The Blond-haired, Blue-Eyed, “Christian” face of Terrorism: Killing in Norway

 

A blond-haired, blue-eyed “Christian” terrorist, Anders Behring Breivik, shocked the world by killing over
90 people in Norway just a few days ago. The largest massacre by a single gunman in modern history.
 What are we to make of this savagery?
Some people are stunned that a so called “Christian” committed these acts of terror. Please note I put
Christian in quotes and added the phrase “so called” because I do not consider him a true follower of
Jesus. Now I know how Muslims feel when terrorist acts are done in the name of Islam.
This event reminds us that the potential for evil in the human heart knows no racial boundaries.
Hating and killing in the name of God knows no religious boundaries. Let’s get this straight: There are
extremists among all races and all religions.
We may get some insight into Breivik’s motivation by looking at the Gospels. The Gospels display a sharp
contrast between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders known as the Pharisees. Jesus hung out with the
wrong crowd. Jesus loved people – all kinds of people. Because of this, he was called, “a gluttonous man
and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34). If Luke wrote his gospel today Jesus
might be accused of being a person “who had eating disorders, engaged in substance abuse, and was a
friend of corrupt officials, prostitutes and gays.”
By contrast, the Pharisees showed their devotion to God by hating sinners. They demonstrated their
holiness through their hostility towards “God’s enemies.” They hated sinners because they loved God. I
am sure they argued their case from Scripture by using a verse like this: “Do I not hate those who hate
you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count
them my enemies” (Psalm 139:21-22).
But Jesus repeatedly challenged the Pharisees’ skewed views of devotion and narrow views of love.
Jesus confronted the tradition of hating your enemy head on in the Sermon on the Mount: "You have
heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies”
(Matthew 5:43-44).
Anders Behring Breivik hated his enemies. He purposely murdered innocent people to make a political
point. His detailed manifesto outlining his preparations and calling for a Christian war against the threat
of Muslim domination is a wake-up call. It reminds us of the deadly consequences of hate filled politics.
Years ago I walked the streets of Oslo with an Evangelical leader. I asked if we could visit the Nobel
Institute, the location where the famous Nobel Peace Prizes are given. He reluctantly agreed and
said, “Why are you concerned about peace on earth? What counts is people’s eternal salvation.” I
wonder what he would say today?
If you want to know what Peace Catalyst International would say please check out the Seven Resolutions
Against Prejudice, Hatred and Discrimination http://ricklove.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/7-
Resolutions.pdf and Loving Muslims Dealing with Terrorists http://peace-catalyst.net/blog/post/loving-
muslims-and-dealing-with-terrorists

A blond-haired, blue-eyed “Christian” terrorist, Anders Behring Breivik, shocked the world by killing over 90 people in Norway just a few days ago. The largest massacre by a single gunman in modern history. What are we to make of this savagery?

 

Some people are stunned that a so-called “Christian” committed these acts of terror. Please note I put Christian in quotes and added the phrase “so-called” because I do not consider him a true follower of Jesus. Now I know how Muslims feel when terrorist acts are done in the name of Islam.

 

This event reminds us that the potential for evil in the human heart knows no racial boundaries. Hating and killing in the name of God knows no religious boundaries. Let’s get this straight: There are extremists among all races and all religions.

 

We may get some insight into Breivik’s motivation by looking at the Gospels. The Gospels display a sharp contrast between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders known as the Pharisees. Jesus hung out with the wrong crowd. Jesus loved people – all kinds of people. Because of this, he was called, “a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34). If Luke wrote his gospel today, Jesus might be accused of being a person “who had eating disorders, engaged in substance abuse, and was a friend of corrupt officials, prostitutes and gays.”

 

By contrast, the Pharisees showed their devotion to God by hating sinners. They demonstrated their holiness through their hostility towards “God’s enemies.” They hated sinners because they loved God. I am sure they argued their case from Scripture by using a verse like this: “Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies” (Psalm 139:21-22).

 

But Jesus repeatedly challenged the Pharisees’ skewed views of devotion and narrow views of love. Jesus confronted the tradition of hating your enemy head-on in the Sermon on the Mount: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies” (Matthew 5:43-44).

 

Anders Behring Breivik hated his enemies. He purposely murdered innocent people to make a political point. His detailed manifesto outlining his preparations and calling for a Christian war against the threat of Muslim domination is a wake-up call. It reminds us of the deadly consequences of hate-filled politics. Years ago I walked the streets of Oslo with an Evangelical leader. I asked if we could visit the Nobel Institute, the location where the famous Nobel Peace Prizes are given. He reluctantly agreed and said, “Why are you concerned about peace on earth? What counts is people’s eternal salvation.” I wonder what he would say today?

 

If you want to know what Peace Catalyst International would say, please check out the Seven Resolutions Against Prejudice, Hatred and Discrimination and Loving Muslims Dealing with Terrorists 

by: Rick Love | Categories: World News

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2 Comments

David L. Johnston on July 25th, 2011 at 3:12pm

Excellent, if sad, commentary on this horrendous act of violence, Rick! Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pioneers of nonviolence like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., have found inspiration in his words and deeds. It also highlights the power of words. In his rambling, 1,500-page "book," Breivik quotes Jihad Watch website operator Robert Spencer 64 times (see Scott Shanes article today in the NY Times). The line between hate and violence can be thin at times!

James Swan on July 25th, 2011 at 12:23pm

Rick,
I have always loved your radical approach to loving people like Jesus loves the church - laying his life down and committing to love through all the misconceptions, delivering truth and breaking myths. Great article.