"Dedicate the struggle to Christ" -Bishop of Canterbury's Easter 1944 address to Brit forces

bbc ^ | Easter, 1944 | William Temple

[churchillbuff]

This is worth listening to, if you have audio. He commends the soldiers to go forward in a "war of liberation." Where are the priests with similar spine today?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/audiointerviews/profilepages/templew1.shtml

broadcasting to the Forces at Easter 1944

It was Archbishop Temple who said, "Christians in war are called to the hardest of all tasks; to fight without hatred, to resist without bitterness, and in the end, if God grant it so, to triumph without vindictiveness."

[TightSqueeze]

He commends the soldiers to go forward in a "war of liberation." Where are the priests with similar spine today?

Since London is no longer the recipient of bombs but in fact the bomber, maybe the priests are keeping quiet.

[VOA]

"Christians in war are called to the hardest of all tasks; to fight without hatred,
to resist without bitterness, and in the end, if God grant it so, to triumph
without vindictiveness."

Although I respect their right to be confused, whenever I hear some Christian "pacifist"
yammering away, I ask "could you point me in the New Testament to Christ's
condemnation of the noble centurion he praised for having a faith like he (Christ)
had never seen?".

Of course...they can't...

[TightSqueeze]

Although I respect their right to be confused, whenever I hear some Christian "pacifist"...

Yeah, just rewrite the Bible whenever you feel it necessary and don't forget that you can in fact rip out any pages that might confuse your tiny brain. Full speed ahead.

[CyberAnt]

Wasn't it the Bishop of Caterbury who commented to Sec.Powell about Bush's empire building ...?? Wherein Powell said to a crowded room - we have sent men all over the world to fight for freedom, and all we have ever ask for in return is enough land to bury those who could not go home. [paraphrase] And ... the room became very quiet.

[churchillbuff]

Wasn't it the Bishop of Caterbury who commented to Sec.Powell about Bush's empire building

Different bishop. The one on the tape is in 1944 - when Christians weren't afraid to fight for right.

[Victor K]

I know there are Christian and other religious leaders who believe it's right to fight to save innocent life, to free the oppressed and restrain evil. But to tell you the truth, I hear very few of them speaking openly and with conviction these days. This troubles me a great deal. I know that the God of Mercy is spoken of often. But He is also the God of Justice. To fail to protect and save the innocent and the helpless is a terrible crime, as well.

This verse has stuck in my mind for many years and I think also applies in considering what to do in our present circumstances.

“10 If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!

11 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
12 If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” (NIV, Proverbs 24:10-12)

What will those who say they believe in the words of this book do? I know there are many of the hundreds of thousands of our best young men and women who aren't going to stand by and do nothing. I think the rest of use need to do what we can to do the same.

[gettingreal]

I vaguely recall in one of my Bible excursions some instruction from God to some early Israelis or their ancestors to wipe them out, only to see the disobedience that left a few. It seems that some of the world's troubles are at the hands of the descendents of those not eliminated thousands of years ago...

There are lots of folks with a mushy view of God. Agreed He is just, and expects justice, even though His patience is enormous. Thorough study will reveal, like in Habbukuk that God even uses hostiles to accomplish His justice where it needs being done.

[Wil H]

There is no "Bishop of Canterbury"

He is the "Archbishop of Canterbury" - an entirely different title. As a Bishop, he would be head of his Diocese (Canterbury), as Archibishop of Canterbury he Primate of all England, the religious leader of the Church of England.

[VOA]

Yeah, just rewrite the Bible whenever you feel it necessary and don't forget that
you can in fact rip out any pages that might confuse your tiny brain.

It's not just the removal/ignoring of certain passages by "Today's Christians" that is
of concern...it's the attempt to insert chapters of any favored "contemporary Gospel".
Some of them seem to think "Das Kaptial" belongs in the New Testament.
(And I've met captialist-minded ones who think the "Enron Ethics Manual" probably
should be inserted.)