One of the pieces is an excerpt of the Evangelical Manifesto. It is made up of several sections, which were written as a repudiation of several practices of American Evangelicalism. The manifesto starts off by reclaiming what it means "to be an Evangelical and to carry the name of Christ: to seek to be faithful to the freedom, justice, peace, and well-being that are at the heart of the kingdom of God, to bring these gifts into public life as a service to all, and to work with all who share these ideals and care for the common good." Evangelicals are to be people who are a part of a different tradition: One that brings change and social reform.
Our second piece is an Open Letter from President Mahmood Ahmadi-Najad to President Bush. In his opening, he writes: "Can one be a follower of Jesus Christ (PBUH), the great Messenger of God, feel obligated to respect human rights, present liberalism as a civilization model, announce one's opposition to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and WMDs, make 'War and Terror' his slogan, and finally, work toward the establishment of a unified international community - a community which Christ and the virtuous of the Earth will one day govern?"
At the outset, both pieces define what Christians should be about; they bring to light what it looks like to carry the name of Christ and work toward the establishment of a community ultimately governed by Christ. This is capital Religion in the public eye: the way a person's beliefs influence their actions. "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16 (TNIV)
The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmood Ahmadi-Najad, considers how one might shine like a light from a position of authority by defending the rights of the underprivileged, defending the rights of all people around the world by not imposing wars on them, or interfering illegally in their affairs, or establishing hellish prisons to incarcerate some of them. He questions if it would be a good idea to bring the world peace and security, and tell truth to our nation and others around the world. He goes on to ask if President Bush should be on the side of the people, to serve the people, which is a leader's main task.
The Evangelical Manifesto says the same thing. It is not the duty of a Christian to put faith in and imitate the power held by Emperor Constantine but rather Jesus of Nazareth's. It is power under, "Justice was promoted by a suffering servant emptied of power and ready to die for the ends he came to achieve." Were a president to actually follow the teachings of Jesus, they may find themselves out of a job... or they may find themselves redefining what the position should look like.
There is no doubt that many Americans would be very unhappy if a president actually helped "the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow." Imagine if instead of a 700 billion dollar bail out plan, the United States enabled people all over the world to have access to clean drinking water. It would cause uproar. Or instead of raising taxes for people who make over 250 thousand dollars a year, cap it, and give the rest away to people who really need it. Or, what if America got rid of the welfare system and healthcare system and said, "okay, the new law is: everyone love your neighbour!"
This obviously would never work for real. America is not a theocracy and Americans are far too selfish. If honest moral ideals were put into place within government, and actually followed, it could work. But it never will.
Thus: application of the “power-under” idea of the Christian church. A group of people so indwelt with the gospel that they spur major movements in social change. A group of people so convinced that the prisons need reform that they would readily swap seats with the man on death row, guilty as hell. Not to prove a point, but to give life. It looks like a group of people willing to move into the ghetto and provide gentrification with justice; using their God-given talents and abilities in their business and trades to bring change to corrupted and broken neighbourhoods. It looks like a group of people who are doctors who offer free care and supplies to those unable to afford adequate care. It looks like a group of people who love their “enemies” so much that they fly to Baghdad two weeks before the bombings and embrace their brothers and sisters abroad, showing them what Christ actually looks like.
The American Church has lost its imagination. The Evangelical Manifesto conveys that American Christians have put far too much faith in political systems and leaders than in the actual teachings of Jesus to change people from the inside out: to transform lives and the world around them. Mahmood Ahmadi-Najad imagines what it might look like for a professing Christian leader to do the same thing. It could be a different world indeed.
