Parapet Wall Theology

“Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.”

Anthony J. D'Angelo

“Turn on, tune in, drop out” was the counterculture era phrase popularized by Dr. Timothy Leary and the mantra of the hippies during the 60s and 70s. Turn on: try out the drugs everyone is doing, the weed, the LSD. Listen to the music, the rock, the protest songs. Tune in: listen to what the young people are saying; there’s a revolution going on. Pay attention, learn a new way of living in the world based on love. Drop out: quit that meaningless job, leave that bland suburb, get out of the “rat race,” live free.

  It was the beginning of an obsessive focus on “rights” from equal rights to women’s rights to reproduction rights to gun rights. Because we are Imago Dei, we’ve been bestowed with certain “inalienable rights” as Founders of our Country understood. Yet, what’s frequently missing is any sense of “responsibility.” That’s a contrast to the biblical worldview where the emphasis is on responsibility, not rights, as first seen in the Garden of Eden.

  Many Christians so emphasize the New Testament, they miss the ethical guidance there for us in the Old Testament. Most of our laws find their roots in Scripture. What’s also missed are the healthy societal dimensions in the Old Testament that we’d do well to heed today. Old Testament Law had problem-solving provisions for poverty, immigration, caring for the disenfranchised that give us insights on those same societal issues today.

  One example is, Parapet Theology, as found in Deuteronomy 22:8: “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.” Though cultural for that day, the ethical provision is that each of us has a responsibility to others. In a self-absorbed world, God’s people are to love their neighbors. It’s so serious that under the Old Covenant, they were to invest in safety measures like installing a parapet on a new home.

  What is a parapet? It’s a low protective wall or barrier at the edge of a balcony, roof, or bridge. The Hebrews needed parapets because their homes had flat roofs that were covered by a canopy intended as extra living space. This short wall prevented someone from falling off and being injured or killed when hitting the ground below.

  The humanitarian principle is that homeowners must maintain their property to prevent someone from being easily injured. It’s why we install handrails on stairs and second-story porches. While the command is culturally specific, the principle is timeless. Our responsibility to be aware of how our actions and choices affect the lives of others is consistent with Jesus’ teachings,  especially in the Sermon on the Mount. Even architecture can be biblical and theological.

  An idolatrous individualism has contaminated contemporary Christianity in that church, worship, ministry, programs, all of church life is about ME, but it’s not! It’s always about God first. Then, it’s about community. While individuality is not lost, it’s not to be preeminent. What does have precedence for the Christian is sacrifice, serving God and others.  

  Study Scripture for yourself and you’ll quickly discover a recurring theme – God’s heart naturally bends toward the vulnerable, the weak, the disenfranchised, the immigrant, the widow, and the elderly. But God opposes the proud, those who trust in their own strength and boast in their wisdom, and those who lack compassion for the disenfranchised.

  We Christians must be gospel-driven. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 must challenge us in our “rights-centered” culture. “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

  Let me share how that unpacks for me personally. In the midst of this Pandemic, if it will help build bridges for the gospel to someone who doesn’t know Christ, I’ll wear a mask and gloves. I’ve done all that and more in the past to visit someone in the hospital with a compromised immune system. I’d wear a hazmat suit if it’d open doors for the gospel.

  On the other hand, if my lost friend thinks all of this is silly and doesn’t feel comfortable unless we shake hands or even hug – guess what? I’m shaking hands and hugging. While I’m not suggesting that we be foolish, being a Christ-follower demands cross-carrying. It’s not about ME. It’s all about Jesus and loving Him. It’s about loving my neighbor, even if it means sacrificing my “rights.” Living out the gospel is sacrificial and risky.  

  This is not the flu. There’s something very deadly out there. We know that it easily spreads through human interactions, sometimes so easily and subtly that no one notices its transference. Only one Christian may be infected, but if churches aren’t careful, that one member can spread this deadly illness to others all too easily and with little effort. No matter your age or health, every member is vulnerable to this terrible disease.

  Oh, I’m not talking about COVID-19, I’m talking about something far deadlier – selfish ambition. Selfish ambition elevates our thoughts, preferences, and opinions over our responsibility to honor the Lord and to care for and love others. It puts me on the throne of my life instead of my Savior and King.

  It’s not wrong for Christians to long to return to normality in life and worship. It is sinful when a believer over-prioritizes their own “rights” on complex issues over and above loving Jesus, other brothers and sisters and a lost, terrified world. Because when God’s amazing grace truly grips our hearts, when the full realization of “I once was lost” echoes in our souls, sacrifice for our Savior becomes simple and willingly made. 

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