By Kevin Straub – Christianity, if it looks to Christ as its norm, will have nothing to do with the affairs of national/international politics and the wielding of the sword. It will not be involved in any of the processes involved in the adjustments of the balances of earthly powers. This is not our work. However, it has come to be standard thinking in Christianity that it is a part of our work. The discussions of whether to enter into a war or to stay out of that war is not merely academic in today’s Christianity; it is deemed the Christian’s duty to engage in a politicized Christianity. Today’s Christianity, since the time of Constantine, is not concerned solely with the gospel work, remaining an outside observer of the machinations of worldly powers, but as subscribers to the notion of “the just war,” is necessarily fundamentally involved in the geopolitical movements and the questions of taking nation(s) into war or not.
Tag: War
Christianity Stands Apart from Warfare (A.T. Jones)
The early Christians did not engage in war. They
would die rather than kill a fellow-being. It was not until apostacy had honeycombed the church that Christians
were to be found bearing arms and engaging in carnal warfare.
Soldiers Fight a Battle of Conscience
The Truth Commission on Conscience in War is a group of religious leaders and scholars who have joined together to discuss the theory of just war, international law and freedom of conscience during times of war. The 70-member commission recently held a public hearing at Riverside Church, where soldiers spoke about their war experiences. The…
LITERATURE – “The War Prayer” by Mark Twain
The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety’s sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.
VIDEO: Is there room for peace?
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED With all that is going on in the world today, it is easy to forget that there is a war going on overseas. I wondered whether to post this video because it has some violent scenes and language in it, but maybe it is time to honestly face what is happening…
Namibia: Divine Right and ‘Moron’ (namibian.com.na)
This is a fascinating article about the relationship between church and state in Namibia. http://www.namibian.com.na/2008/July/letters/08193A2750.html EXCERPTS: Churches were major driving forces in getting Namibia’s independence on the formal international agenda through resistive courage, a record that worldwide is, unfortunately, neither consistent nor unblemished; they do support the wrong side sometimes! But in Namibia’s case they…
Historical Profile: John Wycliffe – Morning Star of the Reformation (Excerpt from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs)
One of my favorite reformers has to be John Wycliffe, who translated the language of the Latin Vulgate into language that everybody could understand. This weekend, as part of our weekend inspirational series, we are pleased to present this excerpt from the classic, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, not because of any connection with a particular…
Associated Press reports: Everything seemingly is spinning out of control
Alan Fram and Eileen Putnam today published an article through the Associated Press that has perhaps the most dire headline I have ever read from a mainstream newspaper. Sure, conspiracy theorists often spin these kinds of stories, but the Associated Press? Gas prices, the housing market, Iran building nukes, the war in Iraq, a heat…
The Pope, the President, and the Politics of Faith (Asia Times)
The balance between faith and politics is fragile, and Asia Times writer Spengler gives an interesting perspective in today’s paper. It is worth reading. A link is provided following this excerpt: It is not only faith, but the temerity to act upon faith, that the pope and the president have in common. In the past…
Government, Religion, and a Mythical Past
By Karen Scott, Walt Pontynen, and Leigh Johnson In this article, originally published in Spectrum in 2002, the authors discuss the intent of the founders of the United States and how historical revisionism obscures our national heritage. (Re-posted with Permission.) AMERICAN PHILOSOPHER and poet George Santayana (1863-1952) wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are…