Monthly archive: March, 2006

I’ve been wondering lately about the moral nature of political decisions. I’m not talking about gay marriage and abortion. I have my positions on those. I’m talking about the political decisions on war, particularly what has now become known as the “Bush doctrine” on war.

I struggle with what to do with not making our nation’s political decisions based on Scripture, simply because Scripture is where I stand on my own moral decisions. That argument can be left for another day. But what I am increasingly becoming confused about is many Christians’ justification for the United States going to war, especially in Iraq. And since President Bush claims to be following Jesus and praying to him each day he is President, I wonder if Jesus’ own moral (and perhaps political) statements have not really changed the President’s heart.

Let’s go back to September 11, 2001, the evening that President Bush gives a speech to the nation (and to the world). Let’s imagine that this speech is infused with the words of Jesus, whom the President looks to for wisdom. After he gives an assessment of the day, let’s imagine what would be different if he said the following:

My fellow Americans, I come to you tonight with words of comfort, hope, and encouragement. As human beings, our innermost desire is to seek revenge, to hurt those who hurt us, and to be hateful and even prejudice toward those who share a similar religion to those who carry out willful acts of violence.

But we must not become hateful people, acting only out of our hurt. We must be strong, courageous, and willing to be a light to this world, especially in our darkest hour. It may be natural for us to love our neighbor and hate our enemies, and it has been made clear today who our enemies are. But greater wisdom tells us to forgive our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

As we have seen today, terrorism is an evil in the world that must be eradicated. And our first instinct is to wage war against those who wage war against us. But this would only be to act in revenge. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and as Americans, we need to rise about our fears, our hurts, and our bitterness, and become a people of peace, a nation of love and hope and light in this world.

Retaliation and retribution toward those who harm us appear to be the just solution. And while those who have committed crimes against our nation will pay for their atrocities, the United States of America will be a land of people who’s love will outshine their bitterness, whose hatred will die as we learn to forgive, and whose example to the rest of the world that we are the great nation we are because we live for a greater good.

Let this day be a mark of our resiliance and perseverance in times of trouble. Let it be a reminder to us that vulnerability as a nation is part of this world. Let it be a sign to the watching world that, as Americans, we can choose to walk higher grounds, and not be pulled into the same game as terrorists play, with their violence solutions to their own agendas.

As we face tomorrow, let the same love we share for each other be extended not only to our neighbors, who have offered their condolences on our behalf, but to our enemies also.

May we as a nation rise against evil with good. Be strong, stay the course, and God Bless America!

Goodnight.

I wonder what message this would have sent to the people of our country, the world around us, and to the terrorists. I’m sure many would be laughing, but had we pursued this end, by now many may see the wisdom in the way of Jesus.“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:43-45 ESV). I also wonder if the billions of dollars we have spent going to war would not have been better spent on increasing our intelligence and putting more energy into defensive ways to keep terrorism outside our country, instead of taking a violence solution elsewhere.

Maybe this would not have worked. Maybe it’s too silly, too simplistic, or too naïve. And I know asking the question, “What if…?” is an easy question to ask. But history always repeats itself, sometime, somewhere, and in one form or another. I just hope when the time comes, a leader will say, “What if…” and continue to think out a higher, wiser, and less violent way of defeating evil in our world.

When it comes to interpersonal relationships, I’ve always held that “love will always win the day,” and I believe that we must apply that on a much larger scale.

Doug

Doug Stuart is a committed follower of Jesus and passionate about building for the Kingdom of God through education and mobilization. He is a regular writer at LibertarianChristians.com as well as the founder of Living Loud.

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If you’ve talked to me in the past month, I’ve probably asked you if you’ve ever seen the TV show “24.” It’s been on for five years now, and I’m just getting around to watching the seasons in order on DVD. Both Shiree and I were very impressed with the show’s intensity and quality. The producers don’t hesitate to give the audience unexpected twists and turns, even if they hurt along the way. Cliffhangers become the norm. We are routing for the main character, Jack Bauer, to find the bomb, the assassin, or accomplish whatever impossibly tough assignment he’s been given. We continually find the perfect President in the man David Palmer, the United State’s first black President and a man who firmly holds to his principles.

But let’s put the details aside and talk about the nature of narrative truth. As human beings––made for relationship, made to belong––we are only caught up in the stories that take our breath away, excite us, bring us to the brink of danger and then rescue us at the last minute. No one belongs to a fact, we belong to a story, a tale, an adventure.

Perhaps it could be said that men have died for what they believed to be absolute or propositional truth, but those who did were perhaps blind to something greater happening––the story to which they belonged. The apostles died because they witnessed and experienced the life of Jesus (story). The early church martyrs died because they experienced the life-changing power of Jesus (story). People around the world are feeding the poor, helping those with AIDS, and working toward social justices for those in need (story). This story, this adventure, is the gospel. It takes us from the depths or our being and throws us into life.

Ask Jack Bauer. He lives for the adventure, the story he can be caught up in. Ask the millions of people who are glued to their TV sets when the show is on. Why are they there? It’s certainly not because of the “plain fact” that Jack Bauer is a good federal agent. It’s because the story he leads is worth being caught up into.

Doug

Doug Stuart is a committed follower of Jesus and passionate about building for the Kingdom of God through education and mobilization. He is a regular writer at LibertarianChristians.com as well as the founder of Living Loud.

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Journeying with Jesus isn’t easy. It’s certainly an adventure, and it certainly has its rewards, but John Bunyan writes in a note alongside the narrative just after two women pilgrims have entered the Wicket Gate: If the soul at first did know all it should meet with in its journey to Heaven, it would hardly ever set out.Pilgrim’s Progress, page 223 I sometimes find myself wondering if it is worth pressing on, if the journey is worth “setting out,” for each day we must choose to set out on the journey for which we are called, a journey to the heart of the King. And as Mr. Beaver from the land of Narnia reminds us, he is not safe. “But he is good. He’s the King, I tell you!”The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, page 76

I ponder what we must make of the journey set before us, with cliffs to the one side and a dark forest to the other. With danger all around, and an invisible Enemy lurking and roaming around seeking to devour us. The narrow road being what it is, a dark and gloomy picture could be painted for the journey and what it entails. Even our Lord himself promised that it would not only not be easy, it would indeed be difficult at times.

What are we to make of this? Where are we to go? What hope is there to be offered?

As I ponder this question now, I find two answers that satisfy my soul. First, we are not alone. We sojourn with other pilgrims, others who are on the search for faith. We walk with them, we find encouragement, comfort, and love. We also find intimate companionship and fellowship with our fellow sojourners, which leads us to the second answer. The hope in the journey, the joy, the ever-present help in time of struggle – our reward – is the companionship with the King whom we seek.

The joy is eternal because this King is eternal. The hope is sure because this King keeps his promises. The peace is a resting place because this King won’t let us go.

The apostle Paul writes that “…everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him” (Philippians 3:8-9 NLT).

Would I have chosen this path had I not been introduced at a young age? Would I have counted the cost more and turned away had I known all the trials, troubles, and trauma I may encounter? I do not know. My journey has been good, but it has been hard. It has been rewarding, but it has been troublesome. It has been fruitful, but it has left me restless many nights. It has kept me safe, but I have had my share of doubts. I can testify of many things, some of which are not entirely appealing, but are worth telling, are worth repeating.

But my testimony thus far can still only be this: “Is there a single person on whom I can press belief? No sir. All I can do is say, Here’s how it went. Here’s what I saw. I’ve been there and am going back. Make of it what you will.”Peace Like a River, page 311

Doug

Doug Stuart is a committed follower of Jesus and passionate about building for the Kingdom of God through education and mobilization. He is a regular writer at LibertarianChristians.com as well as the founder of Living Loud.

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