Comments on Baptists Today Blogs: Another 30,000

JP, For someone who does not claim to be a "think...

2009-12-05T00:15:54.192-05:00

JP,

For someone who does not claim to be a "thinking man" those are some of the sharpest (and most honest) thoughts that I have read on the blog-o-sphere.

Though this may not be the most popular thing to ask, is peace possible outside the moral vision of Kingdom of God in the New Testament, particularly the teachings of Jesus?

Then, one must ask, do we withdraw and commit to a non-violent witness and possible martyrdom? Or do we work through government and secular means, including military and violence to hopefully work toward peace?

Either road is difficult, requires great faith and perseverance. Which is the correct one? I have sympathies toward both, and maybe they are not mutually exclusive.

However, my concern is that competing worldviews, political theories and religions have different ideas of peace, the means to achieve it, and what the world will look like when it arrives. Thus, the result is conflict. "Peace" is not the mere absence of war.

Sorry for the delay in responding, JP -- I think t...

2009-12-04T16:38:51.281-05:00

Sorry for the delay in responding, JP -- I think the bottom line is that countries and Christianity have different agendas. When Jesus talked about "rendering unto Caesar the thing's that are Caesar's," I think he was acknowledging that.

In a sense, the term "Christian nation" may be an oxymoron.

JP, I think the gospel of Christ operates contrar...

2009-12-04T10:43:32.284-05:00

JP,

I think the gospel of Christ operates contrarily to the modern nation-state. The nation-state prioritizes love of country above all else; Christ calls us to love God and then our neighbor. The nation-state seeks prosperity and protection; Christ calls us to charity and vulnerability. The good news is that we do not have to rely on a country or government to carry the cause of Christ, although many Americans seem to disagree. God has blessed us with the church: a transnational, prophetic body of pilgrims living between the age that is and the one that is to come. I believe that it is the Body of Christ alone that can faithfully live the gospel; no other social body has the resources to live faithfully to God and I do not expect them to do so.

A righteous man soon finds the world aligned again...

2009-12-03T18:34:03.718-05:00

A righteous man soon finds the world aligned against him.

Dr. Cartledge, I am an engineer, not a thinking m...

2009-12-03T10:10:25.188-05:00

Dr. Cartledge,

I am an engineer, not a thinking man, so my thought process may very well be flawed. However, I would like your insight on some thoughts that i have had swirling around.

When I consider what it takes to be a nation in this world and what it takes to fulfill the commandments of Christ, I come to the conclusion that the two are mutually exclusive. If we act in the best interest of sustaining our country, we usually have to defy the laws of love and grace. If we live fully by the grace and love that we are commanded, our country will be run-over and toppled. Heck, Jesus lived by his commands and was crucified for it. Ghandi followed those guidelines and died because of it. MLK led a passive resistance and was assassinated. Worldly sustainment rarely follows Godly living.

That has been my thought pattern, anyhow. I'm willing to admit that there may be some gaping holes. Can a country/government exist in this world and still fulfill live the gospel of Christ?

The war cost estimate is not all that much per per...

2009-12-02T18:19:44.579-05:00

The war cost estimate is not all that much per person, if you look at it that way, only between $215 and $250, depending on which population estimate you use, 300 or 350 million.

Well said, Tony. As one who has been to war more ...

2009-12-02T11:20:09.113-05:00

Well said, Tony. As one who has been to war more than once and will go again, less war is always better. But for the fallenness of man, less war might be our reality.

Yet it must be remembered that while President Obama inherited this war, this is precisely the war candidate Obama said was "a war of necessity not of choice" (unlike the Iraq war, in his opinion). One has to assume he would have taken us into this war if he'd been at the helm following the 9/11 attacks. Hopefully it will end well--not just end--under his leadership. Only time will tell.