Disclaimer: I do not have that much finger on the pulse of Christianity. I am aware of the things I am exposed to and, frankly, if I don’t like what I’m exposed to I take steps to lessen that exposure. I do not speak for “all Christians” neither do I quote “all Christians” when I quote “Christians” whose ideas I oppose. With due respect for any herd mentality which might be at work, everybody is pretty much on their own to own their statements and they do not have to own statements of others, even if in the same clan, which they do not accept. That said:
There is a Scripture referent which I have heard fairly frequently in my 37 (can it really be 37?) years of involvement in theologically conservative Evangelical Christianity. It has become more frequent since the merging of theologically conservative Christianity with politically conservative politics (to be fair, some would disagree with that description, claiming that politics is not their concern at all. It just so happens that biblically influencing the Culture includes making political choices.) The referent is commonly used when an angry (or, a righteously indignant) Christian is calling for the punishment or ostracizing of others and he is confronted by the picture of the “Peaceful, Loving Jesus”. “Jesus was loving, no doubt”, they would agree, “But when angered, he made whips and drove the moneychangers out of the temple.”
This apologetic for Christian violence got an uptick in the recent Conservative Christian opposition to anti-bullying laws. “Sometimes”, they would explain, “Righteousness will compel us to stand against behaviors and these stands might seem unloving or bullying, when they are, in fact, loving.” Follow below for some thoughts concerning this Gospel incident.
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers." (Mark 11:15-17)
This incident is recorded in all four of the Canonical Gospels. Some think that there were two “Cleansing of the Temple” incidences since John’s Gospel seems to place it at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry while the other three, after the procession on what is called Palm Sunday in the week of the Crucifixion. I take it that there was one incident occurring the Monday before Good Friday. The bare facts are straight forward: Jesus goes into the Temple and sees people selling animals and exchanging money. He is furious concerning this and starts overturning the tables and driving the animals and merchants out of the area. In his rage over what he saw, he shouts (screams? bellows?) “Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers” - a significant clue to his outrage.
Most commentators will point out the corruption involved in the Temple marketplace, a corruption in which the High Priest and Temple hierarchy were involved. Whatever animal a worshipper brought was deemed by the inspectors to be unfit, “but don’t worry, we have approved animals right here which you can purchase.” Whatever offering money was brought by worshippers was not in “approved Temple currency” and so exchanged at usury rates. As bad as that is, there is another not so obvious observation to be made. Linked here (I couldn't paste a chart into the diary. If I figure it out, I'll edit.) is a chart of Herod’s Temple, also called the Second Temple and the Temple at which Jesus spent his time.
The large section surrounding the Temple is called the Gentile’s Court. The gates from that section into the Temple bore signs warning Gentiles that should anyone enter, he would himself be responsible for his death which would follow. It is in this court that the marketplace was set up.
Remember the words quoted by Jesus? The Temple was to be “a house of prayer for all nations”. Except, any nations coming to the “house of prayer” would find their space taken up by the “den of robbers”. Rather than welcomed into their space, they were pushed out. Their space was taken up by hucksters and thieves fleecing the faithful. The High Priest and the Temple Hierarchy felt no responsibility to welcome the Gentiles, to “keep a place at the table” for them. Not so much as punishment nor for venting his anger, Jesus tore them up to restore the Temple to its rightful place. This space is a house of prayer for all nations. Everyone is included.
Modern day evokers of this incident often come at this from the opposite direction. They want to exclude. They don’t want to bake cakes for the “wrong” couples. They somehow want the right to bully, to confront, and to express their displeasure. In the (perhaps overstated) words of Infidel753 “the most striking thing … is that the Christian Right's core value, the essence of religious freedom in their view, the hill they've chosen to die on, is the right to exclude”.
Jesus’ actions in this incident were different – a little more aggressive - than the ones we would normally attribute to him. It is somewhat difficult to reconcile this picture with what we normally see. But in keeping with other incidences in the Gospels, Jesus expressed his anger toward those who would keep others away. Those who wrapped themselves in their own sanctimony in order to look down on and dismiss people whom God invited to come and pray.