Would You Wear an Electric-Chair Necklace?

I've heard the sarcastic question asked many times from people who object to wearing a cross or crucifix as jewelry. It was asked again today by the host of an Evangelical Christian radio program on my way home from work: If Jesus was electrocuted, would you wear an electric chair around your neck?

Illustration by Nate Hibma.
His views are not necessarily those of this blog.

My answer is YES, especially if the early Christians gloried in it like they did the cross. Maybe St. Paul would have written:

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him electrocuted" (1 Cor 2:2).

"Far be it from me to glory except in the chair of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been electrocuted to me, and I to the world" (Gal 6:14)

"But we preach Christ electrocuted, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (I Cor 1:23-24).

"You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as electrocuted" (Gal 3:1).

The reason devout Christians wear a crucifix is to showcase and keep in remembrance history's greatest act of love for mankind.

Whether we read it or write it, sing it or wear it, the message is the same: Jesus died so that we may live.

"Un-Bull-Leaving Israelites"

I recently finished reading Catholic theologian Scott Hahn's book, Lord, Have Mercy. I want to provide an excerpt from pages 125-126 under the subhead "Un-Bull-Leaving Israelites," in which he touches on some Christian typology in the Old Testament history of Israel:

And it wasn't only their bellies that were groaning after their departure from Egypt. They also built a golden image of Apis, a bull calf, the Egyptian god of virility, and they conducted an orgy there in the desert (Ex 32:1-6).

Israel was its own worst enemy, but certainly not its only one. On the way to their occupation of the promised land, the Israelites had to conquer seven mighty nations that opposed their advance.

All of this, according to the fathers of the Church, is like the situation of humanity. We are born slaves. That is why Israel's servile stint with Egypt is a typological picture of the soul in original sin. It's also why Israel being led through the Red Sea is a symbol of baptism (see 1 Cor 10:1-4). God has set us free, through baptism, from the slavery of original sin, but we still suffer its aftereffects in lingering concupiscence. So it is only with difficulty that we give up sinful habits. Moreover, our corrupt nature continues to hanker after the sensual pleasures that accompany a life of slavery to sin. If we are to break free of the land of our exile, we must put to death such longings -- our concupiscence. We must sacrifice, in our lives, the created things that sinners tend to make into idols.

We need to discipline ourselves to resist temptation. We need to train ourselves to make war against the world, the concpuiscent flesh, and the devil. The fathers of the Church pointed out that, like the Israelites, we, too, must conquer seven "nations" before we ourselves can lay claim to the promised land of heaven. The pagan nations represent the traditional seven deadly sins: pride, anger, gluttony, lust, laziness, envy, and greed.