Christianity and the military, and how they fit together oh so nicely.

I saw a facebook status update today that absolutely set me off. It said:

WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Press 1 for English. Press 2 to disconnect until you learn to speak English. And remember only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, JESUS CHRIST And the AMERICAN SOLDIER. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. If you agree... copy and paste in your status. Support Our Troops!!!

So I thought I would write a quick blog just to share some thoughts, pose some questions, and hear some answers on this whole idea of Jesus, America, and how they mesh (or really shouldn't). First of all let me say that my thoughts on this are not flippant, and I don't hate people in the military. Some of my closest friends and family members (best friends from high school, uncles, ministry partners) are or were members of the military, and this isn't something I am scared to discuss face to face with them.

OK, so let's just look at this status update for a minute, because not only does it have huge flaws, it represents a large percent of the christian population in america. Now why does the English thing bother us so much? And what gave us the right to demand that everyone in this country speak English? I've heard so many people say "Well I'm an American citizen *and I think well gee, you wanna cookie* and I shouldn't have to press one for English!" Arrogant much? What did you do to become an American citizen anyway? For most people who like to complain about pressing one for English *is your finger just to tired?*, the only reason they are American is because they were born. Guess what, so was everyone else! It's not a major achievement. Although I can see where that gets hazy once a year when everyone congratulates you on being born and gives you gifts and says nice things to you. So step one, if you were born an american citizen, you didn't do anything but receive an amazing blessing from God. You HUMBLY thank him for it and not sound like a 3 old child who thinks you deserve something more for no reason. The second part of that is btw, English is not even the official language of the United States. We don't have one! Several state governments have adopted English as the official language, often along with Spanish, French, and other languages specific to that region. Guys, I'm speaking to Christians here, this is just arrogant and unbiblical. Why are we so against a simple courtesy to someone who isn't fluent in English?

OK, now for the second part of this statement. "And remember only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, JESUS CHRIST And the AMERICAN SOLDIER. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom" Let me just say it is like someone shoving bamboo under my fingernails to have someone so closely relate themselves to Jesus. Also, there are people who I know would die for me in a heartbeat, the first people that comes to mind is my family. I can't count how many times my dad has said he would be willing to die for me, or go to prison for me, or even kill for me. Plus, there are some MAJOR differences in the death of Jesus and the death of the American soldier. Jesus gave up all His power to die in my place for my sins. A soldier uses all of their power to kill the enemy but may die for my freedom.

This is where people are really gonna get mad at me, but that's ok, wouldn't be the first time. I am going to overgeneralize, but this is from my experience growing up in the Church and Christian school. I think we justify the american military and american war because we associate it with religious freedom. It's like the rational is, "Because they let me be a Christian, God must be OK with it." But the problem is that rational is never supported in scripture. Gal. 5:1 says "It is for freedom Christ has set us free." We are free because of Christ. We are free from the bondage of sin and death. No where can you find reference to us needed to be free in other way to worship God. It does however talk about loving your enemies, and praying for those who persecute you.

This is where someone says, "So what, you think we should just let these other countries come bomb us? You are OK with them killing us and our children? Is that what you want?!?!" Well of course not! I'm not a sadist. I don't want to die. I'm not suicidal. But is it what I think is right, yes. When Steven was being stoned, the bible doesn't record him picking up a rock and throwing it back. When Paul was imprisoned, there was never an attack on the guards. When Jesus was crucified, He never even cried out.

I think it's sad that at my Christian school the American flag always stood above the Christian flag. It makes me sad the same political party that would fight against abortion would be so eager to fight a war. It makes me both sad and uncomfortable that so many of my Christian friends so passionately support our troops in the same way they support the Gospel. It makes me really uncomfortable when around the fourth of July we sing patriotic songs as a lead in to our worship music in church. What is that implying? That Jesus likes our country best, and wants us to win any war at the cost of the lives of people who are another nationality?

I do believe that the bible wasn't joking when it said "there's a time for war and a time for peace." I'm just not so trusting in our government that when they say it's time for war, that's a direct command from God. I'm not convinced that our congress spent time fasting and praying and seeking the Lord before they declared war.

I would like to close with this little ditty that when i hear it, it always brings me right to the foot of the cross, and I always can picture Jesus singing it *if you could hear my voice, it's dripping with sarcasm*

Now this nation that I love is fallin' under attack.
A mighty sucker-punch came flying in from somewhere in the back.
Soon as we could see clearly through our big black eye,
Man, we lit up your world like the fourth of July.

Hey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list,
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.
And the eagle will fly and it's gonna be hell,
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell.
And it'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you.
Ah, brought to you, courtesy of the red, white and blue.

Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you'll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass
It's the American way

Homesick

We are so unmistakably made for God. We are so made to experience Him. The more I live this life the more I realize how little I want to do with it, and I just want to be with God.
I had the privilege tonight of going to see Avatar with my dad, my brother, and Leanna. Wow, what a sweet movie. Just to comment on what everyone is talking about, yes, the graphics were indeed amazing. And I could be a typical, stuffed shirt, sitting in a pew, KJV only Christian right now and write this super long blog about how you shouldn't go see it and we should all band up against it because there is a lot of swearing in it and they worship a false god. But really, throughout the whole movie tonight, the only thing I gained was an intense hunger for God, the real God, Jesus, and I saw just a metaphor of who He is and what we want, what we were made for.
I should start in a garden, because after all, isn't that where it all started? In the movie, Pandora (the alien planet) is very... raw. But it is magical. At night things glow, and there are waterfalls everywhere, and the trees are beautiful. And sometimes I just have to wonder if maybe the original garden was like that. I mean we only know fallen gardens. We only know what Satan has combed through and destroyed as much as possible. We know nothing of God gardens, where fireflies probably glowed a whole lot brighter, and there were no sidewalks or buildings or gas emissions from too many cars. The most beautiful garden on this earth, green and full and filled with flowers and clear water and birds chirping, it but a cursed garden. Jesus is coming back, ya'll! And there will be A NEW EARTH! And it will be restored to it's original glory! I moved to marion almost a year ago now, and never so much has my heart ached for a world that is green and alive with no side walks or chain link fences or stupid traffic with stupid sirens. I have literally been dreaming of spring and flowers and that smell, oh that smell! Can you imagine what it is going to smell like when Jesus comes back!!! Can you imagine how soft the grass is going to feel on your bare feet!? Can you even begin to fathom the crystal sea?! The river of life, flowing pure and clean. The tree which bears all fruits and “will heal the nations!” In the movie, there was a tree that was connected to their deity, and it healed and gave life. And I saw it and thought, “that is but a small imperfect version of the tree of life. That is computer animation thought up by comic book nerds and science junkies. But someday I am going to sit under a tree so much cooler than that. And no rituals will have to be performed. I will just be with God, and will see His face, and sit under that beautiful tree that heals.”
That same tree, in the movie, held the voices of the ancestors. You know that's not the first religion, made of for a movie or a religion made up here on earth, where people believed they could talk to those who had passed on. I of course, as a christian, don't believe you can do that here on this earth (and you certainly shouldn't try! You will get yourself into a big old stank nasty heap of demon trouble doing crap like that!) But as I thought about this concept, it made so much sense. God has set eternity in our hearts. And anyone that has ever, in any way, experienced the pain of losing someone close, knows this is a fact. I've been to my fair share of funerals, and I know every time I have sat in a pew and looked at my Grandpa, my Uncle, my friend, laying lifeless in some elaborate box, I knew that something was terribly wrong. This was not in the original plan. This isn't how it's suppose to go. Death is sin. Sin is death. But inside of us all, we know it doesn't end at that box. Your end in this world is not your end. Jesus came so we could be with Him for eternity, and it doesn't take long staring at one of your family members in one of those damn boxes to figure out that eternity is EXACTLY what you want.
Which leads to my next and final point. We were not made for these bodies. You don't have to be alive for two seconds to realize you have a lot more you would like to do if you were a super hero. In Avatar people make themselves into.... well Avatars. They can link their minds to basically a super human puppet. And that's what all the great movies are about anymore. What we wish we could be. We wish we could look like that. We wish we could move like that. We wish a spider would come bite us and then we would have sweet muscles and amazing strength (webs coming out of your wrist wouldn't hurt.) Or we wish we were superman and could fly and stop a speeding bullet. I think my new life verse is I Corinthians 15:43- It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. Could that be any more true. Our bodies are dishonorable. They crave bad for you food and then they end up fat and lumpy. Or if you do eat good food like veggies, you fart and it smells terrible. And to stay healthy you work out, and you sweat like a pig and can't breathe and it's really awkward and you smell bad (and if you do it right you will hurt for a few days after). To top it all off, in the medical profession you get the unmatched joy of seeing lots of old naked people, and guys, it gets worse. And I will leave it at that. But I wonder what it will be like when I am raised in GLORY and POWER! And I can run as fast as I want and I won't hurt or sweat or have to go to the bathroom a mile in to my run. And I would bet we will fly. And we will be strong. And we will not die.
Guys, as I am sitting here in my downtown marion apartment, I am longing for that day. I love that the bible says the Holy Spirit is a deposit. It's like that feeling, and not even just a feeling, but that faith, that knowing deep inside of you that God is real, that is just a taste. It's just a teaser. Every good thing on this earth is just a teaser. And I am so thankful to serve a real God that really loved us so deeply to send His very own son, to be flesh and bones and die the most horrendous death imaginable, so that everything that our heart longs for will come to be someday. Because of Jesus, someday I will run so fast and not hurt. Someday I will sit in a perfect garden with a smell that is pure ecstasy. Because of Jesus there will be a day when I will not sit in a church staring at a box and feel empty, knowing that in a few minutes the lid will close and I won't see that person anymore. Because of Jesus there will be a day when the curse will be lifted.
If you have been feeling what I have been feeling lately, that this world is so cursed, and so vastly different than what you were meant for, if you have been feeling homesick, take comfort in the fact that it is OK to feel like an alien here. There will be a day..... Jesus is coming back! Jesus is coming back!!!!