Once again CNN, the Internet and the Spirit have driven me to my knees. It is not fear so much as frustration that creates in me an agony of soul. In addition to information supplied by the network news reports, I have just seen Internet photographs of the bodies of mangled and charred children whose open, lifeless eyes stare with unseeing innocence. They are victims of hatred. They are victims of anger so old no one quite remembers how it all started. These are Lebanese children, killed by Israeli bombs seeking to destroy Hezbollah strongholds, but Israeli babies are also in danger of being mutilated by Hezbollah Katyusha rockets.
A Fox News reporter spoke as an eyewitness when he told of watching dead children being removed from a Lebanese building at times two on the same stretcher.
Children have suffered in every war, of course. Who can ever forget the images of terrorized Vietnamese children fleeing their burning village? Iraqi children have been killed by American munitions and by the terrorists who seek to promote their own interests by blowing people apart.
A Lebanese newspaper ran a poignant headline: How many babies will it take?
I understand the need for Israel to defend itself. I understand that Hezbollah started this most recent outbreak of violence by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers. But I also understand that this incident sprang from a context of strife and mutual hatred which has been escalating for years.
Some are saying that Israel is answering in the only language Hezbollah understands. Perhaps that is true, I cannot say. Others say that Israel has acted so arrogantly and contemptuously toward Palestinians that they have fostered the hatred directed toward them. Once again, I do not know all the reasons for the hatred. I only know that hatred breeds hatred and violence begets violence. The one-upmanship of revenge creates an ever escalating conflict that sooner or later drags into its sphere unwilling participants. Perhaps we are there already.
As Christ-followers, what should be our response to war and the suffering caused by it? At times I am tempted to say we must accept the way things are as inevitable. After all, Jesus did say that in the end times there would be “wars and rumors of wars” so why should we think anything can be done to prevent them?
But, I can't ignore Jesus' other words — words that challenge us to rise from our feelings of resignation and actively seek peace. Did he not say “Blessed are the peacemakers?” When Jesus said to love our enemies was he merely offering a pie-in-the-sky suggestion or do his words possess the authority of a commandment? Is the word of God to be taken at face value or explained away as not applicable in actual cases of global hostility?
I am aware that many of us see things from opposing vantage points and accordingly we reach differing conclusions. Still, even the most militaristic minded of us would not condone the suffering of little children.
So what can one Christian do?
Obviously, the beginning point is prayer. We can all pray that spiritual wisdom will develop and prevail and that the blood lust for revenge will abate. Let us pray that the desire to live in peace will become a greater incentive than the thirst for vengeance or the desire to impose one's own ideology (theology) on others.
If you happen to be an individual Christian who is also a leader, you can make your concerns known to appropriate people in appropriate ways. If you are not a leader, you can support your leaders as they express their concerns.
An individual Christian can give. Eddie Stratton, treasurer of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, sent $8,000 (the maximum allowed without board action) to the Baptist seminary in Lebanon to help them provide immediate aid to those who are homeless due to the war. Many who have sought shelter are Muslims who are amazed that they have been welcomed to stay in the seminary's facilities during their displacement.
As an individual Christian, you can shun an attitude that makes light of war and the suffering it brings. I recently saw an ad for a T-shirt with the “Top 10 U.S. Military Slogans” listed. Among them: “We kill foreigners so you don't have to” — which takes the idea of the ugly American to a new all time low in my opinion. Unfortunately, we are sometimes pulled into conflict. But our war-waging should always be with sincere regrets and with the utmost determination to see it through to a swift and decisive conclusion.
Some individual Christians feel compelled to go where the conflict is and attempt to bring hope. I have met some Christians in the military who are, by their presence in uniform, attempting to bring the touch of Christ to their area of service. Some may disagree with their method, but their motives are beyond question. Others have gone not in uniform, but as volunteers to sow love where there is hatred.
As Christians we can demonstrate the moral and spiritual superiority of life in Christ. It should not be considered ironic our greatest power is spiritual. By showing the world what life can be like and how it can be lived we can do more for the cause of world peace than any army or navy could ever hope to accomplish. But, to do it we will have to really, really believe that Jesus' way is the best way.
Perhaps before we take our demonstration to the global level, we could start in our local churches!