Interesting take from the news:

Gary Bauer, a former Republican presidential candidate affiliated with several Christian right groups over the years, said the discussion should not come down to “Would Jesus torture?”

“There are a lot of things Jesus wouldn’t do because he’s the son of God,” he said. “I can’t imagine Jesus being a Marine or a policeman or a bank president, for that matter. The more appropriate question is, ‘What is a follower of Jesus permitted to do?’”

This is a good clue as to why so many–perhaps most–Christians seem to stray so far from the philosophy of Christ. Why people who profess to hold Christ above all others nevertheless seem to disregard what Christ himself said and instead focus on other stuff in the bible crafted for more barbaric times which more closely represents their own base instincts. Instead of trying to raise themselves above those ancient ways and become more like the man Jesus was, they seem content to remain what they are.

What Bauer is essentially doing here is saying that Christ lives in his own godly sphere, therefore what we do is pretty much disconnected from what he does; that followers of Christ do not need to follow his example too closely. What he is saying is that because the image of Jesus is inconsistent with the behavior of people in certain roles, that means it is OK to stray from his principles.

Bauer misses the point here, completely. If the behavior of a bank president is inconsistent with Christ, one should not say that it is OK and the bank president be given more latitude to violate Christian principles. One should instead say, if Christ were put in that position, how would he apply his morality to it, and go from there. To what possible degree can we apply those principles to banking and still have banking function? And if that’s not possible, then maybe there’s something wrong with banking.

Am I mistaken, or is it not the idea that Christians, while not expected to be perfect, should be at least trying to follow Christ’s example as closely as possible, not excusing themselves from it?

Bauer instead begins with the assumption that since we are not Christ, we can be immoral and that’s OK. We’re not expected to be as good or as perfect as Christ, so we can play roles that stray quite far from anything Christ would approve of. From there, he takes only a few small steps to condoning torture.

…the moral equation changes when the suspect is not a soldier captured on a battlefield but a terrorist who may have knowledge of an impending attack. He said he does not consider water-boarding — a form of interrogation that simulates drowning — to be torture.

“I think if we believe the person we have can give us information to stop thousands of Americans from being killed, it would be morally suspect to not use harsh tactics to get that information,” Bauer said.

The question Bauer does not ask is, why would Christ not torture (though it’s not really torture, he claims), even if it would save so many lives? Think about this. Say Christ were in that situation: thousands of innocents are going to be killed, Christ has a terror suspect in custody, and it is possible that the slaughter could be stopped if Christ indulged in a little waterboarding. Would he do it?

You can’t just say, “no he wouldn’t, and that’s the wrong choice, but that’s OK because he’s different from us.” After all, if he’s that different from you, then why are you following him? If he makes the wrong choice out of mislaid tenderness and that results in horrific slaughter, then why do you see such a figure as worthy of praise and worship? The logical conclusion is that Christ’s philosophy is something you see as inappropriate, or at least inapplicable to our lives. And if that is so, then why follow him?

I think the answer is that many people like to clothe themselves in the respectability of Christian values, while at the same time excusing themselves from having to actually follow those values. That’s exactly as wrong as it sounds. If you’re a Christian, than you have to face the fact that it’s not going to be easy. It means that you have to sacrifice, and sacrifice a lot, in order to be the kind of person that your principles tell you to be. People like Bauer–and there are lots of them–want to be members of the club without paying the dues or following the rules.

If you think the price is too high, that being Christlike requires giving up too much, then that’s the first clue that you’re not really a Christian.