Mission Volume 17 | Issue 2 Article 1 8-1-1983 Mission: Vol. 17, No. 2 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/missionjournal Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Christianity Commons, Missions and World Christianity Commons, Practical Theology Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation (1983) "Mission: Vol. 17, No. 2," Mission: Vol. 17 : Iss. 2 , Article 1. Available at: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/missionjournal/vol17/iss2/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Stone-Campbell Archival Journals at Digital Commons @ ACU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mission by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ ACU. "TO EXPLORE THOROUGHLY THE SCRIPTURES AND THEIR VOLUME 17, NUMBER 2 MEANING ... TO UNDERSTAND AS FULLY AS POSSIBLETHE AUGUST, 1983 WORLD IN WHICH THE CHURCH LIVESAND HAS HER MISSION ... TO PROVIDEA VEHICLEFOR COMMUNICATING THE MEANING OF GOD'S WORD TO OUR CONTEMPORARYWORLD." - EDITORIAL POLICYSTATEMENT, JULY, 1967 ANTICIPATING ... I have made you known to the men you gave me out of the . CONTENTS PAGE world . ... I gave them the mes­ sage that you gave me, and they received it; they know that it is true that I came from you, and AMERICAN ASSASSINS AND they believe that you sent me .... I gave them your message and the MASS MURDERERS: SAINTS FOR A CIVIL world hated them, because they RELIGION OF DEATH 3 do not belong to the world . By Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence but I do not ask you t.o take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS: PLURALISM, One. Just as I do not belong to the MORALITY, AND THE CHURCH 8 world, they do not belong to the world. By Michael R. Weed John 17:6, 8, 14-16 TEV WHITE GLOVES 12 The church ... if it is to be itself and do By William T. Stewart its work, must mediate to the world some Word, some Presence, some norm and standard, that are both transcendent in THE CHURCH: AN ALTERNATIVE their origin - in some measure "holy" - MORAL COMMUNITY 14 and also relevant to the world's life. In a real sense the history of the church is the By Allan J. McNicol history, with all the errors and difficulties that sin and finitude create, of the search SELF-EFFICACY AND MORAL EDUCATION 18 for this transcendence that is yet relevant, a search to embody and communicate the By Herbert A. Marlowe, Jr. holy that will transform our lives. (Langdon Gilkey, How the Church Can Minister to the BOOKS World Without Losing Itself.) Building a Religious Library: Fourth in a Series 20 The key word on the lips of those who are Church History concerned for the world is involvement. We By Everett Ferguson must be involved in the struggles, hopes, fears, needs of the world. This means Monsignor Quixote (Graham Greene) 23 politically involved, socially involved, psy­ Reviewed by Edwin S. Gleaves chologically involved ... we believe enough in grace so that we are not afraid to be in­ volved, or fearful that some of the world's FORUM 24 meanness or ugliness or dishonesty will rub off on us. Becoming involved will open the door to our being touched by the world's sin . .. But ... the Christian is not someone who is afraid of sin and the guilt that results Art: Joel Solliday from sin .. Our witness to the world is Arcadia, California that we are free enough to be totally in­ volved, because we know God's answer for both sin and guilt .... We need no longer be strangers to the world, for we have a sense of security, a place to stand, that comes from belonging to God .... (Bruce Larson, No Longer Stranger, "p.125.) EDITOR BOBBIELEE HOLLEY LAJUANABURGESS • • • • BUSINESSMANAGER In the world but not of it: that is the EDITORIALSECRETARIES BILLIESMITH, AMYSPITLER tension point at which all disciples of Jesus Mission Journal is published monthly by Mission Journal, Inc., 11223 Henge Drive, must live. Mission plans to deal more fully Austin, Texas 78759. Annual $10, three years, $25, five years $40. Annual student and with this problem in coming months. In this senior citizen rate $7.50. Bundle and bound volume rates on request. Single copies $1. issue we simply present some initial POSTMASTER:Send address changes to Mission Journal, 11223 Henge Drive, Austin, thoughts on "Church and Society." Texas 78759, which is also the address to be used for circulation and bookkeeping - the Editor correspondence. Manuscripts submitted for publication should be submitted in duplicate, double spaced, and typed. Maximum length: ten pages. Editorial Offices: 1508 Ephesus Church Road, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514. AUGUS T, 1983 M ISSION JOU RNA L AmericanAssassins and MassMurderers: SaintsFor a Civil Religionof Death* 5ome of the mass murderers and would-be assassins. display remarkable indifference to their own fates, as well as a peculiar sense of being possessed by a mission apparently unrelated to traditionalAmerican ideologies . ... It is a mistake to view these assassins and mass murderers simply as deranged products of inadequate socialization. Instead, ... they can be seen as "hyper­ Americans," who translate into reality mythic fantasies widely shared in our culture. They attempt to live out the violently dramatic conventions of the most popular entertainments in our era. By ROBERTJEWETT and JOHN SHELTON LAWRENCE here is widespread awareness that the incidence them reputations as mentally imbalanced or at least T of violent crime in American society has in­ socially deviant. Yet, they do not appear to fit the creased dramatically during recent decades. No usual categories of the crimin ally insane.· comparab le recognition seems to exist, however, re­ In this essay we wish to develop the thesis that it is garding the changed circumstances and motivations a mistake to view these assassins and mass murder­ associated with some of the more sensational acts of ers simply as the deranged products of inadequate contemporary American violence. While most vio­ socialization . Instead, we submit , they can be seen lent crimes continue to be "orthodox" in their in­ as "hyp er-Americans," who tran slate into reality strumenta lity (performed for the sake of private mythic fantasies widely shared in our cu lture. They vengeance or personal gain) or in their impulsiveness attempt to live out the violently dramatic conven­ (performed in temporary rage or loss of inhibition), a tion s of th e most popul ar entertainm ents in ou r era. puzzling configuration of factors surface in a num ­ To state our thesis most abrasively: they have th e ber of recent , we ll-publ icized incidents of mass courage of our mythic conviction s; they are the murder s and attempt ed assassination s. These crim­ saints of a civil religion whi ch too often celebrates inal acts are peculiarly " expre ssive" rather than tra­ viol ent death . In their own destru ctiv e ways, these ditionally instrum ental, impul sive, or eve n ideologi­ murd erers hold up the mirror of cultur e to us and cal. Some of the mass murderer s and would ­ challenge us to recognize th e self-destru ctive dim en­ be assassins - mo st prominently John Hinckl ey, Jr., sion of our national psyche. Herbert Mullin , and David Berkowit z - display remarkable indiff erence to th eir own fates, as well as VIOLENT REDEEMERS AND CtVIL RELIGION a peculian sense of being possessed by a mission Wh en w e speak of Am erican "c ivil religion," we apparently unrelated to traditional Americ an ideolo ­ have in mind more than the public ceremoni es and gies. Their elaborate ju stifyin g schemes, i.e., fanta­ offi cially promul gated belief s whi ch have been sies of retributi on against w ickedness, generally earn studi ed by Robert Bellah, Sidn ey Mead, Martin Marty, Conr ad Cherry, and oth ers.1 Thou gh som e of John Shelton Lawrence is Professor of Philosophy at Mornin gside College, Siou)( City, Iowa. Robert Jewett is Profe ssor of New Testament Interpre­ th e tradition al expression s of th e civil religion are tation at Garrett-Evangelical Theo logical Semin ary, Evanston, Illinois. in a state of dec line, unofficial embodim ents of it in 3 AUGUST, 1983 the realm of popular fantasy are prospering. People sketched out the heroic paradigm as embodied in no longer attend Fourth of July parades in significant the most successful comics, films, and television numbers, but they flock to cinemas to enjoy the series of our time. Its central features are a com­ heroic exploits of Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones munity threatened by evil but institutionally inca­ or watch Superman fight for "Truth, Justice, and the pable of dealing with the threat, which is saved by a American Way." Television brings similar fare selfless superhero who rises out of anonymous directly into our homes, including the semi-comic obscurity and who returns to obscurity once com­ but nonetheless bellicose crusade of "the Greatest munal well-being has been restored. Some of these American Hero" against forces perceived to superheroic figures resolve problems through vio­ threaten our way of life and national existence. lence and others through psychological manipula­ Electronic games, such as "Space Invaders" and the tion or uncanny wisdom, but their personality phenomenally popular "Pac Man," enable us to structures are similar. The American superhero is participate even more immediately in the beguiling usually an isolated individual, loyal to ideals which fantasy of resolving conflict through violence.