Here is one of the tragedies of war, for any nation. This is Wendell Berry's poem, "Air." See in your mind a 20-year old soldier on a bombing run...
This man, proud and young,
turns homeward in the dark
heaven, free of his burden
of death by fire, of life in fear
of death by fire, in the city
now burning below.
This is a young man, proud;
he sways upon the tall stalk
of pride, alone, in control of the
explosion by which he lives, one
of the children we have taught
to be amused by horror.
This is a proud man, young
in the work of death. Ahead of him
wait those made rich by fire.
Behind him, another child
is burning; a divine man
is hanging from a tree.
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4 comments:
Pastor Paul,
Would you consider yourself a pacifist?
Bil:
Yes, I would. The more and more I study God's Word--especially the life of Jesus--the further along the road to complete pacifism I travel. I've become convinced that pacifism is what God desires and we (individual Christians and the Church in general), generally speaking, are largely unwilling to accept this truth. Why? Mostly, I think, because we are afraid. We are afraid of the potential consequences of truly loving our enemies. We are afraid to lose our lives of comfort and security (never mind that Jesus calls us to a life of sacrifice and risk for the Gospel). We are afraid to speak this truth to those that make a living waging war (because the average American Christian's identity is more wrapped up in the flag than the cross). We are afraid that if push comes to shove we cannot be obedient to be peacemakers as Jesus was. And, finally, we lack an understanding of the sovereignty of God, which means that we fear a future in which we do not have (at least the illusion of) control.
I know that the earliest church had great difficulty accepting a military person as a catechumen because of the issue of killing. Understanding our role as citizens of two kingdoms can be very sticky at times. I completely agree with your comment about the average Christian's identity being wrapped up in the flag. While I'm thankful to God for the priveleges we have as Americans, I'm still uncomfortable seeing the Flag in the sanctuary. I think it tends to blur the distinction between the two kingdoms. Thanks for the thought provoking post and response.
Good for people to know.
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