I find it significant that The Beatitudes say that the peacemakers will be called the sons of God (Matt 5:9). The older I get, the clearer it is to me that you cannot look at me without seeing my parents. They are visible not only in my physical makeup, but in my mannerisms and how I make decisions; every little thing about me is more closely linked to my parents than anyone else just by the very nature of the parent/child relationship. What this says to me is that being a lover and pursuer of peace likens me to my Heavenly Father. I obviously fall far short of being who He wants me to be, but I take comfort in knowing that I am His child and that His Spirit makes me, among other things, a peacemaker.

to obey...

I know that I've written it before, but I ask again- how can you love your enemy and shoot them?
How can a Christian hear Christ's call to love their enemies and do good to those who hate them, and still support any war or calling that demands that you kill?
I'm just baffled.

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My family visited last weekend, and my brother Jim and his wife Jen told me about the message given at their church the previous week. It is a message about Matthew 5:38 and peace-making. Here is the link to the message on the church's website titled "Turn the Other Cheek". May it be so.

Why I joined this blog. (pt.1)

I believe in the sanctity of life.
I believe that all life is created by God and has value because God values it, not because it acts or thinks a certain way. This is not an opinion, but a character of my faith and thereby my life.
Because I believe that all life is created by God, I am opposed to abortion, which is the murder of helpless innocents. Because I believe that the value of life has nothing to do with what that life does or thinks, I am opposed to the death penalty, which is the murder of the guilty. And because I believe that life is valuable, I am opposed to all war, which is the organized murders of men and women by each other to solve a conflict.
This is a fundamental part of my faith and being, and I did not come to it because I feel bad about death, or because I am sad about killing. I came to the conclusion that war is wrong because the Bible says it is. Christ gave us clear directions on how to treat our friends and our enemies. (Matthew 5:38-42, Mt.5:43-49, Mt 5:9)
Clearly, Christ is telling us to love our enemies, to do good to those that harm us, and to go out of our way to give to others with no thanks, no satisfaction, and no reward except from Him.
How, when we align ourselves with any war, for any reason, can we reconcile our actions with the Lord's commands?
There are instances of war in the Bible, mainly in the Old Testament...not a declination of their importance or validity...but they are made note of in context of the old covenant before Christ was born into the world. These instances are of vital importance in viewing our God and the history of our relationship with Him, but they are not edicts or commands or examples any more than the sacrificing of animals to cover sins.
In the New Testament, too, war is spoken of- mainly in Revelations. It is always a future reference to Satan's kingdom on Earth, and reveals our leader to be Christ in Person in those battles.
(Another commonly sited verse is Luke 22:35-38 in which Christ tells his followers to purchase swords. It is a turning point in Jesus' time on earth, when his persecution comes to a head. He clearly did not intend for them to use swords against their enemies, as in Luke 22:49-52 he says, "No more of this!"
He then heals the injury and submits to his captors. Many scholars believe that the initial command is not a literal command, but figurative, and when the disciples produce actual swords, Jesus ends the conversation with, "That is enough."
As T.J. Geddert wrote, "The only "armed conflict" that Jesus permitted is with demonic enemies." (Luke 11:21-22))
As Christians, we cannot fulfill Christ's Great Commission, "go out and make disciples of ALL MEN," if we are aiming a gun at them.
We cannot practice Christ's love for our enemies if our intent is to kill them.

Matthew 5:38-48 "You have heard that it was said, 'eye for eye,' and 'tooth for tooth,' but I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. and if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who asks you and do not turn away from one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than any other? Do not even the pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

I love my country the way I love my car- and I love my car. I wouldn't trade it in for a flashy little Swedish number, I appreciate the way it works for me, and I try to take care of it. I sometimes even let my loyalty rest upon it, and when I do, I think that it is important to reframe my priorities. My car is useful and safe, and even luxurious. The thing about my car, though, is that it is nothing more than a piece of this world. It holds no tie to my relationship with Christ, and although I would be very sad if I were suddenly without it, I will not let it rule over me.

Thomas Merton was a Trappist Monk. He wrote over sixty books before his death in 1968 including The Seven Storey Mountain, and Peace in the Post-Christian Era, which was not published until 2004. I have been reading the latter and am enjoying it very much. Here are some excerpts:

Christians believe that Christ came into this world as the Prince of Peace. We believe that Christ himself is our peace (Eph. 2:14). We believe that God has chosen for himself, in the Mystical Body of Christ, an elect people, regenerated by the blood of the Savior, and committed by their baptismal promise to wage war upon the evil and hatred that are in man, and help to establish the kingdom of God and of peace.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. -Ephesians 2:14-18

The Christian commandment to love our enemies was not regarded by the first Christians merely as a summons to higher moral perfection than was possible under the Old Law. The New Law did not compete with the Old, but on the contrary fulfilled it, at the same time abolishing the conflicts between various forms of obligation and perfection. The love of enemies was not therefore the expression of a Christian moral ideal, in contrast with Stoic, Epicurean or Jewish ideals. It was much more an expression of eschatological faith in the realization of the messianic promises and hence a witness to an entirely new dimension in man's life... The Christian is and must be by his very adoption as a son of God, in Christ, a peacemaker (Matt. 5:9). He is bound to imitate the Savior who, instead of defending himself with twelve legions of angels (Matt 26:55), allowed himself to be nailed to the Cross and died praying for his executioners.

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.

Jesus answered, "You are right in saying that I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." -John 18:36&37

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. -Matthew 5:43-48

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

2 Timothy 2:22

The movers and the shakers and the quakers

From the Advent Christian Declaration of Principles:

"We believe that war is contrary to the spirit and teachings of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ; that it is contrary to the spirit of true brotherhood; and that our influence should be used against it."

From the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective:

"We believe that peace is the will of God. God created the world in peace, and God's peace is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ, who is our peace and the peace of the whole world. Led by the Holy Spirit, we follow Christ in the way of peace, doing justice, bringing reconciliation, and practicing nonresistance, even in the face of violence and warfare."

From the Quaker Declaration of Pacifism

"We utterly deny all outward wars and strife, and fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretense whatever; this is our testimony to the whole world. The Spirit of Christ by which we are guided is not changeable, so as once to command us from a thing as evil, and again to move unto it; and we certainly know, and testify to the world, that the Spirit of Christ, which leads us into all truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of this world."

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,

"whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tounge from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are righteous and his ears are attentive to prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

1 Peter 3:8-12