Some in the Twitter world might think that pastors get in the pulpit and just babble things off the top of their heads to sound impressive. Maybe that’s how they interpreted a pastor they heard once. They might assume from some Christians, or some politicians, that Jesus was a pacifist, and all we need is to love our enemy.
War is one of those events where we Christians should make our voices heard. Whether the war is a righteous war against an evil dictator or a local fight between parties who constantly bicker… we are called to seek justice & defend the oppressed. Also, Jesus never scolded the Centurian for being in the Roman army, he actually praised him for his faith to heal his servant.
I interpret the 6th Commandment to mean we should not conspire to kill anyone. We don’t kill another out of jealousy for their spouse, their money or position. I don’t believe for one moment God is saying we should never defend our home, family or own life. God understands the need for a police force, an army. We can justify being vigilant and having arms ready, in case we are attacked. And, we don’t attack another country’s civilians, but their combatants.
Recently I listened to a couple pastors on TV share about the Ukraine War. I was frankly a bit skeptical if they would really have a grasp of the big picture over there. I have a love of history, & have been reading various war accounts every day from people who are in Ukraine, or who are Russia/Ukraine watchers. Anyway, I was really pleased with their grasp of the players on the other side of the world.
I was grateful these pastors spoke very frankly about the events going on, and didn’t feel like they needed to be politically correct. They were quite aware of how Pres. Putin runs Russia, and that he’s been sustained thru a web of threats and deceptions. I mean, why pretend this isn’t so. I was glad they were up-to-date about Putin’s overarching purpose in Ukraine, that he entered Ukraine to “de-nazify” the population.
It was refreshing to watch leaders in the church sitting across from one another sharing the raw truth about the evils of government under a dictator. It was like being in a 45 minute college class. I didn’t know that many people were aware that Putin was surrounded by and fed by a web of Generals and oligarchs. Living far from Europe, we in Cali aren’t privy to how the oligarch families live and vacation in the Riviera and flaunt their wealth in many EU countries as if they were royalty. .
These pastors furthermore had heard about Putin’s threat of being on “nuclear stand-by” few weeks ago! Some in modern media are blind about anything outside their own world, but these guys understood the imminent threat to European nations, or anyone on Russia’s borders if there was even a low grade nuke. I appreciated they had the guts to say that the real/veiled threat of nuclear annihilation from Putin was a statement by a mad, deranged individual.
I was glad the issue of economic sanctions against Russians was brought up as a needed response from the West, even tho it would hurt their own gas budget. They also instinctively understood, as have others, Putin’s remarks could lead to some threat on his life, be it assassination, coup or even suicide. Putin has not gone the suicide route yet.
I’m glad the pastors didn’t mince words but immediately saw the significance of Jews in the Ukraine War, and connected the ironic fact that Putin was trying to “purify Ukraine from Nazis” while the UKR President was Jewish! Putin relies heavily on several Jewish oligarchs, he doesn’t appear to be anti-semetic, but he clearly doesn’t like Pres. Zelenskyy, but perceives him as a threat. One previous Ukrainian President was bribed by Putin in 2014 and finally had to flee to Russia.
Try to hang out with enough people who read good resources on the events in Ukraine… it will bring you some clarity and hope!
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