Getting beat by the Lutherans
While many of our Annual Conferences will be taking up resolutions opposing the war in Iraq, the Lutherans are taking the opposite approach. They are sending their own troops!
Driving through Waco this afternoon, I noticed a Lutheran Church, the specific name of which will remain withheld, had posted on its marquee "Support our troops." They've sent their own troops?
Ok, to be fair, they didn't specify that they were sending troops to iraq, so it is presumptuous of me to imply that the Lutherans were raising a military. But I cannot imagine a Christian group encouraging support for one Caesar's armies over those of another Caesar, so we are left with two options.
Either
Either way, it seems that The United Methodist Church is being left in the dust.
Driving through Waco this afternoon, I noticed a Lutheran Church, the specific name of which will remain withheld, had posted on its marquee "Support our troops." They've sent their own troops?
Ok, to be fair, they didn't specify that they were sending troops to iraq, so it is presumptuous of me to imply that the Lutherans were raising a military. But I cannot imagine a Christian group encouraging support for one Caesar's armies over those of another Caesar, so we are left with two options.
Either
1) The Lutherans are raising an army to be deployed somewhere
OR
2) The Lutherans are using militaristic methaphors to describe their commitment to spreading the gospel.
Either way, it seems that The United Methodist Church is being left in the dust.
posted by Steve Heyduck at 2:50 PM
1 Comments:
I appreciate a Lutheran response, actually!
I hadn't thought of the "two swords" theory in a few years, and you have presented it well. I honestly didn't doubt the perspective that put that sign up; I have no doubt there are plenty of UMCs that have the same or similar signage.
I even understand that Christians ALL have to, from time to time, choose one Caesar over others. By putting it in terms of Caesar, though, I hope to remind us that even the wonderful US Government is, in fact, Caesar.
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