The recent carnage in Norway is beyond words. In a weird way, however, I was relieved to learn that Anders Behring-Breivik was a fundamentalist “Christian.” I am similarly relieved whenever there is a report on the 11:00 news of a robbery or murder and the perpetrator turns out to be a Caucasian. “At least they can’t play the race card,” I say to myself.
The Huffington Post reports that Bill O'Reilly sternly criticized the media for describing the man who has admitted to committing the mass killings as a Christian, saying that such a thing was "impossible," even though that is how Breivik describes himself, as doNorwegian police. In his manifesto, Breivik writes that he does not have a "personal," religious relationship with Christ, but believes in Christianity "as a cultural, social, identity and moral platform," which he says "makes [me] Christian."
To O'Reilly, though, it was "impossible" that Breivik is a Christian. "No one believing in Jesus commits mass murder," he said. "The man might have called himself a Christian on the net, but he is certainly not of that faith...we can find no evidence, none, that this killer practiced Christianity in any way."
In one way, I agree with O’Reilly. No one who is following Jesus would commit such a heinous crime. But O’Reilly misses an important point: there is a vast difference between following Jesus and taking on the label “Christian” for one’s self. At the risk of being judgmental, many people in our churches are more “into religion” and wearing the name "Christian" like some designer label, than they are about following Jesus. But Jesus was never about religion. He was about transcending religion and reconciling the world to God.
O’Reilly said that the reason the media was calling Breivik a Christian was because "the left wants you to believe that fundamentalists Christians are a threat just like crazy jihadists are." Give me a break! The initial judgment by the media was that this was the result of Islamic terrorists. The fact is that this terrorist attack was done by a white guy from Norway who identifies himself as a fundamentalist Christian. Are all fundamentalist Christians like crazy jihadists? Of course not. Is it true of some? No doubt. Are all Muslims jihadists? Of course not. Is it true of some? No doubt.
Is Breivik a Christian? It’s a label he applies to himself. Does he know Jesus as the revelation of God’s love for himself and for everyone? Does he try to follow the way of Jesus? Obviously not. Let us not forget the difference.
