| Friday, October 28, 2005 |
| Willing to Go and Live for His Country |
One of my favorite historical figures is General George S. Patton, Jr. He addressed the troops of the 3rd Army in England on May 21, 1944 and said, "Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." That has deep philosophical meaning. And I believe it has deep theological meaning, too.
The other day I was driving to work and listening to the Hallerin Hilton Hill Show on NewsTalk 100.3. Hallerin was speaking with soldiers from the 278th Regimental Combat Team who recently returned from Iraq. Mr. Hill asked the listening audience if they would encourage their grown children to join the military even if it meant that he or she would have to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. One caller said that he and his family were Christians and that they looked at this question differently because of it. He said that he would encourage his son or daughter to join to serve in, what he called, a "noble cause". He said that even he would be willing to die for America. Right about there I tuned out.
Our enemies are well-known for giving their life for the Cause--giving their life and taking "infidels" with them. Every day we witness a suicide bomber blowing himself (and herself) into Paradise. And you've seen how the press or those that influence social thought are trying to link that horrific activity to all religion and, therefore, to Christianity.
I think it's time that we as Christians change our conversation. Like the gentleman on the phone, we all say that we would die for this or die for that. Or we say that early Christians were willing to die for Christ. Are we? Were they? Were they willing to die or willing to live?
We shouldn't be willing to die for for our country, but live for it. And we shouldn't talk about dying for God, but we should live for Him. |
posted by Joe Napalm @ 7:55 PM   |
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| 2 Comments: |
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I agree!
"Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:11)
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After listening to Rush Limbaugh today, I had the perfect quote for this. This is a quote from G. K. Chesterton's essay in 1908 called Orthodoxy. "Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die."
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I agree!
"Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:11)