For we cannot but speak
things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. Acts 4:20-21 (KJV)Resistance is a fact of life…
Terry Dashner………………Faith Fellowship Church PO Box 1586 Broken Arrow, OK 74013
“He had kind of physical courage that allowed him to stare down and armed assassin and kind of mental courage that allowed him to keep secret of general’s plot against Hitler from even his own closest advisers” writes J. Bottum in his essay entitled, “Pius XII and Nazis.” Bottum continues, “He was a saint and a failure, a success and a sinner, a man designed by nature to be finest wielder of delicate tools of civilized diplomacy Vatican had ever know—and confronted during his papacy with only blind, monstrous barbarity, like a fencing master forced to duel a panzer tank.”
Bottum is referring to Pope Pius XII who ruled over Roman Catholic Church during rise and fall of Hitler and Nazi Germany. Why do I bring up his memory? I do because he is either despised or adored by historians. Again Bottum writes, “Whenever topic of his pontificate is raised, Pius XII is either unreservedly lauded as only significant resister of Hitler to survive on European continent, or unrelentingly denounced as a cowardly failure who passively or even actively participated in Nazi’s destruction of six million Jews.”
I write this not to bash pope’s memory—no one can effectively say that Pope Pius XII was negligent in allowing Hitler to exterminate six million Jews or brilliant in saving more than 700,00 Jews who probably would have been killed in Nazi death camps—but to raise this question. Why is it that world, who shares blame and guilt of allowing Hitler to rise to power, questions Pius XII in first place? Was Roman Catholic Church only religion in world in 1939? No, it wasn’t. But Roman Catholic Church—Christians in general—is castigated by world in regards to world’s violation of human rights because world expects Christians to resist evil. Always.
I find it odd that no one holds Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists responsible when morality wanes and human rights are violated. It’s always Church of Jesus Christ. Why? Because world may not like ostensibly “moral smugness” that besets church, but it expects church to speak out, even if world says otherwise. The world wants us, world needs us to resist evil. If we don’t, who will?
Stephen L. Carter in his essay published in book, The Best Christian Writing 2001, (Harper San Francisco 2001) and entitled, “Religion, Resistance, and Curious History of America’s Public Schools” writes some interesting things about Church’s role as resister. Says Carter, “Religion is, at its best, subversive of society in which it exists. Religion’s subversive power flows from its tendency to focus attention and, ultimately, values of its adherents on a set of understandings often quite different from understandings of dominant forces in culture. The larger culture will always try to impose a set of meanings on all of its subcultures; of all subcultures in a society, religion is almost always one best able to resist. That resistance, in turn, is source of diversity, of dialogue, and, ultimately, of change.” So, Church should rejoice when it is persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
