Labels: Foreign Policy, Religion, War
How is that we have allowed the Christian Right to be defined by delusional idealism and religious zeal? How is it that American evangelicals not only approved but actually glamorized the war as a form of Christian "mission"? ... It is more than an embarrassment for the evangelical church in America that we have gone forth into the world with gun and Bible, flag and cross.
It seems most Christians have forgotten that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). If we Christians would focus as much energy on fighting the real war as we do on chasing phantom threats to our national security, we might actually see the world change for the better.
| 3/10/2008 |
Many Christians Are Fighting the Wrong War
From Dave Black's latest essay:
6 Comments:
And how exactly does one do that with "christian Hawks?",(small c since I have a huge problem with that description).
I am in the minority in every church I have been in, they all clamor for "the troops" I see them{troops, who are "Christian", as well as church members} as at best ignorant, and at worse, criminals, defiant of their Lord's admonition to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. What is going on? Why no Biblical discernment? Why all this "patriotism" if we are sojourners in this land? Are that many NOT Christians that are filling the churches? Or is this part of sanctification, and they are that far away from realizing their error. These are people in their sixties and seventies, who claim the name of Christ for over 20~30+ years, and they're warmongers, statists, and who knows what else when they finally clam up after I voice my disgust. Scripture doesn't even edify, and the pastor sure doesn't condemn what's happening in the name of "defense". Rant off, any ideas?
The sad and hilarious thing has been to see how Southern Baptists and other evangelicals have fallen in line behind their church leaders. Back in my young days, that would have been the rankest of heresy, akin to papistry. Everybody knew that you were supposed to follow the Bible as your guide to religion, not some other man. That was why everybody in a Baptist church was "Brother this" or "Brother that", even the preacher, in order to make it clear to everybody that nobody in that church had any special line to God and that only the Bible, not the word of Man, would be used as a guide.
Sadly, today's evangelicals appear to be papists of the rankest sort, willingly following their so-called "leaders" everywhere...
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I think that part of the problem is that Christians are in love with authority and they are not particularly discerning about who possesses it. In the eyes of some professing Christians, the state is at least to be obeyed like a divine decree (never mind the fact that God ordained Satan) and at most a deity in and of itself.
In other words, to fail to engage in patriotic acts is sinful in the eyes of some. Of course their idea of patriotism is skewed but these are also the type of people who believe it is wrong to question authority in any circumstance.
All I can say is that I'm thankful that I attend a church that doesn't have the typical American/Christian flag combo on display. And my pastor definitely sees Christ's kingdom as preeminent over America's empire.
We're going to have to move out your way. We can't even find a Biblical church around here where we'll be allowed to bring our own kids in the service- let alone one that isn't full of warmongers.
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