I don’t know if you saw the story. “Israeli police have made two arrests after fighting erupted between Armenian and Greek Orthodox clergymen at one of Christianity’s most sacred sites – the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.” Here’s a link to the article. From the Al Jazeera website. No, I don’t frequent that website. Just thought it would help us remember that when Christians fight, the world is watching. A caption under a photo says: “Worshippers kicked and punched each other until Israeli police eventually restored order.” Worshippers?
I’ve never been in a church brawl, nor caught between rival monk gangs as they went at it. But I’ve seen the same spirit. A few times in person, but many more times in print and on the Internet. One brother on one Christian list announced that another “isn’t a Christian.” The Spiritual Sword recently declared that one Christian university is “no longer one of us.” Tempers flare on a regular basis. Insults fly. And somewhere, somehow, the world is still watching.
People will point to Jesus’ denouncement of the Pharisees and Paul’s harsh words toward opponents, finding their justification in such examples. For me personally, I can’t write such things without falling into “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy,” which you may recognize as some of the works of the flesh from Galatians 5:20-21. There’s no justification for our using tools of the flesh to try and achieve spiritual goals.
Keep pointing out to me when I behave like the brawling monks. And I’ll try and do the same for you.