Kethuvim

This phrase is uttered for two reasons as I see it.  One, because it is a simple copout that sounds Christian on the outside, and so most people accept it blindly as a pretty good explanation for why wars happen.  Two, because peacemaking is incredibly difficult in this world, and it is much easier to throw in the towel and wait to die so you can receive your eternal reward.

If our attitude is that nothing is fixable and the whole world is a sack of crap, then it is no wonder that the Church is so weak and feeble in this country.  It's no wonder that people would rather sleep in on Sundays.  We talk about victory, but to say that no peace will come until Christ returns sounds an awful lot like defeatism to me.  It's essentially saying that the battle for peace is lost, let's let big daddy Jesus fix it in his time.  Isn't the Church to body of Christ?  This means that we're called to fix things, being endowed with the power of the Resurrection as we are.  We are Jesus to a destructive and lifeless world, when will the Church understand this?  

Here's another thing I don't understand; the Church in America has become so militant and violence-minded, but the predominant NT picture of Jesus is one of a lamb.  Is a lamb a military sign?  It doesn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of enemies does it?  The lamb is a symbol of peace, not war.  How many sports teams have a lamb as their mascot?  None.  How many countries have the lamb as their national symbol?  None.  Jesus is called the Lamb of God.  His followers are called to be lambs as well.  

I want to conclude this whole broken series of posts with a passage from 2 Corinthians 10:

We are not called to fight with guns, bombs, and fists.  We're called to fight our enemies with a spoon and a cup (Read Romans 12).  I look forward to the day when the Church lays down its arms and embodies the spirit of the Lamb.