Palling around with terrorists

This may be untimely by over a year and change, but I was thinking about this phrase, "palling around with terrorists."

A little history lesson: The Zelotes were a First Century organization of Hebrews with a strict political Judaism. They were unhappy with the Roman occupation of Palestine, and refused to pay tribute (taxes) to the foreign invaders. This movement escalated over time to civil disobedience, and even political assassinations of Romans, and even other Jews who supported the Roman occupation.

Jesus palled around with terrorists. As it turns out, at least one of Christ's Disciples was a Zelote, and his name was Simon (Luke 6:12-16).

Would Paul be a fan of modern apologetics?

1 Corinthians 1:17

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

The US subverts Christian authority

This is a follow-up post to The cunning use of flags from last year.

There was a measure of outrage over the United States Winter Olympic Team uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren didn't have a flag on them. I remembered something about how flags were not supposed to be worn as clothing, and the US flag code says a flag is anything, "by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag, colors, standard, or ensign of the United States of America."

When looking up this code I came across a section which deliberately places the US flag in a place of authority over any religious flag.

No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America, except during church services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for the personnel of the Navy.

Only at sea can a church flag be displayed above the US flag?

The whore of Babylon

Usually when I talk to people who think it's a laudable thing for Christians to fight in the armed services of the USA, they start out talking about how the bible says we need to respect our authorities, and obey their rules, and the soldiers are fighting to defend lives.

But usually when we continue down this path it really turns out that the soldiers are really fighting for idealogical issues, not necessarily because they're trying to protect lives. No, they're fighting for free speech (usually, "So you can say exactly what you're saying now!"), or religious freedom. So instead of just being a soldier for America, they're actually fighting for something larger than America.

This usually comes up because there are, in fact, Christians outside the borders of the USA, and many in countries that are enemies of the USA; Venezuela, Iran, etc. Perhaps it's OK for these Christians to fight for their countries to preserve the values of their respective countries.

But this means Christians fighting other Christians. This means Christians, bound together by the blood of the Living God, are shedding each other's blood for earthly nations' respective values.

Of course American Christians are fighting for higher values that are even higher than American values, and somehow these values trump Christian fellowship.

So it usually comes all the way around and they end up supporting war because it allows Christians to worship freely in America (somehow). And now the Church has foot soldiers, and they are of the American persuasion, who are fighting for godly virtues.

When you ask about this, they don't really have anything to say. Usually they've already agreed Christians should not fight to expand the Kingdom, or kill for Kingdom values. But then they do support killing so Christians can live their Kingdom values unopposed.

They've created a whole new values system, which is built on some nostalgic interpretation of the US Constitution. This values system isn't biblical, has no theological support, and is separated ideologically from Christian values to protect from accusation of supporting violence for the Church. Somehow these man-conjured values are worthy of fighting and killing for, while the Christian values are something we don't really make a fuss about. It's judgmental to suggest killing for a living is wrong, but not to suggest being homosexual is wrong.

In the end we're left with a value system which is the final word on morality created entirely from extra-biblical sources. Yet somehow if you oppose killing for these values (without actually saying these values are wrong), you have somehow lost your way spiritually, and you need to get into a true Bible study.

Because our flag is our god, the Founders are our prophets, and our Constitution is our holy writ. The red vestments represent the blood our sons have shed for our sins, and the white represents our national holiness. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches form the holy trinity; pastor, clergy, and theologians respectively. Capitol Hill is our temple, and the voting booth our baptismal.

Patriotism is immoral

I borrowed this from Halden, who is turn was simply quoting Will Campbell:

I believe God made the St. Lawrence River, and the Rio Grande River, and the China Sea and the English Channel, but I don’t believe God made America, or Canada, or Mexico, or England, or China. Man did that. . . . It is doubtful that there has ever been a nation established for bad reasons. Nations are always established to escape tyranny, to combat evil, to find freedom, to reach heaven. Man has always been able to desire to build a heaven. But it seems he has never been able to admit that he didn’t pull it off. So he keeps insisting that he did pull it off. And that is really what patriotism is all about. It is the insistence that what we have done is sacred. It is that transference of allegiance from what God did in creating the whole wide world to what we have done with (or to) a little sliver of it. Patriotism is immoral. Flying a national flag—any national flag—in a church house is a symbol of idolatry. Singing ‘God Bless America’ in a Christian service is blasphemy. Patriotism is immoral because it is a violation of the First Commandment.

Will D. Campbell, “I Love My Country: Christ Have Mercy,” Motive (December, 1969)

Quote of the day - Rich Mullins

"I really struggle with American Christianity. I'm not really sure that people with our cultural disabilities are capable of having souls, or being saved." ~ Rich Mullins

He explained, "People who grow up in a culture that worships pleasure, leisure, and affluence. I think that's where the church is doubly damned when they use Jesus as a vehicle for achieving all of that. Like, if you give a tithe, He'll make you rich. Why? Are you hacking Him off or something?"

Via: The Phantom Tollbooth