May God Strengthen a Confessing Church in America
I was listening to some anti-war music from the early years of the Iraq War, and what struck me is how long ago the war started. I hadn’t listened to this music for years, and it seemed kind of old—references to George W. Bush, Saddam, etc.
This fall, when I ask my sophomore students to tell stories of September 11, 2001, they’ll be reaching back to kindergarten days! Those young people can’t really remember a time when the US wasn’t at war in multiple countries. We’ve been “living with war” (title of Neil Young’s anti-war album in 2006) for 10 years now. It has become the new normal. What does that mean for peace education? What does it mean for the followers of Jesus to live in a country permanently at war?
Just a quick review of what the last 10 years have meant:
- $1.25 Trillion spent, and we continue to spend at a rate of $5000 per second
- Over 6000 Americans dead; tens of thousands physically wounded; hundreds of thousands spiritually and emotionally traumatized
- Only God knows how many divorces, suicides, assaults, foreclosures, lost jobs
- Close to one million Iraqi and Afghan deaths
- Increased toleration of despots anywhere, as long as they are allies in the war on terror
- Millions of refugees—one-half of the world’s refugees today are running from US wars
- Disregard for Constitutional protections, if it is part of “fighting terror”
- Loss of privacy; racial profiling; hate crimes
- War by video game: drones killing from air conditioned comfort
- US government deciding it can assassinate anyone, including US citizens
- Increased tolerance of the practice of torture—if it “stops the bad guys”
- A more paranoid, militarized and cruel culture
What has the church of Jesus Christ said and done in response to the horrific changes the wars have brought here and in so many other places around the world? It’s a mixed picture. Some have done a lot of praying, protesting and lobbying. Others just continue to deal with daily life issues and struggles, believing the wars are “over there”. Are we just accepting this new normal, or are we confessing that all the above changes are ones that we will continue to resist?
September 11, 2011 will be a time of reflecting on the losses of that bright crisp Tuesday morning when some say Americans lost their innocence. That will be very appropriate. But in this upcoming season of remembrance, let us also reflect on what the US has become as a result. Let us be willing to reflect and pray, asking the age-old question—who are we really following? And, let’s seek God’s Spirit as we pray, vote and act in these next 10 years.
