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Be careful what you wish for

2/27/2016

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I was standing inside an old C-47 parked in a hangar at the Valiant Air Command Warbirds Museum in Titusville, Florida. As I looked out the side door, the Vietnam Veteran tour guide set up the scenario: “Imagine you are eighteen years old. You are flying in this plane at 800 feet off the ground. You weigh 150 pounds and are carrying some 200 pounds of gear. Your parachute ripcord is connected to the static line. You look out the door and see German tracers blazing up at the plane. Then, contrary to what every fiber of your being is screaming, you jump out of the plane and into the tracers over Normandy. That's what it was like, and this same plane made three trips over Normandy during D-Day.”

Why would an eighteen year old kid – and millions like him – go to war and be willing to do something so incredibly dangerous? Yes, because his country called on him. Yes, to fight for the defense of his country and its freedoms. Yes, because he was trained to follow orders and do no other. But he also did it because millions of other people -- Germans, Italians, and Japanese, in this case -- got what they thought they wanted.

I was touring this aviation museum with my wife's uncle Hal. Hal is 91 years and flew P-51 Mustangs in the South Pacific during World War II. He still flies at 91 in his two seater experimental plane! After we visited the museum, we wondered how it is possible that so many people in highly “civilized” countries could have been so drastically misled by their leaders. How could they have possible believed all they were told?

Well, the answers are complex and full of psychological, sociological, economic, and political nuances. Maybe it is an oversimplification, but I think a big part of what happened is that they bought into the ideas they were being sold without taking the time and making the effort to consider how those ideas would be brought about. They were so excited and comforted about the potential end that they never seriously considered the means.

Therefore, they bought into the legitimate ideas of "honor," and "glory," and "patriotism." They believed their leaders could lead them to "recapture a glorious heritage," or "honor the memory of their ancestors," or "re-establish national pride." Only a few, however, saw past the soothing rhetoric to the implicit, and eventually explicit, evil means to achieve those goals – the persecution and arrest of dissenters, racist policies, invasion of neighboring countries, and mass murder in death camps. They failed to recognize, until it was too late, the tools their leaders used to implement their promises: Half-truths that led to outright lies, warnings that led to fear mongering, discrimination that led to persecution, and threats that led to violence. The end result (in case you haven't seen the movie) was tens of millions dead, hundreds of millions of displaced, leveled cities, destroyed countries, a changed map, the near end of European civilization, and further oppression in Eastern Europe for decades. The promised ideas certainly didn’t hold water for long, but, as has been noted with tongue in cheek, at least there was an autobahn that was the model for American interstates and the trains ran on time.

Politicians still speak of big ideas. This is good. We need vision. We need big ideas. We need what those big ideas promise. However, the means to achieve the big ideas are important. Furthermore, everything has a price. Whether it is the promise of all kinds of “free” stuff, of being “great again,” of being “safe,” being a “world leader,” “taking back America,” “returning” to a supposed divinely “chosen nation,”, semi-theocratic past, or even a bland generic expression of “hope,” we must insist on answers to at least two questions:

1. What do you mean by that big idea? Define what you are saying.

2. How will that big idea be achieved? Give specifics.

Now, am I drawing a direct parallel between Italian Fascism, German Nazism, Japanese Nationalism and current American politics? Not necessarily. We have lots of checks and balances in place that none of those countries did. Moreover, our historical, political, and economic situations are vastly different. However . . . Be careful what you wish for, especially when it is ill defined or not defined at all. Be careful what you wish, especially when the how is never explained. Be careful what you wish for, especially when substance and content is pushed aside in favor of sound bites, slogans, and juvenile insults. I think we are all mad at the system and want change, but . . . Be careful what you wish for, both left and right!
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a comprehensive pro-life position? Some thoughts

2/16/2016

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I believe the Bible is the revealed word of God. I believe it is still applicable in its totality to the totality of life. Of course, it must be interpreted and applied wisely and correctly, a sometimes difficult task. But this is not an article about hermeneutics (the science and art of interpretation). What I want to detail are some of the implications, as I see them, of a comprehensive and a consistent Biblical pro-life position. Now, I won’t be able to cover every nuance, and I may be off on some of my points. But, if I read the entire Bible and work hard at coming up with a theology of life, here are some things I have to consider:

1. The Bible is clear that humans are made in the image of God. This sets us apart from the rest of creation. We are not just different in degree from animals and other created things, but we are a different kind. That image of God in us means we have the capacity and the privilege to have a relationship with our Creator. Although that image of God in us has been marred by sin and can ultimately only be restored through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, it’s presence means that . . .

2. We are to see all people as having both the image of God and the potential for redemption. No, the image in all people does not mean all with be saved. Furthermore, it does not mean that all human beings are “children of God.” All are creations of God, but only redeemed persons are children of God. It does mean that all human life is valuable and of inherent worth. Contrary to our human pragmatism, this value and worth applies most importantly to . . .

3. Those who are helpless, defenseless, and who perhaps cannot speak for themselves. This includes the unborn, the disabled, the mentally ill, and the infirm elderly. The issue is ontological personhood rather than a pragmatic definition of quality of life or a temporal legal defense of individual rights. Moreover, this value and worth applies to . . .

4. Those who are marginalized, disenfranchised, and often caught up in the fallen structures of human society. By “fallen structures” I simply mean the societal structures that may be good in and of themselves, but which are also affected by the fall of creation (government, economics, education, and so on). That the structures are fallen and even broken in no way removes personal responsibility. Personal responsibility (or irresponsibility), however, does not remove the image of God either. It does acknowledge that these structures are made up and run by fallen human beings, often have complex cause and effect dynamics, and that the “fallen-ness” of these structures affect real people. Let me break down the implications for four groups:

a. First, I am talking about the poor, the homeless, the powerless, and the marginalized. Whatever their condition and whatever the cause of their condition, self-imposed or victims of circumstances, the Bible has a whole lot to say about caring for them. They may need assistance or they may need admonition, but they are persons made in God’s image.

b. Second, I am talking about those incarcerated and guilty of crimes and about their victims. The first may need punished swiftly and severely. They certainly need a chance at rehabilitation. Their victims definitely need restitution, comfort, and justice. It all gets kind of messy, but both are in the image of God. By the way, I would argue that a society which genuinely values life has in place both swift and severe penalties for crimes against persons and aggressive rehabilitation efforts for the incarcerated. Not to have the former overlooks justice and the inherent value of their victims’ lives. Not to have the latter overlooks the inherent value and potential redemption of the perpetrators’ lives.

c. Third, and most relevantly, I am talking about those who are refugees and immigrants seeking a better life. Certainly, there are legal and safety issues to consider. That is the government’s responsibility (and it could do a better job). The starting point from a Biblical perspective, however, is that refugees and immigrants are bearers of the image of God, should be cared for, and are, in the overwhelming majority of cases, simply trying to make a better life (what could be more American than that?). At the same time that I ask my elected officials to secure the border, I also want them to come up with a compassionate and quick way to help anyone who qualifies to become a productive (and tax paying) American citizen. I don’t think it is that hard to come up with a solution. It is just that the issue has become one by which to demonize the political opponent, while image bearers of God suffer and American citizens on all sides grow more and more frustrated.

d. Finally, and at times the most difficult to shallow and apply, I am talking about the enemy. Yes, we have enemies. Even the Bible acknowledges that. My personal enemy is also made in the image of God. I am commanded to love him and do all I can to live at peace with him. Our corporate enemy is such that at times we go to war with him. Some would argue for absolute pacifism based on the command not to kill and the fact that all humans are made in the image of God. I can’t go that far, but would argue that the image of God in humans means we should always avoid war until all other options are exhausted, and do all we can to spare innocent lives. Oh, yes, the historical realities are sometimes overwhelming (to quote the Brad Pitt character in the movie Fury, “Ideals are peaceful; history is violent). Debates get quite intense and nuanced here, as they can for all points above.

There is so much more to be said about a comprehensive and consistent pro-life position; many books have been written on the subtleties and nuances of application in this messy world. The bottom line for me is this:

One, my starting point has to be the image of God in humans and a respect for all of life, including and especially the unborn and the powerless.

Two, having said that, I know our fallen world makes application of a comprehensive and consistent pro-life position a challenge. Crime, poverty, self-defense, war, evil, hardened and unrepentant criminals . . . well, as they say, it all looks good on paper. The devil is in the application details (that’s two clichés in a row).

Three, when it comes to evaluating politicians running for office, I have to weigh their positions on all of the above before I make a choice. All the points above are important to me, but some do carry more weight than others. When I agonize over the scorecard, I have to struggle with the only opinion that ultimately matters – What does a comprehensive and consistent study of the Bible tell me? You tell me: Am I being too naïve and unrealistic?
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    Terry Coy -- husband, father, grandfather. Trying to figure it out while on the journey with Jesus.

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