Meme Sunday

How Should Christ's Followers Respond to Memorial Day?

It's Memorial Day again. This is the day that our culture tells us we are to remember American soldiers who have died in combat. Some people do this, while many others just enjoy a day off work and maybe a juicy burger.

As those who claim Jesus Christ as Lord, how ought we respond to this day? Should we follow the cultural status quo by remembering the military dead? Or, should we simply ignore the whole thing and enjoy a day of freedom from our normal labors?

I'd like to suggest a third option. We Christians, while enjoying a restful day, ought to spend some time remembering. However, what we remember will be significantly different from what typical Americans do.

Let's remember that war is terrible.

Let's remember that war is always terrible.

Let's remember that "just wars" do not exist.

Let's remember that wars do not solve problems.

Let's remember that wars have all sorts of unforeseen long-term consequences.

Let's remember the war dead from every country, both military and civilian.

Let's remember that Christians ought never participate in war.

38 You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you (Matthew 5:38-42).

43 You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:43-48).

Why I Could Never Serve in the Military

I could never serve in the military. I will never serve in the military. Even if the United States was to go to all-out war (such as in WWII), I would not join up. Even if we were invaded, I would not take part. If the draft was reinstated and I was selected I would not report (I'd even go to jail first if need be).

Through the years I've given this issue a great deal of thought. I used to be a gung-ho patriot of the United States and its military. However, as I look in the bible I don't see any calls upon Christians to take part in any form of violence on the part of a nation state. Instead, we're expected to be peacemakers in the name of Jesus Christ. As Christ-followers, we may suffer and even die for the cause of the gospel. That's our real mission.

God is the author of life. He creates it. Because of that, I have no right to take it. My citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Only secondarily am I a citizen of the USA. I love the kingdom of God, but I do not love the USA. My service is to my Lord and Savior, not to a secular state.

The United States is not a new Israel. Its soldiers do not fight for God. Rather, they fight for political freedom and the American way. The problem is that God has not called upon his followers to kill-or-be-killed for political reasons. He is much more concerned with freedom from the bondage from sin than freedom from political oppression.

I cannot imagine joining the military, training for combat, and then being faced with killing someone. It flies in the face of what Jesus has called us to do. Our Lord instructs us to lovingly serve others to the point of dying for them. Why in the world would I take lives just to supposedly advance the cause of the USA?

I do not stand in judgment over Christians who have joined the military. This is certainly a difficult issue. Additionally, I suppose that it is possible to be part of the military without taking part in killing (chaplaincy for example).

As for defending my family from invaders (foreign or domestic), that is a different issue. In that case, I would not hesitate to kill someone who is threatening to kill my family. As head of my household I believe God demands that I defend them (not that I would take any pleasure or satisfaction in it). God does not, however, expect me to defend a secular political state.

On Memorial Day I always have mixed emotions. I'm glad to live in a country where I have semi-religious freedom. At some level I'm thankful to those who died defending that freedom. Despite this, on principle I don't support the killing of other human beings for political reasons.

The cross is not wrapped in the American flag.

Jesus Christ could have come to earth as a political conqueror to throw off Roman occupation of Israel. However, he had a bigger and more important mission to accomplish. He gave his life as the gospel. Those of us who call Jesus Lord have been commissioned by him to take this gospel to the ends of the earth. Like many others before us, we may be called upon to die in doing so.

The Great commission is too critical to waste our time defending our country's political aims via the military.

Ultimately, it is because the gospel is so important that I could never serve in the military.

God and Kingdom

On Memorial Day I'm once again reminded that it is an odd thing to live in the USA and also be a follower of Christ. I'm thrilled to have the political freedoms that we do, but I also realize that political boundaries mean nothing within the Kingdom of God. I'm grateful to the service men and women who have died defending these freedoms, but at the same time I cannot personally justify the taking up of arms to kill another human being for political reasons.

I choose not to celebrate patriotic holidays such as Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Veteran's Day because this nation is not truly my home (to clarify, I enjoy the day off from work, but I don't wave the flag). My ultimate citizenship is not here. Rather, it's in heaven. I've written previously here and here about not loving my country.

As opposed to the phrase "God and Country," we followers of Jesus should be thinking in terms of "God and No Country." A more positive way of saying that is "God and Kingdom."

Jesus spoke more about the Kingdom of God than just about anything else. It may have been his favorite topic. For example:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." Mark 1:15

But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." Mark 10:14

"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose." Luke 4:43

"To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand." Luke 8:10

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

Those of us who are in Christ are also in His Kingdom. We have the daily privilege and duty of living out Kingdom life in whatever place we call home.

The Kingdom of God is not constrained in any way by political boundaries. There was a time when this was, to one degree or another, not the case. God dealt specifically and uniquely with the nation of Israel from Abraham until the time of Christ. Upon Jesus' coming, the kingdom began to spread to the Gentiles. We see this in rapid fashion in the book of Acts. Political boundaries, while a reality of the day, no longer mattered.

Christ's commission (Matt. 28:18-20) to us as the people of his kingdom is to make disciples of all nations. This refers to people groupings, not political states. In Acts 1:8, his followers are told to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. In Luke 24 Jesus says, "Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations." Again, our Lord is referring to people groups.

As we live for Christ, most of us will remain in the political states where we were born. This is just the nature of life. In ultimate terms, where we live is not significant. We could reside in the USA, Russia, Indonesia, Egypt, Andorra, North Korea, Chile, or any other country. The circumstances of our lives certainly differ based on where we live. For example, Christians in North Korea face vastly more persecution than anything we deal with here. Despite this, Christ expects us to live for him and him alone wherever we live.

Some of us will no doubt cross political boundaries to share the gospel. This is a beautiful thing. We must remember that we do this and/or support others in doing this in order to take the gospel to those who haven't heard it - regardless of political entity.

Political nation-states do not matter in God's Kingdom. This, quite simply, is why I do not love my country, I feel no duty to it, and I no longer say the Pledge of Allegiance.

My allegiance is to Christ and him alone. It is his kingdom that has eternal significance.

9/11 and Shaken American Foundations

My guess is that almost every American blogger, regardless of normal topics, either is posting or already has posted about the tenth anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. Here's my addition.

Like many of you, I remember the attacks vividly. I was working as a school psychologist in a public school at the time. The ladies in the front office had somehow managed to quickly set up an old television just after the initial explosions in New York. I was watching the TV as the first tower fell. And then the second tower. What a nightmare it all was.

Can anything good come of something so horrible? My subjective answer is "Yes." In fact, even though I wish the terrorist attacks had never happened, my guess is that more than one good thing may have come from them. I do not write this flippantly. I still feel terrible for the tremendous loss of that day.

I'd like to take a moment to mention one good thing that I believe did result. The good thing is that, for many Americans at least, 9/11 shook the foundations of their belief that the United States is a country of absolute stability. Up until that day, many citizens of this country - including many Christians - thought that there were a few absolutes in life, and the USA was one of them.

My hope is that at least some of those folks began to realize the temporary and fragile nature of political countries. The USA is not permanent. It will eventually fall; even the Roman Empire did.

American Christians in particular must realize that there are few certainties in life (and I'm not referring to taxes). The most certain thing is God himself. When we die we all go before him either with or without a Mediator.

None of us has any reason to rely on the USA for stability. Placing our trust in this country is pointless. I sincerely hope that the horror of 9/11 caused both Christians and non-Christians to ask tough questions about what real stability in life is. What can they trust?

Although the attacks were something that we all wish could have been prevented, it is possible that some long-term good can come from them. If people's unshakable confidence in the USA is brought into question, then that is a good thing. They must look elsewhere. We can hope that they find the only true constant in this universe. If you don't happen to know who that is, send me an e-mail. Let's talk.

One American Christian's Thoughts on American Independence Day

Here we are again on the 4th of July. The weather is warm, most of us don't have to work, cookouts rule the day, and fireworks will fill the night.

How should American Christians handle this holiday? What is our appropriate response?

Answer: I don't know. This is not an issue where I think I can speak for all followers of Christ. Instead, I'm simply going to tell you how I react to the holiday in particular and patriotism in general.

I'm thankful to God to live in the USA. This does not mean that I think our country is somehow better than other countries. Rather, I'm simply happy to have the freedoms we have. For example, yesterday we gathered together with our church family. I'm happy that we didn't have to worry about secret police knocking down our door (may we pray for our Christian brothers and sisters overseas who face this form of persecution).

I believe the freedoms we have in the USA, such as those in the Bill of Rights, are a good outworking in a secular state of Christian principles. I'm pleased to live under these laws.

As for the 4th of July, I'm thrilled to have the day off from work to spend with family and friends. We are going to hang out today with my parents at their home on the other side of Savannah. We'll play in the pool, eat goodies, read books, play games, and rest. Good times.

Although I'm thankful to live in the USA, I unequivocally do not love my country. I do not love any country for that matter. As I look in the bible, I don't see any hint of patriotism anywhere in Christ's teachings or in the functioning of the early church. Rather, we are exiles whose citizenship is in heaven. These comments may anger some American Christians. Their response is usually that I should then move to some other country. Where would I go? God made me be born in the USA. I don't love any country any more than this one.

I do not celebrate my country. I do not take part in any form of USA patriotic parties or anything else of that sort. I'm not interested in politics. I even struggle anymore to say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the Star Spangled Banner. The USA does not in general stand for Christian principles. Instead, it is humanistic, functionally atheistic, capitalistic individualism that rules the day.

As for the military, I would probably refuse to fight under any circumstances. As I look at the teachings of Jesus Christ, I can't find anything that would justify taking up arms against other people. If the USA was attacked and I was defending my home, then I might think otherwise. Usually, however, the USA is attacking other countries; I can't have any part of that.

My wish is that the USA would have extremely minimal military involvement overseas. I'd love to see our country be a source of peace in this world instead of threatening others with the tip of the sword. Let's secure our borders and come up with a sensible immigration policy on a national level. Then let's bring our troops home.

I am thankful to those Americans in the military who have sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy. However, I call into question many of the military decisions that have thrust them into harm's way in the first place.

In the end, I'll celebrate on the 4th of July. The celebration will not be of the USA. Rather, I'm just going to enjoy being with people I love on a day off.