Doug Giles: Jesus, Jihadists and a Just War

The world is too dangerous to live in—not because of people who do evil, but because of people who sit and let it happen.

There’s a prevalent perception among Christians that when it comes to conflict (like the War on Terror), Christ’s teachings go limper than an ED laden Pillsbury Dough Boy after six hours in a Sioux sweat lodge.

Yeah, Jesus is seen in certain sectors of emasculated evangelicalism and in some spiritually castrated Catholic circles as an altruistic bearded lady who traipsed around Israel spitting out courteous clichés and nifty narratives like an over-medicated Garrison Keillor.

Because of these notions, which were constructed by torturing the scripture via inane eisegesis and icky exegesis, it’s hard for the follower of this Effeminized Christ to come to a place of clashing with the likes of Osama and his mama.

Just a cursory glance at the gospel of Mark, unaided by a Nancy’d pastor or priest’s thoughts or a 21st century Lysol-disinfected, Politically Correct New Testament commentary, will leave one thinking, “Holy Crikey! Christ confronted anyone and anything that was oppressive and abusive.”

When you take the accounts of Christ’s life straight (as I do my whiskey) you come away with an entirely different picture than the one that pantywaists have painted of God’s Prophet.

You do not see Him as a passive peacemaker in the face of evil. If something threatened those He came to save, well then, He took it on. If something or someone was malevolent in its/his intentions then it/he was about to clash with Christ. Guaranteed.

Christ is portrayed in the gospel according to Mark (which was, BTW, inspired by the Holy Spirit and not Richard Simmons) as a dragon slayer. Yes, the Incarnate One showed up on this terra firma 2,000 years ago as a throttler of the works of darkness. Mark whipped out his inspired quill and depicted Jesus as a warrior picking fights with that which was detrimental to people and places.

Whether it was in the whipping of the avaricious religious glitterati who were desecrating the Temple, casting a nest of demons out of a 1st century Emily Rose, publicly rebuking a bad politician or priest or foreswearing the wrath of God upon those who would harm kids—one cannot skip away from the holy script thinking Christ was cool with creeps. That is, unless of course, he chooses to close his eyes to these ubiquitous texts.

So, what about all those “love your enemy,” “do good to those who harm you,” “turn the other cheek,” “howdy, bad neighbor” verses? Well, as far as I can tell, these passages apply to personal insults and injury . . . like the ones I get week after week from those who hate what I write.

Am I to create a Haitian voodoo doll, conjure up some wicked curse and level it at the bloggers who are having fun at my expense? Absolutely not. It’s a difference of opinion that makes a horse race. Anyway, most of their quips are hilarious . . . and being the narcissist that I am, I appreciate the attention be it good or bad. Since I dish it out on a regular and prolific basis, I should be a good sport and not wince when I get it.

Here’s where the “love stuff” comes into play: by not going postal when you get picked on. In this entitlement, lawsuit-ready, hair-triggered, I’ll-kill-you-in-your-sleep-if-you-wrong-me culture, “love and patience” is a needed maxim and is an appreciated reprieve from the ripe hate that inundates petty America.

However, when it comes to terrorists sticking planes into buildings and blowing up trains, buses and Pizza Huts around the planet, I think the balance of the scripture and the common sense God’s given us show the multifaceted Jesus morph from being a gentle lamb into a rough lion. Can you handle that?

Look, if Christ went to town on a punk unclean spirit that was oppressing one individual in a grave yard, I kind of think that He might green light the US military cleaning the clock of Islamo-facist death dealers trying to wipe out Western Civilization. Duh.

“But, shouldn’t we err on the side of love, tolerance and grace in dealing with these people?” I can hear some whine. Uh . . . not when it comes to glaze-eyed, militant Islamic monsters who intend to kill millions of people who don’t think the way they do.

Here’s one among many. The ecclesiastical lack of confrontation by the German Church in the early ‘30’s towards Hitler allowed him to wreak havoc in Europe. These “believers,” being focused on their own little world and being flaccid when they should have been firm, assisted Hitler by not resisting what was fermenting in Ole’ Yahoo’s demented pea brain.

The lack of involvement of the Deutsche Christens with what was going down in their day aided the destruction of everything they held dear—not to mention the lives of millions of Jewish people. Oops.

The German Church, which should have been a major player in defying Nazism, instead kum-ba-yah’d their way into Stupidville and assisted those goose-stepping asses in rolling out the red carpet for Adolph’s Mein Krap.

Twentieth-century German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was relentless in his attack upon the testicle-less Teutonic congregations of the thirties. He decried the thought that Christians were to turn the other cheek and tint their windows to such a violent, demented critter and seek a life of peace in some spiritual niche on the sidelines of life. He called such a squeamish, fish-stickered community a group of “salvation egoists,” an “escapist’s church” that was no longer the salt of the earth or the light of the world.

Drop the repellently corny “let’s love ‘em” slop. You sound, and are, ridiculous. You have officially become nicer than Jesus. Look, I love the men, women and kids that have to live unwilling under the apocalyptically deluded dictates of these wizards, but that’s where it ends. The others can go to hell.

Pray biblical imprecatory prayers against the Islamo-fascists. See my Townhall.com column from 07/03/2004

Make the snuffing out of the life of any Islamo-fascist who has nuclear wet dreams a major issue in both how you vote and for whom you vote in the next 1,379 elections.

Send cash to Christian organizations ministering within the Axis of Evil nations. Church, take some cash from your offerings this Sunday and instead of having a portrait painted of your minister or buying a new pagoda for your senior pastor to sit on, send it to nervy missionaries who are attempting to bring good news into places governed by bad men.

A Politically Correct Christ is the pap spewed forth from pulpits, Sunday School rooms and worse, the appeasers of today who wouldn't know courage and truth if it jumped up and bit them.

Onward Christian Soldiers isn't a lullaby.........and Christ was never politically correct, he spoke truth.

Mark whipped out his inspired quill and depicted Jesus as a warrior picking fights with that which was detrimental to people and places.

It is ridiculous to portray Christianity of Christ as some kind of militant.

It is a religion of appeasement. don't take it from me. Here is a better source.

Mathew Chapter 5

38] You have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

[39] But I say to you not to resist evil: but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other:

[40] And if a man will contend with thee in judgment, and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also unto him.

[41] And whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him other two,

[42] Give to him that asketh of thee and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away.

[43] You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy.

[44] But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you:

[45] That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.

[46] For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? do not even the publicans this?

[47] And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not also the heathens this?

[48] Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.

Great article!! There are too many wimpy Christians! President Bush needs to read this, and then he needs to nuke Iran, Syria, and North Korea. Then he should turn our military loose in Iraq to do the job they were trained to do. Then he should tell the whiny ass, bed wetting, cry baby, RATS to go to Hell if they didn't like it. Should they win the White House, Senate and House, we are DOOMED because there's not ONE of them who has the courage to do what needs to be done! We hired Bush to do the job and he has a responsibility to protect Americans at all costs! ;o)

What did he say about defending the poor, the downtrodden, and your family?

THE BIBLICAL CASE FOR SELF-DEFENSE. It is noteworthy that the Bible records many accounts of fighting and warfare. The providence of God in war is exemplified by His name YHWH Sabaoth ("The LORD of hosts"--Exodus 12:41). God is portrayed as the omnipotent Warrior-Leader of the Israelites. God, the LORD of hosts, raised up warriors among the Israelites called the shophetim (savior-deliverers). Samson, Deborah, Gideon, and others were anointed by the Spirit of God to conduct war. The New Testament commends Old Testament warriors for their military acts of faith (Hebrews 11:30-40). Moreover, it is significant that although given the opportunity to do so, none of the New Testament saints--nor even Jesus--are ever seen informing a military convert that he needed to resign from his line of work (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 3:14).

Prior to His crucifixion, Jesus revealed to His disciples the future hostility they would face and encouraged them to sell their outer garments in order to buy a sword (Luke 22:36-38; cf. 2 Corinthians 11:26-27). Here the "sword" (Greek: maxairan) is a dagger or short sword that belonged to the Jewish traveler's equipment as protection against robbers and wild animals. A plain reading of the passage indicates that Jesus approved of self-defense.

Self-defense may actually result in one of the greatest examples of human love. Christ Himself said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:14). When protecting one's family or neighbor, a Christian is unselfishly risking his or her life for the sake of others.

Theologians J. P. Moreland and Norman Geisler say that "to permit murder when one could have prevented it is morally wrong. To allow a rape when one could have hindered it is an evil. To watch an act of cruelty to children without trying to intervene is morally inexcusable. In brief, not resisting evil is an evil of omission, and an evil of omission can be just as evil as an evil of commission. Any man who refuses to protect his wife and children against a violent intruder fails them morally."

I find it highly instructive for our present situation to consider the life and times of Augustine of Hippo. As the fore bearers of today's terrorists were besieging the crumbling Roman Empire Augustine postulated that Christians could and should engage in warfare "to preserve peace" (read, Roman civilization). All of the other "just war" criteria came centuries later as nation-states were developing, hardly relevant to dealing with terrorists who operate largely independently of recognized governments.

"Do you think Matthew misquoted Christ in those statements?? - tom"

No, of course not. Yet, have you read,

Joh 2:12 ¶ After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.
Joh 2:13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
Joh 2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
Joh 2:16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
Joh 2:17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Being interpreted, "He kicked ass." Certainly not an appeaser.

I'm curious, have you ever looked more closely at the subject of Christians using force? Many have not. I would not classify Christianity as a religion of appeasement.

People often misunderstand Jesus' specific teachings.

There is no doubt that anyone who presents the gospel is to present it peacefully. However that doesn't equal total pacifism.

When the Roman soldiers asked Jesus what must they do to follow him, He didn't say go AWOL. He just said they must do no more than what was required of them. This is the Roman military too which by the way would be considered cruel by todays standards just when following orders. o.0

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