How did we come to find our nation embroiled in a bloody and destructive war and occupation of a nation in the middle of one of the most dangerous regions on the planet? September 11th you say? The deaths of three thousand of our fellow countrymen at the hands of barbarians you say? Tragic indeed, and deserving of grave retribution, but unfortunately the tragedy and the retribution we have started are worlds apart.
And how has it come to pass that our nation's government, servant of we the people, has become incompetent as a servant (e.g. Katrina) and expert as a secretive master, watchful big brother, and manager of critical non-issues and manufactured fears? Remember the war on terror you say? Payback for a liberal judiciary and media you say? Interesting, but as Christians we are not to look to a government of men for our solace, but are to rely on the grace of our God for our comfort and protection.
"The path we travel is narrow and long - beset with many dangers. Each day we must ask that Almighty God will set and keep his protecting hand over us so that we may pass on to those who come after us the heritage of a free people, secure in their God-given rights and in full control of a government dedicate to the preservation of those rights." So spoke one of this nation's more deeply religious military leaders and 34th President of the United States Dwight Eisenhower. Something on the order of fifty of Eisenhower's speeches were related to religion, to its significance for humanity and to religion's significance for him personally. Eisenhower has also been famously quoted for his farewell address and his warning that "In the councils 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 misplaced power exists and will persist." And so it has.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. Col: 2:8
As we strategically slouch through the third year of this disastrous war, listening to the same focus group talking points, what would be transformational thinking on the war in Iraq from Christians around the country? Well for starters understanding that the will of God would not be to continue the misery being inflicted on the people of Iraq in our nation's name. The continued immorality of our actions in Iraq are being felt throughout our military, the weakest will crack first and atrocities will start, but this is a burden that we should hasten to lift from these men and women. We cannot continue down the low road.
For a low road it has been and continues to be. Power alone is why men refuse to speak forcefully against this war. Domestically fear of losing power or failing to gain even greater power forestalls honest assessments. On the foreign stage other nations plot to consolidate power against this nation based on our continued missteps and the fear those missteps arouse in others. While other nations wish to stay as close to our nation's power and prosperity as is possible without alienating their own populations or our givers of monetary largesse.
Our government, of all stripes, has become captive of a philosophy of national greed, a new indispensable Roman Imperium in the 21st Century. Personal power places blinders on the eyes of the elites of this new imperium and all are deceived as to how this compounding tragedy will be availed. It will not end well, for men so deceived will blunder again and again into the same stinging trap until all you and I hold dear are imperiled beyond our greatest fears.
We all have hopes and dreams for our families and ourselves, and in a big picture way we hold these same for our nation's people as a whole. We should not so easily allow those hopes and dreams to fall captive to the empty thoughts of a deceived elite. For while we may be in the world we as Christian are not called to be of the world nor of those empty deceptions.
We must make our voices heard and free ourselves of this tragic war.