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"Lead us not into war" |
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M o r a l V i s i o n :
Lead us not into war
[9-20-01]
by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson
The author is general secretary of the Reformed
Church in America. His office is in New York City.
We have seen a startling glimpse of the face of evil. Thousands of
innocents wantonly slaughtered by zealous martyrs. The nation's leaders
are calling us to war. In our corporate shock and visceral outrage,
citizens are ready to follow. In this moment of our nation's life, what
words and wisdom does the church have to offer? How do we morally
decipher the meaning of these events - and what difference should that
make? When called to war we first must ask, against whom precisely is
this war to be waged?
Those who committed and enabled this slaughter of
civilians absolutely must be brought to moral and legal accountability.
Criminal conspiracies of terror must be broken, and the guilty punished.
That is the work of justice - but justice is different from war. War is
declared against the military power of another state, or against
guerrilla armies seeking to replace one government with another. Are we
now to declare war on anyone who ideologically and religiously despises
America?
The terrorists have not just attacked thousands of
innocent civilians. They have launched an attack against our ideals,
against our value for human life, against our sense of national
identity. Evil terror wants us to be controlled by fear, and resort to
indiscriminate revenge. The terrorists believe that America is corrupted
beyond redemption. They want to provoke America into ugly,
indiscriminate responses that will turn more hopeless people in the
world against us, and produce more martyrs for their cause. The arsenals
of this enemy are fanatic beliefs and religious passions that translate
into sacrificed lives. Cruise missiles don't defeat such zealotry.
How do we go to war against hate? Our response will be
a test of who we are. In this "campaign against terrorism,"
our strongest weapons are our ideals and values - our belief in the
dignity and worth of every human life, our conviction that nations are
strong when they respect the rights of all, and our determination to
pursue what is right in ways that are just. These defining
characteristics of national identity are anathema to the terrorists;
this is precisely what their terrorism seeks to destroy. That is why, in
a real sense, our struggle is at heart a spiritual one.
The evil we have seen does not yield easily to
search-and- destroy missions. It is overcome in the end through a
resolute commitment to a moral political vision. Even deeper, the
religious community always declares that such evil is finally defeated
through faith in the power of redeeming love. When someone hates you for
any number of alleged reasons, you face a choice. Either you can hate
them in return and actively seek their demise. Or you can defend
yourself against unjust attack, but live in ways that demonstrate to all
that you are not, at heart, the person whom the other accuses you of
being.
The nation faces choices for how it will respond to
evil that now has struck in such devastating ways right at home.
Politicians have given the president a military blank check. The church,
however, can never write a moral blank check. Rather, the church must
steadfastly insist on the distinction between justice and revenge. Paul
reminds us, in Romans 12, that vengeance belongs to God. Our task is to
resist being overcome by evil, and instead overcome evil with good. That
counsel needs to be heard and heeded by those now calling the country to
war.
Economic, diplomatic, and military strategies must and
will be undertaken to bring terrorists to justice. But the church must
plead with the nation to never forget who we say we are. For our gravest
temptation at this hour is to be grasped by the same evil that
controlled the terrorists. So let us join fervently in the prayer taught
to us by our Lord, saying, "Lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil."
Source: SojoNet 2001 (c) http://www.sojo.net
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog
for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship and activism,
Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the voices of
feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy, students,
exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers and
devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God in
whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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Witherspoon’s Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, Witherspoon’s
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views, or initiate
a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical reflections on
everything between summit to shore, including kayaking, climbing,
religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology, politics, culture,
travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New York City and the
Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive New York City
Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the Witherspoon
board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian Church in
Flushing, NY. |
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John
Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently serving as
pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tenn., blogs
about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized and
disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and lightening
up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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Plan now for our 2010 Ghost Ranch
Seminar!
GHOST RANCH SEMINAR
July 26-August 1, 2010
WE’RE
ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
CONFRONTING THE STRUCTURES OF INJUSTICE |
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