Bohemians

When a vast continental empire nailed a Jewish prophet to a cross, the whole world changed forever. Messiah nullified the finality of human death when he rose up from the grave. The good news of his resurrection inspired a new, revolutionary interpretation of the ancient Hebrew scriptures. World history took another major turn, three centuries later, when a Roman emperor accepted Christian faith. Christian religion and practice took another major turn when a corrupt pope claimed church authority over secular and civil institutions. Human depravity expanded into the religious establishment when the Roman clergy throughout Europe was redirected toward earthly motivations of wealth and privilege. The age-old corruption of human institutions, kingdoms, fiefs, duchies, dukes and earls, kings and queen. Not all of them were corrupt, but rather, inclined to decisions that affected the distribution of wealth, power, and influence. One corruptive practice was the issuance of indulgences by priests who ostensibly had the power to forgive sins and shorten the terrible punishments in hell that poor sinners (everybody) would presumably have to endure after death. Institutional corruption degenerated. Corruption was rampant and nobody was really paying attention. T’was then when a new testament prophet arose. Following the example of the old testament prophets, Jan Hus stood up in the the public square and spoke correctively, prophetically against the religious establishment of the 14th century. In the city of Prague, in the region Bohemia, where the Czech Republic is today, Jan Hus delivered the corrective word of the Lord. But later paid the ultimate price for his bold prophetic act. The powers that be burned him at the stake.

In later years, a German cleric, Martin Luther, took up the mantle of prophetic correction when he acted boldly against the deceptive Establishment. Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door. . . and the Protestant declaration began. The Christian “Church” would never be the same again. It would be replaced, appropriately,by the Christian faith that spread like Holy Spirit wildfire across the European continent and, indeed, the whole world. Since a Bohemian prophet had been the original rebel against erroneous institutional authority, the word “Bohemian” was later applied to rebels of just about any identity, in any institution on the face of the earth. This writer can remember a time when our boomer generation, questioning authority, were thought to be rebellious. Some of us demonstrated alternative lifestyles, following the new rhythms of popular culture instead of the obedient paths laid out for us by our predecessors. The term “wild bohemian” was applied to rebels. . . Kerouac, the beatniks, Maynard G. Krebbs. . . later the hippies and all kinds of rebels against the Establishment. Reformers and rebels were identified, presumptively, as “wild bohemians” because their life journeys were conducted along alternative paths that did not Establishment values and lifestyles. It all goes back to the original rebel, Jan Hus, the original Bohemian upstart rebel who rattled the chains of a religious Establishment twelve hundred years ago.

In ages long ago, reformation of the religious Establishment was thought to be disruptive and troublesome. In the modern world, we discover that it is actually helpful to find a few rebellious “bohemians” who initiate the societal changes that may or may not be needed to keep everybody well-fed and content. Most important in our democratic-republican nation: Let folks live their own lives, as long as they do not break the historic ten commandments and upset the apple carts of their neighbors and fellow-citizens. You might have a bohemian living next door. Just do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and we’ll all get along fine.

King of Soul