by Jim Kenaston
In Hoc Anno Domin means “in the year of our Lord.” It’s also the title of a 1949 editorial written by then Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster. It has been published in that newspaper annually since that time.
A friend recently shared a copy of the editorial with me, so I read it for the first time. I was surprised that Royster seems to have made the same mistake as that of the 1st century Jews, who were looking for a political savior to free them from the yoke of domination under the Roman Empire.
Royster interprets the Apostle Paul's conversion in terms of gaining freedom from political oppression, when in fact, the point of Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection was to free humanity from slavery to sin. Freedom from political tyranny and oppression can come downstream for a world that turns in repentance toward a genuine trust in Christ and a willingness to abide in His ways, but such change is a secondary consequence of changed hearts, minds, and human wills. Had Christ merely sought to overcome political oppression, He would have accepted Satan’s offer of the kingdoms of the world in exchange for bowing before him.
An Earlier Take
Several years ago, David Merkel offered this comment on Royster’s editorial, saying it was written:
in a time where many in the US feared Communism and other forms of totalitarianism.
...he cites the Bible seven times without attribution, and every time takes the part of the Bible out of its context to support economic and political freedom and oppose totalitarianism. It’s horrible from an intellectual standpoint, because the Bible is not trying to say anything like that at that point. I could write an essay showing how the Bible encourages economic and political freedom, and opposes totalitarianism, but I would quote very different Scriptures but do so in their proper context.
Merkel goes into specific detail about Royster’s misuse of Scripture in a follow-up article, here.
For Today’s World
We can consider God’s calling for us amid the realities and challenges of our time. Christ died for those who crucified Him, including us in our sins and our opponents in theirs.
If we’re looking to Christ as if He were merely a political savior whose purpose is to validate the status quo of our lifestyle choices, we need to take stock of His call to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). His purpose is to redeem all who will repent and follow Him, even His oppressors, and ours.
What does it mean for us to follow Christ’s lead in forgiving even those who crucified Him, “for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)? Are we willing to do this to our own hurt, as Jesus did?
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mark 8:34b-37)
[Here is this article as it appeared in The Stream.]
