By Dan Hazen / Herald Forum
I’m writing from a solitary prayer-shack (“poustinia”) in Northumberland, England. My wife and I are in the United Kingdom serving at a Christian community of which we are a part. During a few down days, we visited nearby locations of beauty and interest including Roslyn Chapel, St. Abb’s Head and Edinburgh.
Just outside Edinburgh Castle are various monuments and memorials. One I had not noticed on previous visits caught my eye: The Scottish Horse Memorial Cross. It commemorates causalities in the Scottish Horse Regiment during the Boer Wars in South Africa (ca. 1900).
My first reaction was one of awe and inspiration. In a word … it’s cool. It’s a stone, Celtic-style cross about 14 feet high on a stone plinth. Superimposed on the front, mirroring the geometry of the cross, is a huge sword. It occupies nearly the full length and breadth of the cross.
My second reaction surprised me a little because it so opposed the first one. I was deeply put-off. “Offended” isn’t the right word. I’ve actually tried to get offended over things before, and I just don’t seem to have the gene for it. Disgust maybe. Shame. Embarrassment. As a disciple of Jesus, I flinch at any blending of Christian imagery with non-sequitur images.
Jesus needs a good intellectual properties lawyer, because his brand is used to endorse all kinds of stuff, and I suspect it’s without his permission.
But this one was just so … profane. A sword. Like I said, swords are cool; no denying that. But I imagined this memorial being erected in 2023 and the artist using an AR-15 instead of a sword; the butt of the rifle at the top, the barrel pointing downward and the magazine serving as one side of the horizontal. What would the response from Jesus’ people be?
It begs a question I have asked in this space before: How do you respond when you encounter weakness? Do you see an opportunity to gain advantage (predator) or do you see the opportunity to serve (protector). The Boer Wars are emblematic of the worst of European imperial predation of the technologically weak. The Scottish Horse Memorial literally carves it in stone, and it invokes the brand of the Prince of Peace to do so. But of course, at the time, they were quite sure they were doing the Lord’s work.
In these days after Easter (when Jesus literally said, “put your sword away”) it might be worth contemplating what symbols we want to be remembered by. How do we respond to weakness? What tools of your trade will be superimposed over the symbol of your highest values?
Maybe Donald Trump’s face backed by a huge dollar sign? How about an enormous DNA molecule representing “science” and “best practices” fronted by a judge’s gavel descending on the “uneducated” who “resist progress.” A rainbow flag? An American flag? A Che Guevara flag? A “Don’t Tread on Me” flag? Any flag you like; but all with a big megaphone emblazoned across it?
What will they think when they look at our monuments?
Dan Hazen is the community pastor at Allen Creek Community Church in Marysville.
Herald Forum
The Herald Forum invites community members to submit essays on topics of importance and interest to them. Essays typically are between 400 and 600 words in length, although exceptions for longer pieces can be made. To submit essays or for more information about the Herald Forum, write Herald Opinion editor Jon Bauer at jbauer@heraldnet.com or call him at 425-339-3466.
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