My daily prayer...

"Lord I pray for those who kill, are killed and those who suffer because of war." This video reminds me of the trauma, courage and suffering of those who are executing our foreign policy.

Three cups of tea...please

What an amazing man and mission....one of the best and most hopeful things I have heard about Afghanistan. May his tribe increase. My favorite moment: The Taliban playing on the school playground swing set....violence is truly the fruit of a failed imagination.

http://castroller.com/podcasts/BillMoyersJournal/1415219

The Conscientious Objector review

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. -Psalm 91:14-16

I'm not a big fan of quoting scripture in war...but, if ever it seemed appropriate, this verse fits the story retold above. I watched this documentary last night and have to say, it was one of the most moving stories of faith and war, I've seen. The story of a courageous Seventh Day Adventist man who chooses to serve his country in WW2 without a gun.

It's an inspiring story that shows the cost and the witness of one man's attempt to reconcile his faith and duty to country. It's full of miracles and moving testimony from WW2 veterans who served together with Desmond Doss. This is a must see film, if the issues of faith, violence, patriotism and duty matter to you.

Constitutional Conservatism...?

So what do you think of the Mt. Vernon Statement?

Voting ourselves into suicide....

Perhaps the worst blow to them, the greatest disillusionment, was socialist England; here was their literal dream, a bloodless socialism, where force was not used for murder, only for expropriation, where lives were not taken, only products, the meaning and the future of lives, here was a country that had not been murdered, but had voted itself into suicide...

This, then, is the choice, think it over, consider the subject, check your premises, check past history and find out whether it is true, that men can never be free. It isn't true, because they have been. Find out what made it possible. See for yourself. And then if you are convinced--rationally convinced--then let us save the world together. We still have time. -Ayn Rand

Unsustainable Foreign policy...

USA Foreign policy:
-A Trillion dollars to fund our world empire, military is in 140 countries, with 700 military bases...simply unsustainable.

Soldiers of Conscience

I watched this last night. I thought it was one of the best, balanced and brutal dialogues about war and killing, pacifism and patriotism that I have seen. I am thinking about showing it as part of our Christ & Culture nights.

The oldest story....

"(John) Edwards' fall from grace is the oldest story in America, and probably the world. He was a gorgeous, powerful man willing to torch his family, his career and those who trust him to get laid -- by someone whose name the rest of us can't even pronounce." -Anne Lamott (article in The New York Times)

Not all Heroes carry a gun....

The Conscientious Objector,,,get the movie: here

Street preachers....

The path out of here....

"I believed that God had spared me during the genocide for a reason: to talk to as many people as possible about how he had touched my heart amidst the holocaust and taught me to forgive. I was to bear witness to how this one act can save a soul crippled by hatred and sickened by the desire for revenge." - Rwandan holocaust survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza, Led by Faith

"Without forgiveness, there's no future." - Desmond Tutu

10 minute Government lesson, everyone should know....

The Truth About Veteran Suicides....

Eighteen American war veterans kill themselves every day. One thousand former soldiers receiving care from the Department of Veterans Affairs attempt suicide every month. More veterans are committing suicide than are dying in combat overseas.

"The Pentagon regularly reports on the numbers of American troops "wounded" in Iraq (currently at 31,948) but neglects to mention that it has two other categories "injured" (10,180) and "ill" (28,451). All three of these categories represent soldiers who are so damaged physically they have to be medically evacuated to Germany for treatment, but by splitting the numbers up the sense of casualties down the public consciousness....Here's another number that we don't often hear discussed in the media: 287,790. That's the number of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who had filed a disability claim with the Veterans Administration as of March 25th

Read more: here

Water-boarding your kid?

This article: "Soldier father accused of 'waterboarding' daughter, 4, because she can't recite alphabet" is a painful reminder of the potential abuse that arises out of situations that soldiers are forced to go through, endure, process and carry with.

I do not incriminate or point to this act as an attempt to say that the army did this to this man or is solely responsible but...isn't it fair to examine the issue? Do folks have a right to examine religions that produce extremists? Do we have a duty to examine the "input/output issues of violence, media and our cultures effects on the young and old alike? Isn't most of life a testimony of cause and effect? Not in all cases...but probably easily observed. The man was probably simply sick and in need of mental health support...but maybe not?

Just because a Priest sexually abuses a child, it shouldn't incriminate the Catholic church...but it should cause us to examine its' position on "celibate clergy" and ask tough questions as to wether that policy helps create a culture of potentially sexually repressed men and women?

As a pastor, I am concerned about the re-entry issues facing men and women who are in the service or are veterans. PTSD is a hot button in some circles...It's affect on marriages, relationships, parenting, friendships and inner psychology are serious issues to me. We use certain phrases in interpersonal conversations that are unspoken truths...like when someone off handily remarks that their father was in the military. The general assumption is that would mean that certain issues of intimacy, authority, discipline, displacement, attachment challenges for transitory families are or have been experienced. Does this mean all MK's deal with this or all Solider or Vets fall into such classifications or stereotypes...I don't think so...but are they generally accepted distortions, seems so.

"Supporting the Troops"...is taking on a whole lot more meaning in my mind these days.

Cyberdyne here we come

Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms'

In the counsels of government

In the counsels of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplace power exists, and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic process.
-President Eisenhower's Farewell Adress, January 1961

The times...they are a changing....

Everyone will live quietly in their own homes in peace and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD Almighty has promised this! -Micah 4:4

Masters of War....Pearl Jam version

Not sure I've heard a song sung with such brutal ethos in the delivery; that matched the smoldering indignation of the words. Dylan wrote an apocalyptic doom of a song and Eddie Vedder sings it like a prophet of Old Testament proportions.

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead


"Masters of War" startles Dylan himself. "I've never really written anything like that before," he recalls. "I don't sing songs which hope people will die, but I couldn't help it in his one. The song is a sort of striking out, a reaction to the last straw, a feeling of what can you do?" The rage (which is as much anguish as it is anger) is a way of catharsis, a way of getting temporary relief from the heavy feeling of impotence that affects many who cannot understand a civilization which juggles its own means for oblivion and calls that performance an act toward peace.

JESUS AND THE SUICIDE BOMBER...?

Humam al-Balwai, the suicide bomber who murdered seven CIA employees in Afghanistan was a brilliant Jordanian physician who recorded a “martyrdom video” before his death expressing hatred of America and his own nation. After watching that video on Arab TV, the father of the killer said: “We are not surprised. Fighting the arrogant, unjust, haughty and tyrant American who kills civilians and innocent people makes the whole Islamic world hate America.” He then added, “They say that Jesus gave his life to people. I say that Humam sacrificed his body and soul for the oppressed.” The bereaved father ignores the distinction between the New Testament account of dying to give eternal life to those you love, and dying to deliver death to those you hate. Blinded by fanaticism, jihadist sympathizers deny the difference between Jesus and a suicide bomber.
-Thursday, January 14, 2010 by Michael Medved

John Stewart Vs. Bill O'reilly

Political toe to toe....pretty good exchange...I think it really gets rolling about half way...I call it a draw.
Watch it: here

Grizzly Adams...the Genesis warrior

"God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:28

I was asked:
"What is your stance on the idea that men are warriors, that they have an innate need to fight and wrestle?

My response would be that I believe that man is genetically equipped to fulfill the mandate given in the above verse in Genesis. The challenges of mankind rising, creating, producing, taming, fashioning and harnessing the wilds of the world is wrapped up in that word "subduing".

I see "fighting and wrestling" to be a natural God given drive to fulfill the role He has given man to do. If that 'impulse' is held and expressed within the God determined boundaries, it is a powerful force for provision, civilizing and the common good. But, like sexuality, if it is expressed outside the boundaries God determines, it can become a source of pain, suffering and destruction and ultimately even, death.

Human nature isn't pure...it must wrestle with sin...and sin seeks to pervert the creation and express it's nature to kill, steal and destroy.

For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. -Jesus (John 8:44)

But, I don't see the act of killing animals in the same light as killing human beings. Mankind is created in God's image, animals are creation of God but do not bear the image of God...just the breath of life from God. So, even the Lord killed animals and showed the proper use of them, and even directed mankind in the issues of consumption of animals in the OT, especially Leviticus.

And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. Genesis 3:21

That said...the bible also speaks a lot about the care of animals too. I don't espouse an unbridled, unrestrained devouring of the earth in a consumeristic manner. We are called to rule with compassion and justice and to be good stewards of the earth...both in manner of ethics and economy as it relates to consumption.

When violence is turned towards those who are image bearers...the Bible starts getting very serious, even in the OT. Once we get to the NT...the ultimate vision of God's kingdom begins to dawn and dominate in the person and teaching of Christ...who by the way, caught and ate fish too. So a kingdom vision of the lion laying down with the lamb is a unfolding one that starts in the changed human heart and is outworked in wisdom and God given boundaries in this age.

The spilling of blood is very serious to God.

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper? "The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. -Genesis 4:8-11

Ultimately, though I recognize and support the bearing of weapons in relationship to subduing nature and protecting humans from the wild...I find the killing of image bearers to be an act that Jesus forbids. So warriors are needed but the expression of the warring nature can be turned to evil or good. I know many would say that "self-defense" is an expression of that good...each will have to figure out how to outwork that as a principle for life. But for someone to point to the warrior 'impulse' as evidence of God's blessing of war....I would say that's a misuse of that power and responsibility.

For me....the best image I have in my mind...is Grizzly Adams...man in relationship to the wild, living off the land but doing so in a realistic but relational way...both with man and animals.
That's a vision of the my Father's world that was represented in His greatest Image bearer...Jesus Christ; and It's a vision of life, that I pray and work towards.

(Painting by Frank Frazetta)

Why pastors should preach about "War"....

Why are you talking about all this "war" stuff anyway...?

I am asked this in one way or another fairly frequently of late and understandably so...this blog is a response to that question. I try to answer those sincere questions here. I also am trying to ask the questions that seem to be ignored in the daily life of the church world. When issues that result in the potential death of our loved ones, friends, fellow countrymen, innocents abroad or at home and our enemies...I think we should do some serious work of thinking and talking. It's one of the reasons we have a constitution that puts the deciding work of war on the shoulders of a "debating natured' congress. It should be something we "think through" not just respond to.

Christians and pastors, spend countless hours on trivial life issues, they hear or preach sermons on subjects most folks forget about soon as they chomp into their greasy lunches. We write books that split the atoms of sacramental ecclesiology and the proverbial self centered discussion of "worship wars"...but rarely talk about "war"; a subject that break up homes, infects in a cancerous way many marriages that end up in divorce, push men and women in to coping based addictions, leaves minds and hearts wrecked with PTS and often results in burying our loved ones.

Is this a Jesus issue, a gospel imperative? yes, I believe it is.

For me the issue is simply this, people are lost, they don't know the way to life...they need Jesus.
He is the way, the truth and the life....people need to know about Christ.

How is this accomplished?

Most often, they "SEE" the "WAY" being lived and then they ask questions because of the provocative nature of the life being lived. If you remove the "provocative nature" the "saltiness" as Jesus described it...you lose the distinction that sets you apart and makes your "WAY" ...more distinctive than others.

In today's Church...."HOW" Christians live...has been trumped by "WHAT" Christians "Believe".

My pounding on the issue of war and violence is rooted deeply in the critical issues of the way of living, that many christians espouse. It is no different than the world. We Kill, maim, brutalize and dominate our enemies and then make movies and games that indulge this as "way of life" as entertainment. We "christianize" it all, with a militarized, patriotic drunk church culture, that cares more about the civil religion of "God and Country"...than the way and teaching of Jesus. All of this is, in my mind, extremely critical to "my" walk with Jesus and more importantly...the attraction of the alternative King and His kingdom offered in the gospel message.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, -1 Peter 3:15