Ethics Daily has a good article today about some recent comments by Martin Accad, academic dean at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut, Lebanon. He says that Christians in America need to rethink how they view Middle East issues. In particular, he notes the problem of aggressively attacking those with whom we disagree. He explains:
One of the greatest developments of our day is attempts by politicians and media to dehumanize and demonize certain people. ... After demonizing them, we can destroy them.Amen! The politics that dehumanize and demonize people should never be allowed in the church. The warfare mentality should never be allowed in the church. Until this problem is solved, our witness will never be what it should be and we will likely be unable to impact the Middle East as we should.
That is a strategy of warfare and foreign to the gospel of Jesus Christ. ... It saddens me to see it making its way into churches.
Amen! I don't recall reading any comandment to make war in Jesus' name.
ReplyDeleteJust thought I should be polite and leave a comment introducing myself, especially since I visit your site frequently.
brittanicals: Thanks for the comment! Glad you stop by frequently.
ReplyDeleteV: Thanks for commenting. Do you have any more specifics about that sign in St. Louis? Where? Who? I would be interested in knowing that.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like our friend and you are guilty of mixing politics with spirituality.
After all, separation of church and state is no lie, as you have stringently pointed out in the context of Katherine Harris' non-gaffe.
So then, why should Christians attempt or expect to impose "WWJD?" criteria on our government's defense policies and strategies?
Are you guilty of contradictory thinking?