Peaceful Paranoia: Part II – Amigos and Enemies

Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister…2 Thessalonians 3:15

What colour do the bad guys wear these days?

Depending on where and how you were brought up, your idea of an enemy may be very different from someone else – somewhere else. From an early age, we were told who the baddies are. Our growing minds were shown the good, the bad and the ugly by parents, peers, T.V. and history books. Every new generation is granted both the wisdom and the prejudices of those before it.

In this era of information overload, multiplied by tangled agendas: we have to decide for ourselves—-who the enemy really is.

The old cowboy film equation of…

[White Hat = Good Guy] and [Black Hat (or red skin) = Bad Guy]

…doesn’t quite work anymore. These days we like our heroes stained, scarred and nearly blackmailed into saving the day. This is the age of the anti-hero whether we like it or not.

So if the good guys are wearing gray, how do we spot the scoundrels?

A majority of film scripts share a hidden gem called the “kick the dog” sequence. It’s when a certain character says or does something off the stories moral radar in order to identify them as someone to watch out for. Like when Darth Vader uses the Force to choke a disagreeing advisor early in Episode 4. As the dog kicks add up, you soon have your bonified baddy, who’s death or demise is seen as something worth cheering* for.

Most of the villains we will come across in our very un-cinematic lives won’t look like Darth Vader. They will also breath normally and speak with friendly voices. Then sooner or later the mask is removed and their real identity is revealed.

A true nemesis will always employ deception. Horns, black coats and deep voices are for amateurs. Sheep’s wool is still the fabric of choice for the most deadly wolves.

We all have stories of people in our lives who hurt us in one way or another, whether they intended it or not. If we examine some of the more personal situations, we’ll see that much of the hurt comes form the fact that our enemies were once trusted friends or even close family. Even our opponents from afar who we’ve never actually met (leaders, lawmakers & breakers, critics, etc.): they too may have had access to our benefit of the doubt zone at some point.

Knowing that betrayers would always be near, Jesus said seemingly silly stuff like, “love your enemies” and “turn the other cheek”. But if we really look beyond the sloganized versions of these truths; there is much more than meets the ear.

To love an enemy doesn’t mean to just pretend they are your friend and turning the other cheek doesn’t mean, “Please hurt me. I have no backbone”. If we aim love and forgiveness (instead of threats) at our adversaries we will never suffer permanent damage from their attacks. And standing up to your accuser’s face and offering them another shot is actually the greatest personal protest you could ever make. It says, “I don’t care what you do. I’m not going anywhere.”

Jesus isn’t stupid. He doesn’t want us to be either. So feel free to be sly as a serpent and innocent as a dove. It’s Biblical.

These are the days where everyone is a potential threat, and yet anyone could end up our eternal ally. And when you’ve found one of those, you’ve found someone worth fighting for.

Sincerely,

Cowboy + Indian Muñoz

Freedomhouse Church, London