The next few posts will be of an email exchage I had with a respected Christian leader.
From the comments at http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/old-testament-army/):
While I guess the author of the main article is on board with the mission of the US government in general, and probably also even the current wars, he doesn't seem to have a clue about the Cross. What bothers me is not only that there is nothing about evangelical support for the war that makes him want to know about the heart of the evangelical message, it also seems like he is utterly opposed to "dare to be a Daniel" devotion to God. (If it was just one guy, I wouldn't care, but I'm assuming that he's preaching to a sizable choir.)
If a conservative disparages Christian commitment to the military and the relentless evangelical enthusiasm for the current wars -- even if they have in mind pop-dispensationalists, not Reformed types (or is he that far off?) -- what must the liberals think? How would either one consider evangelical claims that the wars are about protecting Christian freedoms? How eager are they to have their misconceptions corrected?
Should this prompt some self-examination on the part of pro-war US evangelicals?
Since I didn't know it, I guess I'm heartened to read that American soldiers are giving out Bibles in Afghanistan. Papua New Guineans thought that Bibles provided the best paper for roll-your-own cigarettes. "My wife was collateral damage, but hey, look at all this nifty cigarette paper!"
Too bad the distribution of Bibles runs afoul of the laws of the powers that be, ordained of God: http://www.talk2action.org/story/2009/5/12/164731/655/Front_Page/Code_1_Code_2_Code_3_at_Bagram_Airfield
From the comments at http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/old-testament-army/):
If you cannot put country before God, then you shouldn’t be in the military. Serving in the military is the ultimate service to one’s country. In that situation, you have to put country before everything, including God. If you can’t make that commitment, then don’t join.I couldn't have put it better myself. I can't see Jesus disagreeing.
While I guess the author of the main article is on board with the mission of the US government in general, and probably also even the current wars, he doesn't seem to have a clue about the Cross. What bothers me is not only that there is nothing about evangelical support for the war that makes him want to know about the heart of the evangelical message, it also seems like he is utterly opposed to "dare to be a Daniel" devotion to God. (If it was just one guy, I wouldn't care, but I'm assuming that he's preaching to a sizable choir.)
If a conservative disparages Christian commitment to the military and the relentless evangelical enthusiasm for the current wars -- even if they have in mind pop-dispensationalists, not Reformed types (or is he that far off?) -- what must the liberals think? How would either one consider evangelical claims that the wars are about protecting Christian freedoms? How eager are they to have their misconceptions corrected?
Should this prompt some self-examination on the part of pro-war US evangelicals?
Since I didn't know it, I guess I'm heartened to read that American soldiers are giving out Bibles in Afghanistan. Papua New Guineans thought that Bibles provided the best paper for roll-your-own cigarettes. "My wife was collateral damage, but hey, look at all this nifty cigarette paper!"
Too bad the distribution of Bibles runs afoul of the laws of the powers that be, ordained of God: http://www.talk2action.org/story/2009/5/12/164731/655/Front_Page/Code_1_Code_2_Code_3_at_Bagram_Airfield
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