What would Jesus have done...in Beijing?
Yes, I know… not that old question again. WWJD? I admit that it has been overused. But it is a valuable question to ask from time to time. Of course, sometimes it's difficult to know exactly what Jesus would do in given situations. But lately, I have been reflecting on the antics of some Christian activists who protested in Beijing just prior to the Olympics and the question came to mind. Would Jesus have done this?
Would Jesus have trashed several hotel rooms in Beijing by painting murals and slogans on the walls protesting China's human rights abuses and then broadcasting what He was doing on the Internet? Is what really amounts to vandalism, a legitimate method of protest for His followers?
Would Jesus have written a press release several days in advance of going to China, announcing His arrest with ominous wording like “It is not known when Jesus, a leading religious expert, will be released” and then deliberately gone to the most highly guarded location in Beijing (Tiananmen Square) and provoked the authorities until they made His “prophetic” press release a reality? Would He have made sure His disciples called home to Galilee to make sure that the press release was sent out, exactly word-for-word what they had written from the comfort of their own home days earlier. Would His followers have assured those who accidentally found the press release days earlier on the Internet, that He actually wasn’t looking to be arrested and hoped that the press release would not be needed, knowing full well that He planned to go off to Tiananmen Square, with cameras rolling, making sure to record the inevitable arrest?
What do you think? Does the end justify the means?
Don’t noble ends require noble means?
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5 comments:
I saw the Youtube sight for the hotel trasher guy. He claims that he is going to pay for damages but like...what is the point in the first place? I don't get it.
I have decided not to watch the Olympics this time around and spend the time I might have watched praying for China.
I don't have accurate details of these incidents. I do know that we have no reference point to understand what it is like to have the front door of our homes smashed and have everything we own thrown onto the streets, as is the case with Hua Huiqui, simply because the govt. suspects we may have aims to pass out illegal literature during the Olympics.
Notice that this pastor is not from China, but from Calif. If he himself had any idea what it was like to endure suffering for his faith the way these Chinese Christians have, I am convinced he would have such an intimacy with Christ that he would not have resorted to this.
I agree with the previous comment: this was wrong. But I also think it is important for people to know that it was not a Chinese Christian that did this. The reason it is important is because we all know how carnal so many of us are as American Christians are (this vandal was an American Christian). Therefore we should pray just as fervently for the church in the US as we do the church in China.
It's worth noting that the participants in both of the incidents I mention here were not Chinese but both from the US. This is not intended to be anti-American. I would have had a problem with both cases regardless of where they were from.
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