i grew up in a "peace church." i attended university and seminary at institutions that are also affiliated with "peace church" traditions. none of these actually mean that i believe in peace or nonviolence. i do.
so, what do i think about a day that memorializes those lost in war? i'm all for it. i believe that we should honor those who have passed away. i believe that these individuals should not have had to sacrifice their lives in war, but i pay homage to these individuals, as creations of God. i respect their sarifice.
i don't appreciate memorial day when it is turned into a ra-ra, u.s. is best, support our troops at all costs event. i'm not saying that it has today, but then again, i wouldn't know. i haven't watched any news, gone to any parades, or done much for that matter.
so, what did i do? i watched braveheart. it was on cable. as someone who has distant family lines to scotland, i've always enjoyed this movie. (we grew up going to the local scottish games, i did caber toss and shot put as a kid in the competitions.) not too long ago, this movie became almost gospel among the Xian community. why? i'd like to thank, err blame, john eldridge. i like his writing, and in the book wild at heart, he celebrated the savage, the manly, the masculine. i realize that last sentence is an oversimplification. other authors, such as erwin mc manus from mosaic in l.a., have picked up on this theme, written about it, and implemented programs within the church, frequently employing the scottish warrior as a symbol. this bothers me. why? because this is not the way of Jesus. it is not the way of Jesus. i don't see Jesus as some little wimpy hippy guy, but neither was he a scottish warrior that would kill an enemy in his bed. nor was he a revolutionary, ala my favorite redux of che. yes, what he taught and embodied was revolutionary. but it was never violent, and will never be violent.
love your enemies. pray for those that persecute you. forgive without limits.
today, as we remember those who have died in war, i pray for our current soldiers. i pray for our leaders. i pray for God's will to be done in this world and for leaders who will work for this on local, national and global levels even if it hurts their pocketbooks. i pray for the return of the Prince of Peace.
6 comments:
Great post, it puts into words the ideas on my heart. I still fear too much that we tie our faith to America being great, the best, etc. Last weekend my family (not me) went to the national NRA annual meeting in our state. I have nothing against the NRA, I think protecting the 2nd amendment is a good thing, but they had a prayer breakfast there. What does the NRA pray for? That we can keep our guns? What would Jesus think of that? That is where we go too far. I'm all right with some nationalism and getting involved in some things like the NRA, etc., but when you tie your faith to that you go too far. Yes, Jesus was no wimp, but he wasn't a politician, he didn't lead an uprising against Rome, he was more interested in a different Kingdom, one not of this world, and so should we.
well said, Ed.
Good Post Ed. Yesterday at Church as I read the Bulletin, I thought, Oh Lord here we go, and yes it was a bit over the top Patriotic, but then the sermon came and I held my breath. And of Course Pastor Doug brought it home. He has just returned from Cuba and he now has that to deal with as he ponders Jesus, The great commission, and Memorial day. He basically pointed out that the church in Cuba has little "freedom" and it is living out there faith like no other, meanwhile we in America, who have tons of freedom,rarely live out or faith. He pointed out that most of us think our freedom is all about pleasing oursleves and being consumeristic. His challenge was that we would use our freedom to be Jesus and to live out the Great Commandment, as opposed to being concerned with what makes each of us happy. Less ME ME ME and more Jesus.
Great thoughts. Made me think a lot, and though this may stray off your intended thought, here is my... i guess question for you...
There have been many times when I have been asked about the church I grew up in. In response to saying Mennonite, most have never heard of it, and ask what makes it different from any other denomination. When the pacifism comes up, people don't seem to believe it's possible to believe in the peace and non-violence that you talk about, while at the same time respect and honor those who have fallen in war. Almost as if they instantly think I believe Jesus was a, what did you say... "hippy Jesus" though that is so not it.
I guess what I am saying, is that I don't really know how to answer that question when it has been asked of me. I totally agree with you Ed, but I wonder how you would explain that to the typical extremely patriotic gun-ho southern baptist that I run into in good 'ole Irmo, SC.
Malisa... not Scott :)
yeah, that's the tough part. i guess, in looking to respect and honor the lives lost, i'm really trying to seperate the person from the role as soldier. i realize that this is dualistic, and is generally something i want to avoid. frankly, i have trouble saying that i support our troops. woody and i got into a discussion about this after they did a big funeral in bakos. like, i'm sad the guy died, i understand and can respect his beliefs, but i think that the troops shouldn't be there. i don't support why they are there. i'm not against them as individuals, and am not trying to speak poorly of them.
to reframe the thought, i think i might liken it to the cliche of loving the sinner, hating sin. am i'm not going on record saying that soldiers are sinners. but, we all have aspects of life that may not be in total accord with following Jesus. this is unfortunate, and i hope that as we grow closer to Him that these things are less prominent. (prominant?)
i know that people have trouble living with that paradox or perhaps contradiction of what i'm saying. but, i still wonder how people say that they follow Jesus and support war. so, i guess we're @ a standstill.
btw johnsons, pretty excited about seeing you guys this week.
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