Blown Away
"But you've got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I'm for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes 10 years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord." (Jerry Falwell, CNN Late Edition, October 24, 2004).
Does this statement trouble you? It does me. I'm certain that I am to pray for others in the name of the Lord. It's also clear that I am to baptize disciples of Christ in the name of the Lord. I recall a text where men were honored because they "risked their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Then there's Paul's tearful statement to his friends in Acts 21: "I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die ... for the name of the Lord Jesus." The scriptures include admonitions to give thanks in the name of the Lord, to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord, to do everything in the name of the Lord, and to call upon the name of the Lord for salvation.
All of these make perfect sense to me.
But an admonition to "blow them all away in the name of the Lord?" Hmm.... I don't remember that one. In fact, it doesn't resemble anything I can think of in my Christian faith. And hearing it suggested by a fellow minister of the gospel ... well, I'm kind of, if you'll pardon the pun, blown away.
posted by Steve Gilbertson at 11:40 AM
4 Comments:
This is interesting. How many references are there in the Old Testament to nations engaged in warfare, with God being the center of the struggle. I guess in those days, they were 'blowing them all away in the name of the Lord.'
But then we didn't have Jesus at that time, and killing the unpure was maybe the only way to keep the people of Israel from sinning?
We certainly have an avenue for grace and mercy with Jesus Christ. Where do we draw the line between laying down our lives for the gospel and laying down their lives for our gospel? I guess it's just a problem of our age. We tend to believe that God needs us to help him work out His plan. He does use us, but I think most people listen to God for the big ideas, and rely on their own methodology for the execution. Example - Bible says "disciple all nations", we execute by assessing evil nations and "blowing them away."
I doubt that God gave that methodology to us, but I can't speak for Him...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
(sorry about the deleted comment; I got a litte tap-happy. I'll try again...)
Jiblethead said,
"Where do we draw the line between laying down our lives for the gospel and laying down their lives for our gospel?"
The question of a Christian response to war is huge -- and I've been too much of a wuss to talk about it in the past. Someday I'll blog about that. For now, two comments about your comments:
1. Your question is very perceptive, for it touches on a common argument of the Christian pacifist. He is very willing to die for his convictions, but not prepared to kill for them.
2. Even if one acknowledges the rightness of the US cause in Iraq and against worldwide terrorism, doesn't Falwell's attitude make even the most hawkish Christian Republican squirm a little? I should hope so.
You are correct, most evangelicals would gladly pass into martyrdom for their beliefs, but wouldn't kill a muslim for their beliefs. But I'm not sure we need to kill anyone either. Isn't their a commandment for that? I find it a very tricky situation.
When Jesus said "pray for your enemy", what did He mean? I think many people interpret that command as "you should love your enemy - feel good about your enemy." I don't believe that. I believe His command was for us to spend time in prayer for our enemies. God has the power to right every wrong. We can pray that His will is done on this earth, as it is in heaven.
Years ago I read a C.S. Lewis essay on prayer. I think the problem of prayer is that praying for His will is sufficient. And I believe that His will is done on earth. So praying for something specific (healing, getting out of debt, etc) sometimes feels to me like asking God to do what we want. When we pray those things, do we know it's His will before we pray them? Is that a requirement of prayer?
I've always enjoyed the heavenly encounter between Bruce (Jim Carrey) and God (Morgan Freeman) in Bruce Almighty. As God talks to Bruce, he says "pray for her." Bruce's initial prayer is akin to a kindergartener at a Vacation Bible school blessing the graham crackers and juice. When God says to try again, Bruce prays that his girlfriend gets the love she deserves, even if it's not from him. Bruce transitions from "it's about what I want" to "it's about what's best for her."
Maybe we should pray for our enemy in the middle-east, that God would be in control. How does this wrap? Jerry Falwell wants us to "blow them all away in the name of the Lord." I say we pray for them, and God will make His final determination.
Post a Comment
<< Home