Reflections on New World Order, Part Two
I guess I should explain that I'm not really concerned with this series about policy. I'm not supporting or criticizing the war on terrorism or the policies of our government. What I am trying to do is expresses some challenges to certain attitudes that I have been struggling with lately. I really don't think many Christians have tried to think biblically about what's going on in the world right now. In fact, I think Evangelicals tend to tow the Republican party line about terrorism and the current conflict.
One such attitude I think that I have frequently fallen into is the desire for safety and security. One thing that 9/11 did was it shattered the gentle facade of security that we had built up in our society. Up until that time war, conflict, and death were for most people something that happened thousands of miles away in backward countries. Now chaos and war were brought to our very doorstep.
First and foremost, the efforts by our government to combat terroism are designed to protect us and attempt to restore the sense of security. Immediately following the attacks, the cry was to go about our daily lives. I can say personally that I too yearn for a return to the safety of pre-9/11 America. But, this desire for comfort and safety at all costs aren't necessarily biblical.
God never promised his people peaceful and safe lives while on earth. In fact, Scripture seems to promise that we will suffer in this world, but that this suffering produces perseverence and hope. What we find that in times of chaos and conflict is that the church grows and expands in miraculous ways. I can't substantiate this now, but I hear that with all its turmoil, Iraq has seen an explosion in the church in the past three years.
The eternal reality is that conflict, war, and chaos will all come to this earth before the end comes. These evil events provide the church with the opportunity to be peacemakers, to love people, and to spread the Gospel of salvation. My question is will the church in America rise to the challenge of the events surrounding us and be a light in a world that so desperately needs it? Will we put away our sabre rattling and accept the hardship that as fallen on this country as opportunity for spiritual fruit?
posted by Kevin C @ 3:24 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I think I mentioned this book to you before, but someone who's asking the same sort of questions is a guy named Shane Claiborne, and he's written a book about it called The Irresistable Revolution. I'm not sure I completely agree with his politics, but he's got the guts to be honest about what he thinks, and he's lived out his faith in some pretty radical ways. It's a quick read, good food for thought on a number of levels, and 100% of the profit from book sales goes to the homeless, so I'd highly recommend it. If nothing else, I'm convicted as I read thru it of how narrow my world view is and how unintentionally uncompassionate I can be... I don't mean to be uncompassionate, but it can be so easy to go thru life and not really SEE people, you know? "Iraq" - not just a country on the map, but full of actual people who have birthdays and kids and who wonder about life and eternity and appreciate things like rainbows and sunshine and sleeping in on a Saturday morning. And the same thing applies to the people in the car behind you who drive you nuts by tailgating... how differently would we live if we could truly see people the way Jesus does?
I'm glad to see the tide is turning. This subject has long troubled me. I think, like you Kevin, many evangelicals are waking up to the idea that Jesus loves Americans, not America. He even loves Iraqis and is not pleased when injustice is done to them in his name...well meaning or not.
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