Today’s
Scripture Reading (November 28, 2015): Joshua 7
I am either a reluctant or a confused pacifist. I strongly believe
that war only brings pain. And we repeat the pain as we increase the conflict.
The history of the human race sometimes seems like it is nothing more than an
extended conflict between the Hatfields and the McCoys orchestrated on a global
level. As if ISIS wasn’t bad enough, it seems that Al Qaeda is offended and is
stepping up their own operations. Islamic extremists kill thousands, the
Western World returns the favor, and every life must be avenged. Russia’s president
Putin calls for a global response against terrorism, and so the terrorist call
for a response against the Group of Twenty (G20) - the elite economic nations
of the world - and against NATO. Paris is under attack, followed by Mali and
Brussels and a rumored plan against other cities and other nations. And it all
just makes me want to yell “Stop.”
I am a reluctant or confused pacifist. And part of my problem
is that I believe in the power of love. I think that love is both tangible and
transforming. The history of love is that it has derailed military powers in
the past, and it is the only thing that makes any sense for our future. And
what I hate (and yes, I realize the strength of the word and the
incompatibility of the thinking) is anything that takes away from love. I see
the enemies of love everywhere, even within my own religion and my own church.
And because of this, I have a choice. I can either cower in fear and let the
love that I believe in be swept under the rug – or I can stand and face the
enemies of love where ever I find them – even if I find them within my circle
of friends. I think the second choice is the proper one. But that also brings a
problem. If I am going to remain a prophet of love, then I cannot allow myself
to get sucked into violence. If love is not the total answer, then love will never
survive.
And I think that this is exactly what Joshua is saying.
Israel cannot stand up against it enemies on the outside if it is unwilling to
stand against its enemies on the inside. It isn’t enough to conquer those
around you when there is a cancer inside that is threatening to conquer you. For
Israel, If God was not the total answer, then God could not be the answer. And
someone within the fellowship of Israel had become an enemy of God – and that
needed to be handled before the nation could take a step forward. Sin had to be
confronted – that was the only path to success.
What does all of this mean for a reluctant or confused
pacifist? I wish I knew – except that for me today’s God answer has to be love.
This is the truth of God that needs to be proclaimed. So when people want to
bring more guns into the fight, that solution must be stood against. I am not
against gun ownership, but is it impossible to see that increased weapons in
terrorist situations only means increased death? Because once the shooting
starts, then where exactly does it stop? How can I tell which are friendly and
which or not – and if I am carrying a gun then how do they know my intentions?
I get that this is not a popular stand to take right now, but if the answer is
love (and I desperately believe that it is) then it must be only love –
everything that is not devoted to love must be destroyed. In the words of Joshua,
what is not devoted to love is devoted to destruction.
It is time to stop. Everything. It is time to say that I am
sorry for offense given. I am sorry for words that have been spoken not in
love. It is time to stop the pain. It is time to talk and to forgive and to
love across our differences. Life is too valuable to react in any other way.
It is time for me to stand for love in every area of my life.
I may be a reluctant or confused pacifist, but it is the belief in the power of
love that keeps me that way. In the end I know that love wins.
Tomorrow’s
Scripture Reading: Joshua 8
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