Download a digital copy (1.5 MB) - Open Door Community

314 ˜ A Work of Hospitality, 1982–2002
and society to a way of life in which it does not matter what we do. We have become
disciples of consumer capitalism. Homelessness is the consequence and
the proof of the lie.
The radical left wing of the Reformation had a better center than either the
Catholic or the mainline Protestant theologians and practitioners. Most accepted
salvation by grace alone, as we certainly do. (Thank you, Jesus!) Yet the
center of their understanding was discipleship—the call to “follow Jesus.” Discipleship
was a way of life, a common and disciplined life, rooted in a Christian
community. Discipline was a mark of the church. It mattered what one did; yea,
it mattered a lot.
“Be on your guard against false prophets. ... You will know them by what
they do,” says Jesus. His way of life mattered. He was executed for it.
The Image of the Enemy, by Murphy Davis
S e p t e m b e r 1 9 9 0
Editor’s note: This talk was presented in June 1990 at the annual Presbyterian
Peace Fellowship Breakfast at the Presbyterian General Assembly in Salt Lake City.
Recently, during a visit to Washington, Mikhail Gorbachev said, “The
enemy image is becoming a thing of the past.” I want to celebrate Gorbachev’s
declaration and, at the same time, to work on it a bit, because I think he’s talking
about a large agenda.
We have spent many years building an incredible nuclear arsenal, resulting
in the overwhelming physical presence of weapons that could either by specific
intent, or by accident, destroy the earth many times over. Spiritually, the
buildup has filled our collective interior life with a generalized fear of “The
Enemy.”
We know, of course, that it is part of the nature of weapons to make us more
afraid. The huge profits, intended for the very rich, from military buildup have
meant that our leaders have suggested, nurtured, and exploited our fear. We
have been told whom to hate and fear and of the dire consequences of not acting
out of that fear to continue to arm ourselves, and to arm neighbors who will
carry out our policies of maniacal enmity.
But this impulse has by no means been limited to our international posture.
For even as Ronald Reagan encouraged us to hate and fear the communist guerrillas
and to arm the right-wing government of El Salvador, George Bush invited