Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Stan Goff on the Christian soldier's responsibility

I've always like Stan Goff's writing. He's an ex-Special Forces master sergeant, Marxist autodidact, and, as I've only just discovered, progressive Christian. This piece is not to be missed.

Faith is radical trust that God has your back. And trust the evidence not of what those around you try to excuse and explain, but of what you see them actually do.

Watch how your institution treats 'the least among us," because that is how the institution is treating Christ (Matt 25:40). You cannot point a gun at another human being, frighten a child, bully a man, demean a woman, violate the sanctity of a threshold, or kill, and not be doing this violence to Christ. There is nothing circumstantial about it. Christ was categorical about this. You must resist; and you must do so without violence and be prepared to love those who abuse you for your refusal. And trust, too, that all will be well, even though you might pass through a dark night first.

Your obedience to peer pressure and your obedience to the government are both superceded absolutely by obedience to God.

Elections will not stop this war, just shift its emphasis. Only you will stop it, starting with yourself.
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