Norms and the Need
for Change
Holy Week is about establishing new norms. A “norm” is a philosophical term that
describes a consistent and accepted state of being. An ethical norm is a practice that would
consistently be described as “good” or “bad” in a given context. Norms are deeply rooted in a culture, but
they can be changed over time. It
usually takes something revolutionary to change an accepted norm. For instance, if suddenly a law was passed
that declared that all drivers should now normatively drive on the left side of
the road instead of the right, many accidents would occur early on (unless you
were in a part of America with many recent European immigrants!). Over time, though, and after a great deal of
public education, practice, and law enforcement (i.e., tickets being given to
those who continue to drive on the right side of the road), left side of the
road driving would eventually catch on. Prevalent in our culture and our world are
norms that have consistently demonstrated destructive tendencies. Jesus has come to change destructive norms –
racism, violence, greed, and hate, for example.
He does this by changing people like us, creating a new community whose
norms become a clear call from God to a higher and better way of living.
Norms we are Born
With
Norms are learned behaviors, taught to us in both direct and
indirect ways. We learn early on, in
pre-school or kindergarten at the latest, that standing in line is the accepted
norm for eventually getting things like food and services. And, throughout our lives, it becomes
normative to walk into a bank, a Starbucks, or other establishment (especially
a government establishment) and stand in an orderly line. These norms can be productive and good,
especially if they are universally accepted or consented to. However, there are other norms we are born
with that, in contrast to the intentions of a loving God, are not as healthy,
and are not considered “good” if we are to take seriously the words and example
of Jesus Christ. In fact, exchanging
long accepted norms for the new norms that come by following Jesus into His new
Kingdom may be the biggest challenge in our spiritual journey as
Christians. Jesus’ radical life of
obedience to the Father triggered a radical departure from long-accepted
cultural, social, and religious norms among those around Him. It literally took (and takes) an act of God
to change some long held norms. Here are
some examples of shifts in norms that have been ushered in by the coming of
Jesus Christ:
1) From violence to
peace: Societies have long been
defined by violence. Entire histories –
including our own history as Americans – are often measured in textbooks by the
history of our wars: Revolutionary Era, Antebellum South, Civil War Era,
Reconstruction, World War I, etc. Jesus
came to start a new means of measurement with an emphasis up on peace. It is not just about any kind of peace,
though. It is not a peace that is
brought about through ignoring evil or caving into evil. Rather, it is a peace anchored in telling the
truth to power and loving sacrificially in a way that promotes the peace of Christ. Jesus demonstrates this most clearly at the
cross, where He could have led an armed attack on both Roman and Jewish leaders
but instead chose to lovingly sacrifice His life for a greater and more lasting
peace.
2) From power to
servanthood: Jesus redefined
greatness and power. According to Jesus,
“the greatest among you shall be servants of all,” and the “first shall be
last, while the last shall be first.”
3) From death to life:
Up until the time of the resurrection of
Jesus, the prevailing thought –even among devoted religious people- was that
death is an unfathomable and undefeatable mystery. The resurrection of Jesus implanted a new
norm in the Christian vocabulary: life overcomes death.
How to Overcome
We need help if we are going to internalize the new norms of
the Kingdom of God. We need even more
help if we are going to help make God’s “norms” into the prevailing norms of
our culture and our world. That is
indeed the calling of Christians, though.
Thankfully, God has provided help.
The unfolding story of God’s kingdom in Scripture, the example and
teachings of Jesus Christ, the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the Church, the
Sacraments, and teachings handed down to us through the generations of those
who faithfully follow Christ, are all tools that God has given to us to help
change the norms. It is still very
tempting and very easy to surrender to the norms around us, especially those of
us who live in a country with individualistic and power-driven notions. However, the consistent love of God never
gives up on us. That love, like living
water, consistently seeks out cracks and crevices through which to flow in
order to eventually permeate us and those around us and change our
surroundings.
It is time for the norms to change: from violence to peace,
from power to servanthood, and from death to life. A new norm has come: His name is Jesus, and
He is still changing people and cultures and the world.
