DALLAS (ABP) — Christians who strongly favor or oppose the war in Iraq don't have to look far to find someone who disagrees with them. They may be sharing the same pew.
In virtually every congregation, there are believers on opposite sides of the political divide over an increasingly unpopular war. Feelings run particularly high in communities near military installations, where some leaders have adopted an unofficial policy for keeping the peace: Pray for the troops, but when it comes to opinions about the Iraq war, “don't ask, don't tell.”
“We just don't talk about it,” said David Morgan, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Harker Heights, Texas, which is near the Army's Fort Hood.
Morgan has preached sermons on peacemaking, and the church has discussed, in general terms, Christian positions on war and peace. “But when it comes to specific opinions about a war like this one, we don't discuss it,” he said.
Members of Trinity Baptist regularly pray for the troops and reach out to military personnel and their families. As the conflict in Iraq has continued, Morgan said, he has heard some spouses of soldiers raising questions about the war. But generally, active duty military personnel and their families are reluctant to voice opinions about policy.
“If you're a soldier, it is understood that you do not question the commander in chief, even at church,” he said.
Similarly, attention at Central Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., has focused on concern for troops and their families rather than on political discussions regarding the war.
“It hasn't caused a conflict here,” Pastor David Turner said. “We've got a strong military crowd; lots of veterans in the congregation. We've tried to respond to them with sensitivity. There's a recognition among them that things [with the war] aren't always going the way they want to. Their support is often for the troops and not for the way the war is conducted.”
Turner said his congregation has plenty of other pressing issues to handle, and it has chosen not to “get sidetracked” by debates over the war in Iraq.
“I haven't talked extensively about the war, though we often mention the troops and their struggle and service,” he said. “Unless you have a good reason to make this an issue, I can't imagine doing it. There are always so many potential conflicts in churches, most people don't need another one.”
In El Paso, Texas, members of First Baptist Church near Fort Bliss have steered clear of divisive political discussions. Instead, the church focuses on supporting the troops and praying both for them and for the elected officials who make decisions about their future, said Pastor Richard Rush.
“We believe we have a responsibility to pray for those who are in authority over us and to seek God's guidance on their behalf,” Rush said.
Prayer also has been the focus at Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas — home city to Fort Sam Houston, Randolph Air Force Base and Lackland Air Force Base, among other installations.
“I'm sure we have a wide variety of opinions in our congregation about the war, but it's just not something we've made a point of conflict or controversy,” said Pastor Judson Edwards.
Instead of debating the merits of the war or the way it is carried out, people at Woodland have directed their attention to soldiers' families and injured military personnel at Brooke Army Medical Center, Edwards said.
“Rather than becoming a divisive issue, it's been more of a rallying point — a unifying thing for our church as we've focused on prayer,” he said. “We've been united in our concern for the troops and in our prayers for getting them home safely.”
But at another San Antonio congregation, Covenant Baptist Church, the emphasis is a little different. Although members pray for the troops as well, there is a general consensus of opinion against the conflict in Iraq and a willingness to discuss it.
“Most of our folks think this war is terribly wrong,” said Pastor Gordon Atkinson. “We talk about it a lot informally. I'm not aware of a single person who thinks this war is necessary or helpful or will have a positive effect on the problem of terrorism. There's quite a bit of grousing about it around the tables.”
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— This is the third of a three-part series on war and peace. With additional reporting by Robert Dilday of the Religious Herald.