Witness to Humility in the Extreme

Underlying Agenda, Part I:  Believe Me, I’m a Witness to Humility in the Extreme

          Let this be an addendum to the stated purpose of the blog. Essentially I’m endorsing an improbable, unpopular action: living in Christian humility in all interactions. Furthermore, I’m assuming, under the current state of affairs (post 9/11 and due to the continuing US wars, not to mention xenophobia exacerbated by high unemployment), that one of the most extreme stretches for most Americans would be behaving humbly towards Muslims.

          I am in the ideal position to attest to the challenge of humility towards Muslims; after all, my well-intended homemade cookies were rejected at the women’s university in Riyadh because my hands are considered dirty. “Who needs ‘em? I’ll save on cookie dough” might be a natural, perhaps benign, response. For me, the ongoing effort to live in humility with Muslims is both very real and provides an extreme example of the challenge of humility. How does one remain open-hearted in the wake of cultural denunciation while not internalizing it? I pray for the courage to be loving. The upshot?: I don’t believe that I have dirty hands, yet I’m willing to allow Muslims to obligate me with their hospitality, despite the fact that my reciprocity is sometimes rejected.

Who am I kidding? Over the years I’ve retreated somewhat from these painful encounters. Still, I have plenty of cultural conundrums to recount for the sake of pushing humility to its limits.     

Love Your Enemy

          If any group has been constructed as our modern day enemy, it’s the besieged Muslims under fire by our war machine across the world, as well as their relatives living inconspicuously in the United States. Instead of allowing their different perspectives and too-similar religious foundation to worry us into avoidance, we need to apply Jesus’ exhortation to embrace our enemy with agape, Christian love. This means challenging the Christianity-lite that glosses this basic Christian obligation, or trivializes it to the point of “forgiving” somebody who steals the prime parking spot, for example.

No, Muslims have been Christians’ blood enemies since the reprehensible Crusades, which are essentially being repeated under the vague guise of “security,” (i.e. access to resources so we can continue polluting the earth? Or for the sake of American imperialism?). Americans are actively defining Muslims as enemy targets, as enemies-by-association with extremists, and as theological threats. Notice that I’m not denying that Muslims are enemies (to whatever extent) to American Christians; I’m saying that Jesus says to LOVE our enemies.

          Loving one’s enemies means accepting them on their own terms.

          Whoa!!! “On their own terms”?! Don’t we expect people to meet us halfway? Did Jesus go halfway to Jerusalem, carry half the cross halfway to Golgotha, and suffer half the pain of death? Islam denies the Passion on the principle that such a beloved prophet shouldn’t need to suffer. True, the crucifixion wasn’t necessary. In fact, it’s absurd that the Son of God would die in ignominy; it’s scandalous even. Because my theology has been shaped in relation to Muslim views of Christianity, my explanation is that the Passion and Resurrection are the Great Follow-Through, the undeserved gift of hope and unification with God. Our grateful response, as limited as it is, must be to attempt to love others unconditionally, especially our enemies.