FALSE PROPHETS AND FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIANS

Rev. Dr. Gregory Wilson

October 31, 2004

Rev. Wilson began his talk by saying, "In order to understand false prophets and fundamentalist Christians, you have to understand the evolution of how prophets came to be in the first place, in the Judeo-Christian heritage after Israel became a nation."

Before Israel was a nation, he said, they did not have prophets. They appeared following the Israelites' move from a tribal society to a kingdom, as opposed to having judges as leaders.

An interesting thing about prophets: they don't talk about the future until they've described the present. They talk about oppression, about tyranny, and about helping the oppressed. Then they talk about consequences for Israel when the poor are oppressed, as a judgment from God.

According to theologian Walter Brueggemann, there were three reasons why Israel might have desired to be a nation: imitation of other nations; the protection of a military force; and the need to centralize power to protect the economic patterns in which some were becoming wealthy. Wilson feels that all three reasons are valid. But we need to look at the outcome of Israel's becoming a kingdom, he said.

Following was a humorous story about Judge Samuel, who was admonished by his people to plead with YHWH to let them have a kingdom. YHWH said "no." The people persisted, however, until He finally relented. But, He warned, there would be dire consequences: "Your sons will be drafted into military service. Your daughters will be called to serve the king as bakers and handmaids. He (the king) will take your best farmlands and give them to his servants. And the king will accumulate so much wealth, that it will become a burden to the people, and you will cry out to God to no longer have a king."

But the people still wanted a king.

The first kings, Saul and David, did fight battles and extended their territories over the years. Then came King Solomon, who was content with the results of all this conquest, and decided to build a huge temple to YHWH (or to himself). He purchased cedar from a neighboring kingdom, and took 30,000 men to build it--using forced or slave labor. He also "hired" 70,000 carriers, and 80,000 stonecutters. Just as Samuel foretold. Solomon's economy was built on slavery, and all those workers were taken from their families to create the glorious temple "to the lord."

We give Solomon great credit for being wise, said Rev. Wilson. "It reminds me of Howard Zinn's book, "The People's History."

So prophets were born as a result. "It is out of this context, which we Unitarian Universalists say is one of the core ethical sources that we have for relating to one another...one of the roots of who we are," said Wilson.

Then came Amos, around 750 BCE, who said: "You oppress the poor and crush the needy. And you exert a grain tax for their crops. You trample the needy and get rid of the destitute from the land." (The verb for "get rid of" means to "exterminate.")

The prophet Isaiah said: "Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead. Those who accumulate landed property until there is no land left and you are the only landowners remaining, you are also dead."

This from Micah: "Those who devise sinful plans in the evening because they have the power, confiscate field after field. They seize house after house. and deprive the person of their inherited land. You hate justice, and you do not do that which is right. Her leaders (Israel's) take bribes when they decide legal cases." Also, "faithful men have been disappearing from the land. There are no godly men left. They wait for an ambush so they can shed blood."

Wilson asked the question: When we look at our world, when do people disappear from their homes? The answer: When an oppressive force comes at night and takes them.

Wilson went on to quote other prophets of old, including Jeremiah, who appealed to rulers to stop oppressing foreigners; to cease killing innocent people, including widows and orphans.

From Lamentations (the Sorrows of Captive Zion), the writer mentions having to pay for water, as well as wood: "Our ancestors sinned, and we are left to bear their punishment."

Coming down to Malachi, who lived between 450 and 400 BCE: "I (God) will come to you in judgment, those who break promises, who exploit workers, widows and orphans, and who refuse to help the immigrant."

The prophets came to be because of political, religious and economic oppression. They were addressing whole cultures, said Wilson.

So how do we differentiate between true and false prophets? How do we respond to conservative Christians if we have a different view" Wilson believes that an understanding of the man Jesus would help, along with a thorough understanding of the prophets. Something in the New Testament might enlighten us.

During the 40-day fast in the desert, Jesus was tempted by Satan, but would not budge. Jesus refused all Satan's suggestions for making his life better, including using the power of Heaven's angels to help him "do good" in the world. He responded by saying, "Satan, you are the one who use others to do your bidding." Satan had to agree, and offered Jesus the power as King of the world, but still Jesus said "NO."

Jesus said "no" to power, ambition, and wealth. Wilson feels that understanding Jesus' life through this lens means he was reacting in a personal way, based on sociological, economic, and religious values. "Christians and fundamentalists leave out the prophetic dimension of the prophets and Jesus," Wilson said.

It was oppression of culture that motivated the prophets and Jesus that seems to miss the mark in religious discussion today, said Wilson. "In fact, some conservative and fundamentalist Christians would say we are called to obedience to Jesus and to God, yet they are the ones who define what "obedience" means. They don't move into a search for truth and meaning and find out the living themes from their own holy book. They do not talk about oppression, over-taxation, using laborers for their own comfort who are making 37 cents an hour, who are living in toxic environments. They move in a political direction that actually supports that way of economic life.

"The prophets call for cultural and sociological change. Jesus said: "Do not store up treasures on earth, " referring to the commercial aspect of his time. He said we need light in our eyes, to bring light to the inside of who we are as human beings, said Wilson. "He is not talking about us being saved. He's talking about a culture and way of life for a whole people who do not support oppression." Jesus claimed, "For where your treasure is, your heart is also. You cannot serve both God and wealth."

Wilson finished by quoting Jesus further: "In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you. This is the law of the prophets."

The "law" of the prophets, then, refers to over-taxation, poor working conditions, pulling people out of their homes to work for the government in any way, shape or form, disrupting family systems. That's the lineage of the prophets.