Missio Dei

Jake Bouma called me subversive. He even gave me an award for it. I won it for this post, Top 50 Possible Reasons Why You’re Not Emergent.

Subversive is an interesting word.

sub·ver·sive adjective, tending to subvert or advocating subversion, esp, in an attempt to overthrow or cause the destruction of an established legally constituted government.

–noun, a person who adopts subversive principles or policies.

The second definition is probably a little more apt to what I want to be about. I believe Jesus was entirely subversive to a spiritual oppression that all humans fall under. And unfortunately that oppression is always systematic and controlling. Some people call it the empire. Others call it the anti-kingdom. I just know its not good.

Unfortunately this anti-kingdom has a way of moving within the established church, the weeds within the wheat. I have reached a point in my life where I simply refuse to take part in systematic oppression in the name of God. I want my life to be about His work in creating something life giving and so clearly not human that it can’t be mistaken. I want to be participating in His mission.

Sometimes I will use humor as in the post above. I love the way humor disarms the silly reasonings we create to keep God at bay or in a box. It exposes in a way that we can’t help but laugh at our own humanity, and hopefully lead us to something restorative, something whole.

And my attempts at subversion are always meant for love. I believe that it is love that draws people out of oppression. It is love that restores the dignity of those who have lived lifetimes of systematic abuse and neglect. It is love that makes life worth living, even in the face of awful circumstance. It is love that is the unmistakable reflection of our creator, our Father, our Papa who loves us when we feel so oppressively unlovable. It is love that breaks through our defense mechanisms and declares, “Yes, you really are worth it.

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Here are the other winners.

• Sarcastic Lutheran by Nadia Bolz-Weber (e.g., Why she isn’t that kind of Christian)
• The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus by Jon Birch (e.g., Hamster Wheel Church)
• Nate Ritter (e.g., Ideas that Change the World via Twitter)
• novus•lumen by Jeremy Bouma (e.g., The Good of Affluence: A Critique and Evaluation of Capitalism)