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A Warning For Those About To Hate In America

by Eric Elkin

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies, so that you obey their desires.”

— Romans 6:12

My latest obsession is the PBS Series, Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland. The five-part series explores people's lives forever changed by the 30-year conflict known as “the Troubles.” As viewers, we get a tour of a conflict that began as peaceful demonstrations for voter rights and quickly devolved into years of bloodshed. Listening to the personal stories of those seduced into a conflict that destroyed lives is the thing I find mesmerizing.

We tend to view the Troubles as a religious conflict. It was not, but religion plays a significant role. The role it plays is one of silence. Catholics and Protestants fighting for territorial rights forgot the Good News of Jesus Christ and their baptismal vows. The amnesia of those two things allowed children to obey the desires of sin. The world of Belfast paid the price, but not as much as the mortal bodies of its citizens.

My favorite person interviewed in the series is James Greer. If you want to understand what Paul is talking about in Romans 6:12, you will listen to James describe his seduction into the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). He talks about being a 17-year-old with a difficult family life. People whispered in his ear, “If we don’t stand up for ourselves, we’ll get trampled into the ground.” Fear led James to set aside any notion of peace.

James Greet swore allegiance to the UDA with a .38 revolver in one hand and the Bible in the other. He promised to hijack vehicles and rob stores. But the desires of sin were never content with such simple acts. Soon, he was ordered to shoot people and eventually blow them up. Deep into the realm of hatred, he discovered killing was as easy as ordering a cup of tea.

“You’re taking me to a bad place, James,”

— James Greer revisiting the Troubles

The Bible may be the most influential book in human history, but it is also one of the most manipulated. When we don’t open it up, when we treat it as an object instead of a living word, we can easily be seduced into the desires of sin. The Bible contains the Word of Life, words that invite the reader to swear allegiance to grace, mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It also warns people not to give in to the power of sin.

A woman interviewed in the second episode reminds the viewers that men committing terrorist acts were not foreign fighters brought into neighborhoods. They were neighbors, fathers, uncles, brothers and cousins. They were all seduced into obeying the desires of sin, and they all paid the price for it. Even the people who wanted nothing to do with the conflict were forced to suffer.

James Greer is my favorite character because you can feel the burden of his guilt. He left the UDA and became a social worker committed to being a peacemaker. Yet, he still carries the burden with him. His story serves as a warning to all of us in the United States, Christian or not. Many voices in our culture are trying to seduce us with the illusion that hatred and violence can get us what we need. I wonder if James Greer would have been saved from a lifetime of guilt had he read Romans 6 instead of placing his hand on the Bible.

You are either a slave to sin, which leads to death, or a slave to grace, which sets you free to live. Even though he is free now, he cannot go back and undo those horrible acts. But you and I still have a choice. I invite you to choose freedom and life instead of hatred and death.

Click to read Romans 6:12-18