And Our Flag was Still There
And Our Flag was Still There
In our Vision column this issue I suggested that the war which the federal government is waging against Afghanistan is a just war. By every standard with which I am familiar, they are in the right. The fighting is not only justifiable, but necessary; not only allowable, but required. Of course the war is unconstitutional, since there has been no declaration of war by the Congress; but since every war we have waged since World War II fits into that category, I won't here make so much of a fuss.
The war is justified because the Afghan government, assuming the reports are true, is complicit in the acts of war/terrorism perpetrated against these United States on September 11. That they have harbored terrorists makes their government guilty. (Their citizens, however, like our victims, are non-combatants, and should be spared all but unintended collateral damage. Toward the Taliban I am a hawk, but I am deeply grieved at those who want to fight terror with terror by bombing citizens indiscriminately. Such is never just war.) The Taliban has done wrong, and they ought to have a terror for the swords God has given our federal government; the terrorists themselves likewise ought to come under the sword of the United States government. And as I noted, the reports so far all fit these criteria. We have much to be thankful for in the aftermath of this great act of wickedness. We yet have much to labor and pray for, that justice would be done.
Despite all this, however, you will not see me waving the Stars and Stripes, nor is my chest filled with pride over our government. There is no flag on my mailbox, no sticker on my truck, no pin on my jacket. The tsunami of patriotism that is sweeping our land in fact baffles and disturbs me; it strikes me as not just mass hysteria, but mass schizophrenia.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists killed four thousand innocent people. These people did no harm to any Muslim; they didn't even know what a Muslim was. They were not supporters of Israel; they couldn't even locate Israel on a map. The victims were as innocent as one born of man could be. These terrorists were and are harbored by the state in which they live. Many of them even received their terrorist training at the hands of that state. The full force of the government is at the terrorists' disposal for their protection. These same terrorists, on September 10th, killed four thousand more innocents. They have done the same since September 11th, and have been doing so since 1973. The flag that so many of my brothers and sisters are waving so proudly represents the state that harbors these terrorists. I can't fathom how we can be screaming for the blood of the Taliban while honoring a state that licenses its terrorists and calls them medical doctors.
Please do not misunderstand. I'm not suggesting that the abortion terror in our nation justifies the attack of the suicide bombers. I'm not suggesting we should stop pounding the Taliban. I'm not even suggesting that we should take it upon ourselves as citizens to attack Washington. I am saying I don't understand all the patriotism, especially within Christ's church and among His people. If we are to vilify those states that harbor terrorists-and we are-why do we not vilify our own state? If we were to measure our love for a given nation by the body count of those ruthlessly butchered by those under the protection of the state, which country ought we to love the least? And yet this is the country we celebrate, to which we pledge our allegiance.
By all means cheer for the brave men in uniform in New York City; by all means celebrate their sacrifice and their heroism. Pray for the safety and the efficacy of the soldiers who have put themselves in harm's way, in order to execute justice. But where are the all-star concerts for the heroes who have been rescuing those doomed to die for years now? Where are the prayers for the soldiers who have fought our own evil for decades? My friend Steve Baker, and those who work with him, every day sit face to face with those who would be accomplices to terror, mothers planning to hire assassins to kill their babies-and seek through the power of the gospel to persuade them to choose life. Day after day he lives a life of sacrifice through his work at the Bristol crisis pregnancy center. My friends Jonathan Williams and James Watson and those who work with them likewise give of their time, their wisdom, and their resources to rescue those unjustly sentenced to death, through their work with Bethany Christian Services. Howard Philips takes to the road and makes a spectacle of himself, running an impossible (though of course, through Christ all things are possible) third party campaign to become our next president, in large part to save future victims of this open terrorism.
Where are the prayers for these brave soldiers? How have we honored them? And where are the calls for justice? Why have we not called for the state to use its sword against those who use medicine to kill? Why are we not calling for the state to spill the blood of the blood stained abortionists?
Meanwhile all the evangelicals are back in their churches saluting the flag of the state that gives sanctuary to terrorists. You will not see such here in the pages of ETC. Do not misunderstand the function of this column. We refuse to apologize for our refusal to join in the great orgy of patriotism. Instead we defend not only the right, but the duty of every Christian to stop this insanity. If you will not pull the flags down, at least fly them at half staff, for the conscience of the church has died.