good? friday.

Tonight, BSM held its annual "execute art, not people event," a night hosted by Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.  We had a concert and a very powerful testimony by Vicki Scheiber, someone who was moved to fight for life without parole for her daughter's murderer.  We heard a powerful story of redemption amidst a story of pure darkness.

Wait...isn't it Good Friday?  Shouldn't a church be celebrating Christ dying on the cross?  Once again, BSM pushes people to search deeper for meaning: A story of redemption against a story of darkness.

Good Friday is one of those holidays a lot of people grow up celebrating as the precursor to Easter.  It's usually dark and solemn, a recognition of Christ's death and the apparent loss of all hope before the occurrence of resurrection.  It's a pretty significant occurrence, particularly given that the cross is the most sacred symbol of the Christian faith.

Do we ever reflect on the significance of the cross being an instrument of capital punishment?  Christ was murdered by the state.  The way we view Christ in relation to this event should be the way we view our faith in relation to the state.  The event is the story of darkness - of the fallenness of humankind.  The reality of death.

What is this relationship?  My understanding of Christ is redemption and forgiveness that knows no bounds.  It is a Christ who told us to love our enemies.  It is a Christ that in no way insinuated that we are to kill those who are a threat to society.  It is a Christ who teaches us that ALL people are able to be redeemed.  The relation to our story of darkness is one of hope, hope that should compel our every action here on earth.  Hope for humanity.

I know this discussion is a heated one.  I believe it is reflected in the larger discussion of how our faith influences public life.  It is my firm belief that ALL Christians believe that their faith should influence public life, whether they admit it or not.  Both sides just express it in different ways.

Tonight was a witness to the hope for redemption in the midst of darkness.  It was a reminder that forgiveness, reconciliation, and redemption ALWAYS win.  However, we are not there yet.  We may never get there.  Yet we know it's out there.  Our salvation is here, yet not yet fully realized. There is so much more we are called to work towards.

As Tony Campolo often says..."Ssssssunday's a comin'!"