Imagine

Twenty five years ago today, John Lennon was shot and killed by a deranged assassin named Mark David Chapman.  I was never part of the beatlemania, but I enjoyed John Lennon's music, and was embarrassed over the way he was treated by the religious community. His infamous statement about the Beatles being more popular than Jesus Christ haunted him the rest of his life, and in my opinion, quite unfairly. Beatles records were burned and the band was labeled satanic and anti-christ.

What is so ironic about the situation is that John Lennon was making an important observation that was lost in the religious hysteria; He was witnessing idolatry before his very eyes.  The band was being worshipped (or pretty close to it) by the American youth.  The four young boys from Liverpool were mobbed with fanatical zeal that was nervously close to religious adoration.  Mr. Lennon was merely stating the obvious.  

The Church missed a perfect opportunity to commend Mr. Lennon for his astute discernment, and to embark on developing a relationship with one of the most important pop icons of the 20th century.  The Beatles sought refuge from the pressures of youth and fame with drugs and eastern mysticism.  Where else could they turn?  American Christians derided and abandoned them.  We shut the doors of the Kingdom to the seeking Englishmen, and then cursed them because they used drugs and other religions to cope with life.

We had the opportunity of a lifetime and we blew it.  We had a popular man who wanted love and peace, and we threw him in the lions den.  We can never say if we had acted differently that Mr. Lennon would have converted to Christianity, but we can say with out a doubt, that we put up all of the road blocks available to us.  We caused him to stumble with our reckless judgments, and lost a potential ally in the Kingdom of God.  We had the opportunity to introduce Mr. Lennon to the Prince of Peace, and the fountainhead of pure love; instead we burned his music and showed him the door.

We can only imagine what might have been if the Church had shown the same discernment Mr. Lennon had. Let us never miss another opportunity to offer grace and wisdom to any individual seeking peace and love.  Let us strive to see beyond the sound-bites that are distorted and sensationalize, and seek common ground with those we may not understand.