Doormat Mythology and the Gethsemane Option

As we've been working through a Peacemakers series with the DJY team and thinking through our responses in and to conflict, the subject of "being a doormat" has come up. As Americans, we have a cultural tendency to want to insist on our (inalienable!) rights. As followers, we're told, "Do not resist the one who is evil... love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you..." (Matt 5:38-48) Some of us in the group have a tendency to avoid conflict by running away from it, literally or figuratively. Some have hearts that are passionately opposed to injustice. We have a lot of good conversations. Concurrent with this study, I've been working through material for Wheaton classes and studying Matthew. As my mind works on synthesizing everything, I've been thinking through the mythology that underlies my interpretation of responses to conflict. photo by Chris Lawton [First, a note on mythology : "No single accepted definition o