How do we confront hate?
In the aftermath of James Von Brunn entering the National Holocaust Museum and killing an African American guard I have been thinking of how Christians ought to respond. The motive for the killing was hate. Von Brunn hates blacks and Jews, and I suppose he hates me because I am a white man who does not hate blacks and Jews. Apparently he hates a lot of people. So the question really is, how do we respond to and confront hate?
Most of our society would answer by saying something like, “Those people only understand violence and guns. We need to take them on in like manner.” If I say, “But Jesus said ‘ do not resist evil…turn the other cheek….pray for those who hate you and persecute you…’” many respond by saying that the society of 1st century Palestine is nothing like ours and we cannot be expected to just lay down before such violent characters. In other words, only violence can be successful in stopping violence and we must ignore the words of Jesus on this. But is that true and should we ingore him?
I believe that those who follow Jesus’ teaching on peace verses violence, on love verses hate and fear may indeed suffer some because of their beleifs, but in the end will find themselves in a victorious position. I do not know anyone that is filled with as much hate as Von Brunn and those like him, but I do believe I can make a difference in the world by living as openly as possible as a person of peace. I believe that all of us can make a difference and make the world a better place by openly living as persons of inclusion, not separation, as persons who celebrate the diversity of God’s creation, not by only associating with those most like ourselves. In the end, surely it is the case that the teachings of Jesus will overcome hate, fear and violence. I have staked my life on it.
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