feared. For love is held by the tie of obligation, which, because men are a sorry breed, is broken on every whisper of private interest; but fear is bound by the apprehension of punishment which never relaxes its grasp.

As I read the Bible, it seems to me that God is very much aware of this dynamic. And given the option of demanding that we follow Him out of fear, which is easier and more powerful, He clearly chooses love.

Now, there are plenty of legitimate reasons to be in fearful awe of a holy God. And we shouldn’t forget that. The response to this culture of fear in the church shouldn’t be the “Buddy Christ” of Kevin Smith’s Dogma.

But contrast Machiavelli with 1 John 4:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

That’s the God we should talk about. As Kevin and St. Francis say, that’s the God we should preach about, even without words.

But we should never pretend that this is easy. It may be freeing, but perfect godly love isn’t shiny, happy easy love. The truth is, I am indeed a “sorry breed.” Perfect love runs completely contrary to how I want to live my guarded, selfish life. I actually am scared of my neighbor, much less my “enemy.”

One of the first pieces I wrote on this site was in response to a post at Bad Christian where Brandon talked about one of my favorite songs, David Wilcox’s “Fearless Love.” I won’t post all the lyrics here, but Wilcox weaves a narrative that is worth reading in its entirety. And you should check out the song itself (I think it’s newly available at the iTunes Music Store for a dollar).

Wilcox sings:

So just how strong this change of heart must be
That one that Jesus once described
Kindness to your enemy
Carry his pack an extra mile

When fearless love, fearless love
Fearless love makes you cross the border

Full Lyrics...

“Fearless Love”
from David Wilcox’s East Asheville Hardware

Fearless love, fearless love
Fearless love makes you cross the border

At your church they asked for volunteers
To make a presence in the park
That’s where the wicked planned to demonstrate
And carry signs to set a spark
Someone behind you heaved a stone
That struck the thin man behind his ear
So now there’s blood upon his sign
Which read “There’s nothing here to fear”
“The wrath of god,” somebody yelled
“Will punish all of those like him”
But if you travel back 2000 years
I swear you’d hear this all again

Back then they’d say
“These soldiers walk on sacred ground
This land’s our history and our home
They have no right to be around
They are the evil force of Rome
So just how strong this change of heart must be
That one that Jesus once described
Kindness to your enemy
Carry his pack an extra mile

Chorus:
When fearless love, fearless love
Fearless love makes you cross the border

Your mind snaps back to where you stand
Your church is here to fight a cause
And at your feet a fallen man
Whose head is cradled in his arms
Though his blood contains his death
And though the lines are drawn in hate
You drop your sign of Bible verse
And help the wounded stand up straight

Chorus

Oh yes the high religious still will scorn
Just like that did all that time back
They’ll say you helped the other side
They saw you haul that soldier’s pack
But now how could you carry that man’s sign
In your heart the choice was clear
You didn’t join the other side
The battle lines just disappeared

Chorus

In a time of war, of fear, of condemnation, of divisive political moralizing, the story Wilcox spins in his song is essential prophetic truth. And it points to Jesus’ ultimate challenge for us to live lives of fearless love.

The truly sad thing is, it’s easy to write about, but that challenge scares the shit out me. Ironic, that.

Update: Kevin has written a follow-up post expanding on how fear is used as a means of motivating and controlling others.