If you've ever read George Orwell's dystopia
1984, there's a chance you'll remember the "Two-Minute Hate." (There's also a chance you forgot it the instant you spat the factoid onto an Accelerated Reader Test and pushed "Enter.") This is where, at a scheduled time each day, all the government-operated telescreens showed pictures of political criminal Emmanuel Goldstein and everyone was required to spew rage and invective at it for two full minutes. Reading it as a kid, this was one of the more surreal and memorable concepts from the book - such elaborate, mass-scale brainwashing, all for what purpose? Why would a government and culture be so dependent on fomenting and even enforcing hatred?
While our government and culture is not quite at this particular level of absurdity, there is, nonetheless, a lot of hatred going around (especially in the realm of politics), and no one seems to be entirely immune. Even though I've long thought of myself as an easy-going sort of guy who likes to look for the best in people, I've found it bubbling up inside my own heart many times. It's hard to admit that (and harder still to talk specifics, so excuse me if I leave those off), but it's nonetheless interesting to me to note where that hatred comes from - at least in my own heart.
Hatred is defensive.
I hate people when I feel that they hate me. If you hate me, my human instinct is to hate you back.
This is very obviously not what Jesus taught:
"You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." - Matthew 5:43-45
Or what Peter taught:
"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." - 1 Peter 3:9
So I have a proposal. I think it would be good for churches to confront our hatred of our enemies directly and forcefully. I therefore propose the "Two-Minute Love."
Imagine that, for two minutes each Sunday, churches displayed a variety of pictures of people on their projectors - people we might consider the enemy, people we hold in contempt, or people who just make us seethe in rage to look at. Granted, because churches may have both Democrats and Republicans (as well as various other groups), the particular faces will be different from person to person. Maybe it could be a political leader from the other side. What if it was one of these people, who have done some awful things:
Or how about the face one of these media celebrities who have promoted and enabled them:
Or maybe the face of an ordinary person who supported or voted for them:
Or even the face of someone who's done actual violence in the name of their cause?
Do any of these faces provoke anger, contempt, rage, or hatred in you? Hopefully not, but if I'm honest with myself, some of them do in me - and perhaps there are others that would do it for you if these don't. But imagine if churches projected some of these faces up on the wall and asked that you take two minutes to pray prayers of love for them... could you do it?
Prayers that they repent and see the error of their ways aren't good enough. Can you pray that they be blessed? That God show love and mercy to them? Because that's what Jesus calls us to do. Doesn't matter what awful things they've done. Doesn't matter what evil things they believe.
To me, that would be really stinking hard.
Like, really really stinking hard.
But I think it might be a good exercise anyway. Because remember how hatred is defensive? We hate because we feel hated? At some point, someone has to stop the cycle and meet hatred with love, and it seems like those of us who follow Jesus ought to be able to do it.
(Note that this doesn't mean we shouldn't advocate what is right, or that people shouldn't be held accountable for crimes. But it
does mean we must view people who do wrong the way God views them in
Luke 15 - as a lost lamb worth leaving the other 99 behind to run after.)
So what do you think? Am I crazy? Can we love our enemies? Can we offer forgiveness to others the way we were forgiven by Jesus? Can we repay evil with good? Rejoice when we are persecuted? Bless where we are insulted?
By my own power, probably not, but the Holy Spirit can accomplish what I can't...
