War and peace

In recent reading I came across the following quote by a World War Two US Army General Omar Bradley.1
“We live in a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants, in a world that has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. We have solved the mystery of the atom and forgotten the lessons on the Sermon on the Mount. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about dying than we know about living.”
This Memorial Day weekend our nation will appropriately salute those who have given their lives in service that secures our freedoms. Solemn ceremonies in cemeteries and parades on Main Streets are fitting reminders of sacrifices others have made unselfishly.

In addition to traditional observances, we may explore the depths of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” We may well spend our time asking how Evangelical church groups who encouraged passivism only 60 years ago, urging draft age members to register as non-combatants, have become saber rattling hawks in a very short time? Or we may ponder how another line from Jesus’ sermon, “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Are we as diligent at pursuing peace as we are to winning wars? Are any wars “just?” What makes them justifiable?

My father-in-law served in World War Two. Cousins and friends served in Korea and Viet Nam. A young man while serving a church-planting internship, was summoned to duty during Desert Storm. I appreciate the unselfish service of men and women at war as much as one can so detached from the actual experience. No simple answers exist. It is our responsibility to engage in the struggle to bring evidence of the Kingdom of Heaven into our generation. Thank you General Bradley. You arrested our thinking! We will pursue the wisdom and conscience resulting from embracing the Sermon on the Mount.

The Next Generation
Are you praying for Alvin, Brittany, Kayla and Zachary daily? God hears these names from our lips regularly. When I work, I work. When I pray, God works!


1. Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893 – April 8, 1981) was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army. He was the last surviving five-star commissioned officer of the United States and the first general to be selected Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.