Laurie and I are getting excited as our expectancy grows, just counting down the days till we hope to have our foster-parent certification, followed by more waiting till we get the call that we have a foster child waiting for us.
Over the Thanksgiving break we did a little shopping and purchased a brand new crib/toddler bed for our expected little one.
Every couple weeks or so I get e-mails from folks that often go against many things I believe.
I’m not sure why they send them to me. Perhaps they think I agree with them, or perhaps they’re hoping to sway me to their side.
And while I hate seeing those messages in my inbox, for some reason, I always feel like I have to respond, I need to respond — at least once. I know it won’t sway their opinion but for some reason I can’t bring myself to simply deleting them and ignoring them.
This morning I received another one of those e-mails.
The e-mail was entitled “Why I carry a gun.” With a list of reasons for owning one mixed in with the following images attached:
Here’s my response to the e-mail. For regular readers of my blog, it may not be anything new. But what do you think? Do you respond to e-mail propaganda (from either side)? Do you simply hit delete?
I hope my responses never come across as accusatory or judgmental (I’m sure they may to those who view things differently). But what do you think?
It’s obvious we see this differently. But since you sent your thoughts, here are mine.
“I’m a pacifist because I’m a violent son of a bitch.†– Stanley Hauerwas
As a follower of Christ, I must embrace non-violence because I am, by nature, violent.
I am sinful so I must embrace virtue.
To be more specific…
I lust after women who are not my wife, so I must embrace monogamy.
I covet your cell phone and your neighborhood and your jeans, so I must embrace simplicity.
I lie to get a laugh or make my life easier, so I must embrace honesty.
I think I’m smarter than you, so I must embrace humility.
I need to be in control, so I must embrace submission.
I’m a loner, so I must embrace community.
I want to ruin your name, so I must embrace forgiveness.
I want to be served, so I must embrace service.
And I want to harm when I’m harmed, so I must embrace non-violence.
And here’s a semi-related story told by Dr. Tony Campolo:
During World War II, a group of Bulgarian Jews are rounded up at a train station to be taken off to Auschwitz. Yet,despite Bulgaria’s alliance with Germany in World War II, the leader of the Orthodox church in Bulgaria comes walking up to a train station in the middle of the night. The leader of the church is followed by 300 members of his church.
He walks to the fenced in area where the Jews are being kept and the guards tell him, “Father you’re not allowed in there.†He laughs and brushes their machine guns aside as he walks into the gated area. The Jews gathered around him, waiting to see what the Christian leader in Bulgaria would say in their moment of despair.
As they cried and begged for help the leader of the Bulgarian church quoted a simple verse from Ruth.
Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)
The Jews cheered. The Christians outside the fenced in area cheered. The noise became so loud that it woke up everyone in the community and they came to the train station and heard the news. Quickly the hundreds grew to thousands.
The Nazi soldiers suddenly realized there was no way they could overcome everyone there. There was no way they’d be able to get away with carting off the Jews to the concentration camps. The train left a short time later with none of the Jews on board and never returned again. And after that point, no Jews from Bulgaria were taken to a concentration camp of any sort.
“Because the Church of Jesus Christ boldly stood up and said we’re not going to kill the enemy, we’re going to identify with the suffering and suffer with them. This is Jesus’ way.â€
And finally,
With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” – Matthew 26:51-54
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
– Psalm 20:7
