I am sure many of you have been sufficiently inundated by outrage posts regarding the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Yet again, people were abused by a blatant mockery of the crucifixion of Jesus, a Jew, a human being, a loving person, and God. I can’t keep up; I thought we were against oppression these days. That being said, since people don’t know Jesus, apart from plenty of Christians who think it’s a political party, maybe we can excuse their ignorance. Worse, however, we were assaulted by more cheap, easy, and mundane performances that pass as art these days. 

Honestly, I’d rather hang out with the French who tore down the churches in the 18th century or the German theologians who exchanged the resurrection for existential liberation. Maybe not; at least today’s anti-Christian can blame fewer brain cells and centuries of indoctrination.  In the end, sorry, everyone, your beloved Christendom has been gone for a while. Where have you been living?

Reading Luther, I wonder if he would be more upset by this latest mockery of the Lord’s supper than Zwingli’s. As the Roman Empire discovered, barbarians within the walls were far more dangerous than those outside.

Regardless of its merits or detriments,  Christendom is dead. While people should still vote for God-pleasing and rational laws and rulers, the church should stop feigning outrage. That’s what Muslims do. They need to. Their God needs to be defended. How weak of a god is that?

The One true God needs no one to defend Him. His kingdom is just fine. Jesus not only didn’t have revenge on His enemies but took their insults, even their cross. Gladly, He let them crucify Him. Unbeknownst to them, that was the plan before the world’s creation. God would die for blasphemers, haters, mockers, sinners, you and me. Talk about a shocking opening ceremony! A righteous, holy God hanging on the cross with murderers. A far greater spectacle. A far more beautiful work of art! Living art. Art that doesn’t imitate life but gives it.

So His reign has moved from heart to heart from His heart without obstacle. Governments and cultures will do what they do, but Christ and His church are unthwarted. In fact, I have only seen an increase in people fleeing the nothingness of our current culture toward the lifted-up Jesus on the cross. The worse the world gets, the clearer the promises of forgiveness and resurrection become. 

Be prepared, followers of Jesus. Make room in the pews, and remember who you were before Christ found you. Like your savior, take the hits, take the slaps, turn the other cheek, and smile at the world. Jesus and His church will be here long after another empire fades into memory.