Today we celebrate the birth
and history of our nation. Although it was founded by those wishing
to insure religious freedom for everyone, these same founding
fathers also attempted to make it very clear that the Church
and the State should be separate entities and not interfere in
the life of the other. The primary idea was not to do away with
religion but to insure that the State would not enforce a particular
religion on any of its citizens. For over 200 years these guiding
principles have served us well. There have been those who have
attempted to abuse these freedoms while hiding under the pretense
of religion, and there have been governmental decisions that
many have protested because of their religious beliefs.
All of us would like to believe that our beloved country has
always acted in a way that is consistent with the teachings of
Christianity. While in many instances this has been true we sadly
have to admit that there have been other times that our national
policies and actions have been shameful. One must quickly add
that there have also been times when the actions and policies
of the Church have been equally shameful. The work of nations
and groups within those nations is like that of individuals or
it should be in that all of us need to learn from our past mistakes
and strive to improve how we live with others whom Jesus refers
to as our "neighbors."
During the Vietnam War era America was probably more divided
over national policy than at any other time in her history save
for the Civil War and the debate over slavery. During the Vietnam
War one often heard the phrase, "America, love it or leave
it." William Sloan Coffin writes in Credo, published
this year by Westminster John Knox Press, the publishing house
of our denomination, "It meant, 'America, obey it or
leave it,' as if national unity were more important than
national debate." Coffin goes on to say, "If the
American people are worth the salt I think they are worth, they
will never be politically united." Coffin quotes Barbara
Tuchman who states, "A nation in consensus is a nation
ready for the grave." Part of the fabric that makes our
nation great is the opportunity for self-expression and debate.
Coffin concludes, "Good patriots carry on a lover's
quarrel with their country, a reflection of God's lover's
quarrel with the world."
Each one of us who claims to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior
must struggle with all kinds of decisions about whether or not
something is right or consistent with the teachings of the One
we call Lord. We must attempt to know if the teachings upon which
we claim to stand really are the Word of God or if they are only
something that is just to our personal liking. The bottom line
which should come as no great surprise is that there is often
a very high price associated with doing what is right in the
eyes of God. Christians of every nation must ask themselves if
they are willing to pay that price even at the risk of defying
the laws and rulers of those nations who go against the will
of God. This same price and its payment must also be considered
when it involves going against one's own family because
of one's love for that same family. The cost of doing right
is often extremely high and at times painful. The price is often
more than we wish to pay.
It should be interesting to note that when Jesus sent his little
work force into the world, He sent them with two things—the
clothes they were wearing and His promise of power. Jesus used
70 nameless individuals armed only with His peace. He removed
the restrictions of the Jewish food code so that they could accept
whatever people of peace offered them.
Granted, our world seems to be much more complex today. I am
convinced, however, that if Jesus would have come to earth today
He would have operated pretty much in the same manner—offering
others peace, friendship and the power of God. Much of what has
involved our nation in shameful acts has come from our arming
and supporting ruthless leaders who have violated enemies and
their own people alike. Then when a higher bidder came along,
these same people we trained, equipped and supported turned on
us or our allies.
Likewise when we have been involved in foreign and national
affairs designed to support self-interest or special elite power
groups the results have always been beneath our higher calling.
There have been instances when we have had to deal with ruthless
enemies in powerful ways. However, there have been other instances
when raw power and brute force should have been put aside. Those
who truly understand the purpose of supreme military power understand
the purpose of having it is so you never have to use it.
Much of the world, including many Christians, does not put
much stock in Jesus' preferred way of doing things. According
to Galatians when someone else has mistreated you, your first
attempt should be to establish or restore the relationship in
a spirit of gentleness. The use of brute force, unless it nearly
destroys or totally destroys one's adversary is designed
to cause the adversary to respond in kind. Paul writes in Galatians
6:1, for us to be careful to not be tempted to respond in kind
or with something worse to those who have mistreated us. We reap
what we sow. Paul encourages us by saying in Galatians 6:9 "Do
not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time,
if we do not give up. Whenever you have the opportunity to work
for the good of all, do it, paying particular attention to the
family of faith but being certain not to be limited to it."
This goes against the grain of many individuals and nations.
My father's advice was to "never let your adversary
set the agenda." Do not let the other side set the rules
of engagement as long as you are able to play by higher ones.
On the surface this sometimes appears to be the role only a fool
would play. However, if you do what is right how much damage
is really done by having some others think of you as a fool?
The really hard decision in things like this is deciding to
do the right thing and apparently lose or to give into lesser
standards and seemingly win. Life is full of decisions and they
cannot be decided or acted upon as if everything were a popularity
contest.
Many people know the name Brian Piccolo from the movie, Brian's
Song, which depicts the story of Piccolo and Gayle Sayers
of the Chicago Bears football team. Piccolo died of cancer at
the age of 26 after challenging Sayers to recover from a horrible
injury that would have ended most careers.
Piccolo met Darryl Hill, the first African—American
to play football for the University of Maryland while Piccolo
was captain of the Wake Forest team. The Wake Forest crowd had
deep ties to the Baptist church. They taunted Hill in ways that
were most unkind prior to the game. Just before kick-off, Piccolo
crossed the field, put his arm around Hill and apologized for
the behavior of the Wake Forest fans. He walked Hill back to
the sidelines with his arm still around him which quieted the
jeers of the hostile crowd. It was the right thing to do at that
moment and Piccolo did not stop to count the cost of doing what
he did. He counted the cost of what would have happened had he
done nothing at all. (Washington Post magazine, February
1, 2004) The cost of doing what is right often is high. The cost
of not doing it is often higher. |
