Everything I learned about America I learned in boot camp

Yes, boot camp.  What other way to learn that your country is always virtuous, always has God on its side and is blessed with doing God’s will from bygone to at hand.  My drill instructor informed all of us right from the start that God was on our side and not on the opposition’s side.  As General Patten once told his troops the goal of being an American solder was not to die for your country but make the other, Son of a Bitch die for his.  Those were the rules of Marine Corps Boot Camp. 

Those rules stem from a belief that God’s will was manifested in the conquest and founding of our country and is still manifested in our actions around the globe.  Throughout our history, most Americans have assumed our nation’s causes and wars were righteous and just, and that “God is on our side.”  In our minds, and our sanctuaries the cross and the American flag stand side by side.  Our allegiance to God tends to go hand in hand with our allegiance to country.  Consequently, many Christians who take their faith seriously see themselves as the religious guardians of a Christian homeland.  America, they believe, is a holy city “set on a hill,” and the church’s job is to keep it shinning.

Upon my graduation from boot camp I was sent to South East Asia to defend my homeland and stop the spread of communist aggression thought out Asia.  I was a prime candidate for the job.  I believed communism was wrong and put people under hardship and oppression with the ultimate brutality being it killed people who got in its way.  I met my enemy and to my amazement he was just like me.  He was simply following orders that stemmed from the same set of rules I learned in boot camp.  He was trying to make me die for my country’s values.  He believed he and his country were right and we were wrong.  

This story rings true of every war that has ever been fought.  The best example in history is our own Civil War.  Both Generals and both Armies believed they were in the will of God obeying Jesus Christ.  They prayed the same prayers and died believing they were right, that belief got, 620,000 Americans killed.   

Here’s a myth, I would like to address, America is a Christian nation, and this myth the church has become its guardian.  Unfortunately this misinterpretation continues to be damaging, both to the church and to the advancement of God’s kingdom. This nationalistic myth blinds us to in a way that our most basic and most cherished cultural assumptions are diametrically opposed to the kingdom way of life taught by Jesus and his disciples.  Instead of living out the radically countercultural mandate of the kingdom of God, this myth has inclined us to Christianize many pagan aspects of our culture.  Instead of providing our culture with a radical alternative way of life, we largely present it with a religious version of what it already is.  

A more far-reaching problem with this misinterpretation is it links the kingdom of God with certain political stances within American politics; it has greatly compromised the beauty of the kingdom of God to non-Christians.  This myth harms the church’s primary mission.   For many in America and around the world, the American flag has smothered the glory of the cross, with the ugliness of our American version of Caesar. The good news of Jesus has become the American news, capitalistic news, Republican news and whether justified are not, many people want nothing to do with it. 

When Jesus was before Pilate He was asked if He was the king of the Jews He replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.  But my kingdom is from another place.” John 18:36.   Jesus’ kingdom operates differently from the kingdoms of this world.   The kingdoms of this world acquire power and exercise power over others, the kingdom of God, incarnated and modeled in the person of Jesus Christ, advances only by exercising power under others.  It expands by manifesting the power of self-sacrifice and the cross of Christ.

In a nutshell, the governments of this world seek to establish, protect, and advance their ideas and agendas at the expense of its citizenry.  In the fallen nature of all those governments is the will to “win.”  By contrast, the kingdom Jesus established and modeled with his life, death, and resurrection doesn’t seek to “win” by any of the criteria the world would use.   Rather it seeks to be faithful.  To demonstrate the reign of God by manifesting the sacrificial character of Jesus Christ, and in the process, it reveals the transformative power that transforms people from the inside out by coming under them and living in them.  This is the hope of our world, it is everything the church should be about.  We must understand the radical differences and uniqueness of this kingdom in contrast to the kingdoms of this world.  

What the distinction between the two kingdoms implies is that citizens of the kingdom of God need to take care to distinguish between their core faith and values on the one hand and the particular way they politically express their faith and values on the other.  While the ways of the kingdom of God are always simple, straightforward, and uncompromising, the ways of the kingdom of this world are always complex, ambiguous, and inevitably full of compromise.  Hence, kingdom people who share the same core faith and values can and often do disagree about how their faith and values should inform their involvement in the kingdom of the world.

To insist that we keep the kingdom of God radically distinct from all versions of the kingdom of this world does not mean that our faith and moral convictions shouldn’t inform our participation in the political process.  Of course they should, but that is true of all citizens in a free country.  Weather we’re aware of it or not, all of us, weather religious or not, vote our faith and values.

The purpose of this writing is to reveal the kingdom of God and show its stark contrast to the kingdom of the world and to remind us of the radical countercultural life of the kingdom of God.  

The kingdoms of this world try to influence how their subjects think and feel, their power resides in their ability to control behavior.  The Bible refers to this type of power as the “sword”. The power of the sword is the ability to coerce behavior by threats and when necessary to use the sword to produce conformity.  The sword will never bring about an internal change.  The sword can be the punishment for murder but it can never change a person’s desire to murder.  It may be the only reason a person refrains from killing because he or she doesn’t want to be imprisoned or executed.  The Kingdom of the world doesn’t really care, so long as the person conforms to the law.  Laws, enforced by the sword, control behavior but cannot change hearts.  Romans 13, gives us insight into how the sword works and why.  The power of the sword is not altogether bad.  Were we not a fallen world, the sword would not be necessary.   The sword is part of our common curse, yet God uses it to keep law and order in the world. For this reason, followers of Jesus are to be obedient, as far as possible, to what government is in power over them.  The apostle Paul explained this clearly in Romans 13.

God did not create or ordain the powers that be, but he did order them, to put them in order, sovereignty to tell them where they belong, what is their place.  There was never a time when there was not a government.  God never intended government to exist apart from Him, but due to man’s fall from grace there has been hierarchy and authority since human society existed.  Its exercise has involved domination and disrespect for human dignity by violence ever since sin has existed.  Nor is it by ordering this realm that God specifically, morally approves of what a government does.  The sergeant does not produce the soldier he drills; the librarian does not create the book she or he catalogs or shelves.  Likewise God does not take the responsibility for the existence of the rebellious “powers that be” or for their shape or identity; they already are.  The scriptures show that God orders them, brings them into line, providentially and permissively lines them up for divine purpose.  Yes, some governments are better than others.  

But no earthly kingdom, however good, is exempt from the scriptural teaching that it is part of “Babylon,” a worldwide kingdom ruled by Satan.  Jesus refers to Satan three times as the “ruler of this world”, (Jn 12:13- 14:30 – 16:11).  The term “ruler” was a political term used to denote the highest ruling order in a given region.  

The History of our world has been one of violent conflicts.  In all of recorded history, only a few decades have seen no major wars.  Historians estimate that in the twentieth century alone over 200 million people died as a result of war and political conflict.  The history of the world is a massive river of blood, and this waste of life testifies to the violent tendencies of the fallen human heart but also to the destructive power of the ruler of the kingdom of this world (Satan).  

We fallen humans have a passionate conviction that controls and leads us into conflict with others who have equally passionate convictions.  We believe in our nation over and against their nation, our religion over and against their religion, our culture over and against their culture, our political ideology over and against their political ideology.   Because the kingdom of the world influences us, we express these passions by attempting to exercise “power over” others as their nation, culture, religion, or political ideology conflict with or threatens our own.  Violence is the inescapable result.

It’s hard not to get pulled into the fallen passions that fuel the violence of the kingdom of the world.  Indeed, the demonic, tribalistic passions that set “us” against “them” seem completely natural to us in our fallen condition.  If you hit me, my natural (fallen) instinct is to hit you back, not turn the other cheek!   An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, this is what makes the bloody kingdom of the world go around; we have to many eyeless and toothless people already.  

 There is another myth at work in the kingdom of the world the “myth of redemptive violence”.   The true cause of violence, of course is not “the enemy” but something much more fundamental, something both our enemy and we suffer from.  The true cause lies in the fact that our fallen hearts are idolatrous and subject to the fallen powers that influence us. 

So long as people locate their worth, significance, and security in their own power, possessions, traditions, reputations, religious behavior, tribe, and nation rather than in a relationship with their Creator, the bloody tit-for tat game of violence is inescapable.  Of course, peaceful solutions must be sought and can be found to some degree with regard to each particular conflict.  But as long as humans define their personal and tribal self-interest over and against other people’s competing personal and tribal interest, violence will break out again.  

The myth of redemptive violence is strong in our western world and has been invoked in the present war against terrorism.  The people who align themselves with the kingdom of God must see through the deception of this nationalistic mantra, for those who live by the sword will die by the sword (Matt 26:52).  The deceptive sirocco of violence is fed by the illusion of ultimate “righteous” victory.  Any peace achieved by violence is a peace forever threatened by violence, thus insuring that the bloody process will be perpetuated.  

Followers of Jesus must realize and must help others realize that the hope of the world lies not in any particular version of the kingdom of the world gaining the upper hand in the endless tit-for-tat game.  The hope of the world lies in a kingdom that is not of this world, a kingdom that doesn’t participate in tit for tat, a kingdom that operates with a completely different understanding of power.  

You get a glimpse of this kingdom by reading a discussion Jesus had with his disciples as they were discussing who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Their discussion was a prime example of the principle of power over mindset that characterized the kingdom of the world at that present time.  Jesus responded: 

The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them who are called benefactors.  But not so with you, rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves.  For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves?  Is it not the one who is at the table?  But I am among you as one who serves. (Lk 22:25-27)

Jesus identified the disciples’ argument as a typical-of-the-world conflict, and thoroughly pagan.  This is the way worldly rulers and the world in general naturally thinks. This is common sense for those who rule by the world’s standards.  Naturally the older is greater than the younger, the leader worthy of higher esteem than the follower, the one who sits at the table greater than the one who serves the table.  Yes, Jesus not only rejects this “common sense” logic he reverses it!  Jesus, the Son of God, the one who is greatest by any standard, came to earth not to be served but to serve others, and this distinctive feature would mark the kingdom he came to establish.  It would not be a “power over” kingdom, but a “power under” kingdom.  It is a kingdom where greatness is defined by serving and sacrificing for others.  

This is why Jesus responded to Pilate’s question by saying his kingdom was “not from this world.”  If his kingdom were of this world, he told Pilate, his followers would fight the way the kingdom of this world always fights (Jn 18:36).  They would use “Power over” tactics and yield the sword to advance their personal, religious, and, political interest.  They would defend Jesus in the name of God, of righteousness, and the glory of Israel.  But this new kingdom would not be that kind of kingdom. 

One of Jesus disciples, Peter tried to fight like a kingdom of the world participant, cutting off the ear of one of the soldiers who came to arrest Jesus.  Jesus rebuked Peter and demonstrated the nature of this new kingdom by healing the soldiers ear (Lk 22;50-51).  By doing this he showed that His kingdom would advance not by destroying the enemy who seeks to destroy you, buy by loving, serving, and hopefully transforming the enemy who seeks to destroy you.  Can you imagine what that soldier who had his ear cut off and then put back on fully restored must have been thinking as they marched Jesus away.  

Jesus refused to accept conventional wisdom….His model of kingship and His vision of the kingdom of God, was not to “make the world safe for democracy” by the exercise of sheer force, was not to effect a “balance of power” through the threat of nuclear holocaust, was not to “rid the world of evil” through a never-ending crusade of “war against terror”.  He would not rule by a sword, but a towel.

LEE CAMP                                                         

The Passion Of The Poor

The Passion Of The Poor

What is it about passion that causes us to admire it in those that seem to carry it with fervency? There are many types of passion - the passion of desire; the passion of creativity and one’s purpose.  I’ve been made aware of a new type of passion that has no creative reason and no connection to success or material gain.  It is the passion of the poor.

The Bible speaks much about the poor and gives us instructions on how to help the poor and oppressed of our society.   Every culture has its own brand of poverty and those that are unable to break its cycle.  Those of us that know success are usually unaware of the cycle of poverty.  We are unaware that poverty is imposed on those who are born into it.  For everyone who is able to break out of this cycle there are at least one hundred more who are not able to escape its oppressive clutches.  I’ve heard friends talk about how the poor are lazy and if they would only work harder they would be able to improve their lives and get out from under the grasp of poverty.  After many years of working with the poor and disadvantaged I’ve come to understand that the poverty cycle often cannot be broken, even with harder work.  In fact, the harder some of these people work the farther they descend into poverty.  The answer to poverty is not a simple one, nor is the consequences of poverty easily explained or understood.

 

The type of poverty I’m speaking of is inherited.  Inherited poverty is the by-product of nations who have been made poor by economic and political decisions that stem from empire strategies’, greed and selfish posturing.   Over the years this type of selfish government produces a form of poverty that breeds squander and ghetto conditions.  It becomes a culture that you are born into with little hope of getting out of. 

We here in the west have a sanitized view of the poor.  They are the people we need to feed, house and clothe.  As long as we make an effort to care for the poor we feel good about ourselves.  I’ve heard people say they “need to help the poor” but have no idea beyond the soup kitchen or giving clothes to the local shelter on how to actually help the poor.  These are stopgap reactions to poverty and will only keep the poor fed and clothed.  It will never solve the problem of poverty.

Is it possible to stop poverty?  Are the poor that bad off in the first place?  After some time with people I would consider poor I have asked myself these questions.  These people are not starving to death nor are they running around naked because they have no clothes.  No, they are the economic orphans of the developing world.  They are the direct product of years of oppressive rulers and economic systems that have failed to bring equality to these citizens of the world.  They have become the victims of our success.  They make our high-end shoes and handbags.  They harvest the food we eat and manufacture most of the products we purchase at discount prices.  We all love a “deal” and want to save a buck.  Have we considered the cost of all of this?  The bottom line is the old principle that has unfortunately been given new approval and is the new business plan of many companies.  They make their money off the toil of the poor and impoverished.   I’m not talking about slavery that dates back to ancient times, but business trends currently operating in emerging countries.  Countries that are becoming economically stable.  The cost of this stability has a price tag on it and it hangs on the necks of the penniless.

These are the people who work and live under the weight of economic burden.  I’ve seen the faces of these people, spent time with them personally.  They carry this tonnage well.  They still smile and live life with dignity and honor.  I saw something recently that has opened my eyes to what I call “the passion of the poor”.  These people are passionate about life despite the resistance it imposes.  They have a resilience that keeps them coming back day after day to the same task, no matter how difficult that task might be.  Their faces are road maps of despair and travel guides for hardships.

I met an aged man at our clinic (he was my age, but seemed ten years older than me).  He had very few teeth, his skin was weather beaten and scared.  His wrinkles were canyons of suffering that have overflowed with tears from years of sorrow.  Yet he wanted to tell me how happy he was to meet me.  I had never met this man before he had somehow heard about our clinic work in Hue and wanted to come and meet us.  He was not visibly sick nor did he wish to be examined by a doctor or dentist.  His opinion of himself was that he was OK.  He only wanted to meet us.  He was extending a hand of friendship and not one of want.  He was dressed in what we would assess as rags.  He was all smiles, a toothless smile, from ear to ear.  This man had no burdens, no liabilities.  All he sought was friendship.  His needs were elementary, with no request other than to be seen and heard.  All he could say was thank you.  Few words were spoken but you heard him speak volumes of gratitude and appreciation.

This man had a quality of life that that was beyond what we would term the good life . The poor have a code they live up too.  They live with a dependence on each other.  They have developed a need for guidance.  Their understanding of dependence has spilled over into the simple faith they possess.  They have a strong sense of hope and belief in an after life.  The people I’ve meet have no difficulty listening to conversation about God.  I detected no bitterness or anger amongst our dialogs together.

I’ve watched the poor worship.  It is with an abandonment that is rare in our successful, lucrative culture.  They do not have a hope in the present, many have known no other way of life.  They are not looking for nirvana in this life.  Do they desire to stay in poverty? I do not think so.  Are they all thinking of ways to abandon the garments of their poverty?  I do not think so.  The needs of the poor are simple -food, water and friendship.  A place to work or a piece of land to cultivate, this is a full life for the poor.  Do I worry about the poor?  No.  I worry about us that will some day answer the question of how we regarded the poor.    Did we respect them? Did we make room for them to develop as a people group.  In the Bible when Jesus spoke of the poor He said, “we would always have them”.  That is why I think we will never solve the heritage of the poor.  I do think we can understand them and learn something of value from them. We must also make room for them to improve. 

Being poor of is not a character deficiency, but a condition.  We can treat the poor with dignity and courtesy.  They do not want our hand-me-downs nor do they want those things that did not work for us in the first place.  We can give them a fair chance to improve and begin the process of climbing out of the deficit of poverty.  We can learn a lot about real freedom from the impoverished.  The freedom to be free from what the Scriptures call “thirsting again”, that constant desire for something else, something new.  We can learn to live with a passion for what we have instead of what we want to have.