A Sola the Reformers Missed - "Sola Ecclesia"

And he put all things under his feet and appointed him head over all things through the agency of the ἐκκλησίᾳ (church), which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:22-23

I'll begin with a bold assertion:

"Sola Ecclesia" - The assembly of Jesus' people (i.e., the church) is the only legitimate form of human government in existence since the day Jesus ascended to his throne... and it is vastly different from the kingdoms of this world. If that shocks you—or even if you just "don't get it"—you may want to read the article below.

Hoping to persuade you that the reformers missed an important Sola, I'll start with a parable:

Have you ever watched a 3D movie?

As you walk into the theater, an usher hands you a pair of glasses with lenses polarized at different angles. Your left eye sees one image and your right eye another, bringing the movie to life in glorious full color, blowing you away with dramatic real-world depth and dimension.

Imagine now, if you will, that you're a famous movie critic. A rival studio knows you're coming to the theater. To ensure a bad review, they've bribed an usher to watch for your arrival. As you walk in, he hands you a different kind of glasses. They look like the ones everyone else has, but the left lens is blue and the right lens is red.

When the movie starts, instead of a blockbuster in glorious color and realistic depth, you see a flat and rather blurry distortion. Scenes that should leap out at you confuse you instead. Rather than merging, images are split, and you see two different things. At times, the rose-colored optimism of the red lens colors the story, while the mood at other times is falsely darkened by the blue.

We've been reading the bible through the wrong lenses.

In the parable above, the theater is our life. The blockbuster is the bible. Satan operates the rival studio, and the usher is a university-funded bible translation committee. Our understanding of scripture has been distorted by the lenses of several wrong turns in history and theological tradition.

Though they corrected a great deal, the Reformers missed this Sola. They were still seeing scripture through distorting lenses fitted when Constantine "legalized" Christianity. As a result of that sea change, the church got into bed with the kingdoms of Satan, resulting in an adulterous alignment of the church's interests with those of the human state.

My goal today is to give you a better fitting and functioning pair of lenses through which to read the bible. But first, a disclaimer.

What "Sola Ecclesia" is not...

Previous versions of "Sola Ecclesia" are not what I'm championing. Mine is not the "Sola Ecclesia" of the Catholic church. Nor that of Reformation Magazine. Nor that of the OPC. Nor any other "Sola Ecclesia" I'm aware of, or have so far located by searching, though I welcome any references you may offer for my ongoing study.

And I'm not asking you to embrace "Sola Ecclesia"—yet...

...but if you claim an "open mind," or aspire to life-long learning, then you needs must investigate new perspectives, right?

What I am asking is that you make a sincere effort to understand "Sola Ecclesia" and keep this alternate pair of lenses—a different prescription—on hand. As you read the scriptures daily, pick up these "Sola Ecclesia" spectacles from time to time and ask yourself, "How would I understand this passage differently IF this prescription turns out to be better than my old one?"

At this point, you're probably thinking...

"So, give me the lenses, already..."

I already have. The proper lens to view scripture through is the assertion in the preface to this article:

"Sola Ecclesia" - The assembly of Jesus' people (i.e., the church) is the only legitimate form of human government in existence since the day Jesus ascended to his throne.

However, for clarity, I'll restate and expand on that statement in several different ways, beginning with this article, and (God willing) I'll dive deeper in some articles to come.

The assembly (Greek: ἐκκλησίᾳ)—known to you all your life as "the church"—is the only governance structure authorized by Jesus/God at the present time. What most of us have previously thought of as "civil government" is in all truth Satan's kingdom in action. God intends that his assemblies supplant and displace satanic rule, not participate in or attempt to reform it (Luke 22:24-30).

What does this mean for our bible reading?

When in the New Testament you read of rulers, officials, governors, etc., you've been conditioned to assume certain passages are about 'civil government.' However, you may actually be reading about the Assembly of Jesus and his followers, i.e. about the church and its members and officials (e.g. Titus 2:11-3:7).

ONLY—if the context makes it unequivocally clear—should you conclude that an earthly government is being spoken of. And, in some of those cases, you'll find it's quite clear that the rulers are demonic powers (e.g. Ephesians 6:10-13, 1 Corinthians 2:8).

Earthly governments are, of course, in view in historical narratives that explicitly mention, for example, Roman military personnel, named tyrants, or synagogue rulers (e.g. Matthew 27:1-2). Otherwise, please (especially when reading the letters written to the saints by Paul, Peter, James, and Jude, and when reading Hebrews) try to start with the assumption that the governance being discussed or described is that of the assembly (church) itself. See how that change of perspective would change your understanding of the passage.

"But isn't this blatant eisegesis?"

No more than what you're already doing. Be honest with yourself; you're already bringing a systematic theology to your reading of scripture. Besides, your entire life history as a believer, all your social and political experience, has preconditioned you to interpret the bible in a certain way. If nothing else, trying to see scripture through a different lens may help you toward the general goal of better understanding other viewpoints. And, why worry? You're only doing this on a trial basis, right?

So, remove your "standard-issue" spectacles,

at least for a while. Admit they may be causing you to see things that aren't there. Switch glasses momentarily and open your mind just enough to understand this possible alternative.

Stop (for a change) viewing the world as dichotomized into "church" and "state," "heavenly kingdom" and "earthly kingdom," "sacred" and "secular." For just a little while, especially stop thinking in reformed/Calvinist terms of "church government" versus "civil government." Consider the possibility that these constructs may (at least since Calvin’s 16th Century writings) be mere assumptions and traditions.

Equally mind-sapping false dichotomies are those of left versus right, donkey versus elephant, commie versus (your choice) democracy or republic, etc. This kind of thinking serves only to distract you from the real dichotomy, the one magnificently and clearly expressed in Psalm 2. These petty quarrels are the result of Satan whispering in your ear, "Look, over here!... Pay no attention to that truth behind the curtain."

Try on a pair of "Sola Ecclesia" glasses.

With the right pair of glasses, you can relegate all human governance as we've known it to its proper place. You can begin to see all territorial states as endless variations on the satanically controlled kingdoms of this world age. While some "forms of government" (e.g. democracies, monarchies, republics) may be better or worse than others, they are all corrupt and irremediable enemies of truth and righteousness.

Instead, as you read the New Testament, think in terms of God's Kingdom versus Satan's kingdom. Consider the unbridgeable gap between these two kingdoms. Consider leaving Satan and all his minions—human or otherwise—to their own devices. Stop participating in politics and instead focus on creating and building up Godly governance systems as Jesus' beloved people, guided by the Word of God. We can show the world "how it's done," and in the process attract lost humanity to a new and better way of life.

For me, this perspective change has made all the difference.

My global, holographic view of scripture and life has become more sensibly consistent than ever. I'm ready to help create and participate new and Godly governance groups (i.e. the assemblies formerly known as 'churches') that dynamically advance the Kingdom of God in this world. How about you?

Can you begin to see it?

We'll explore more of the meaning of "Sola Ecclesia" in upcoming articles, God willing. How this viewpoint better harmonizes all of scripture, and what it might mean—practically speaking—in our churches and in our day-to-day lives.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Duncan has been haunting libraries since the age of two, and is a habitual science
fiction reader. His innate drive to know what makes things tick has driven him to
dismantle and decipher both technological artifacts and systematic theologies.

A Jack of all trades, Duncan has been a carpenter, technical writer, engineer, and political pundit, though he has since abandoned politics for pure crypto-thearchy. His current passion is reading through the New Testament in Greek and attempting to persuade fellow Christians of the incredibly Good News that the Kingdom of God can be a here and now reality if only we would begin to realize and live for it.

To discuss the Kingdom of Heaven with Duncan, you can reach him on his blog or by email at creator@sidefire.com.

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A Message to Warriors

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility; but when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger; stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, disguise fair nature with hard-favor'd rage

Henry V, Shakespeare

No one has to teach us to defend our families. We are born with an instinct that seems to be an unstoppable force! Nothing is more dangerous than a parent whose young are in danger.

It is also natural to preserve and defend the things that we have worked hard to build or acquire. The warrior holds a highly regarded place in society because they stand between the enemy and everything that we love and value. They are ready to sacrifice themselves to protect the lives and property of their tribe or nation-state.

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:11

As part of the family of God, committed to living by the principles of the Gospel of Christ and by the law of the Kingdom of God, there is work for us warriors to do!

We are the line of defense that keeps our family safe from the enemy. Our family includes our spouses and children, and also a New Nation made up of every tribe, nation, language, and race all over the world. 

There is no longer division between races, genders, social classes- we are brothers and sisters with one Father in common, who loves everyone more than we love our own children!

In order to create this Family and to reconcile each one of us to Himself, Our Father has gone to great lengths to rescue us, to forgive us, to liberate us from our bondage to sin and death and hell and the curse.

His desire is to accomplish this purpose for all people -- to reconcile all things and all people to Himself. He is not willing that anyone should be destroyed, but that all should come to repentance.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Ephesians 1

The mystery of His will, His purpose, and His plan for the fullness of time is to unite ALL things in heaven and on earth, thereby healing everything and everyone. We understand that Jesus' incarnation, death, and resurrection were the ways in which God brought his plan into reality.

His plan to create a new family, a new nation, a new kingdom, and a redeemed people who belong to him was initiated through Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love that is in Christ Jesus. Not even death.

In his resurrection, we can see the Reality of our own New Life.

If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

We are invited to join our Lord and Master in bringing His purpose to full fruition. We are invited to cooperate with His Spirit in bringing His family together- in uniting all things under His Lordship. Through our words and actions, other people should be able to clearly see that they are loved and that they are welcome.

Why is there so much division? Turmoil? Destruction? Falsehood? Suffering? If a loving and all-powerful Creator wants Unity and Harmony, Fellowship and Peace, why do we not see that Reality in our world? 

The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God". 

2 Corinthians 4:4

Hatred is the product of our enemy. 

Our enemy does not want humans to see the Truth revealed through Christ, that God loves them and has done everything he can to bring them into his family. 

Satan uses all the power at his disposal to keep people in delusion, believing falsehoods and maintaining division. If we are weak in our faith and do not maintain our spiritual armor, he will do the same to us. We will stop seeing the glory of God and his plan of redemption and start seeing other humans as our enemy.

Condemnation and hatred are products of our enemy. Another name for Satan is "the accuser." When we think of our enemies, opponents, or people different from us as being beneath us, deserving of damnation and punishment, or beyond hope, we place them in a category that Jesus does not place anyone in, even though he has every right to. 

We do not have the right to judge.

The standard of measurement we use against others is the standard that will be used against us. What we plant is what we harvest. That is why we pray, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." When we condemn others we serve the deceiver, the father of lies.

Jesus (the embodiment of the Revelation of God as Love) tells us, "I did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through me might be saved." He knew that the world was in deep trouble. He knew how deceived humanity had become, and His GOAL was, and is, to liberate humanity from bondage and curse.

Our goal is the same as his, our message the same, our passion the same, so our actions should be the same too, we should strive to be like Him. Yet, we are not capable of this without being empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The only way humans have ever handled a threat to survival is to be an even bigger threat. At this point, we could annihilate every living thing with the technology at our disposal, and the ever-escalating competition for who can be the biggest military and economic threat in order to maintain "peace and safety".

By contrast, consider the most powerful being in the universe becoming human, taking on the form of a servant, obedient even unto death by crucifixion. No one took his life from him, he laid it down of his own volition. One of his last words was to forgive the ones who brutally murdered him.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:16

How should we prepare?

In the face of hardship, suffering, famine, economic depressions, and civil unrest amid vast political corruption, according to our master, we should be prepared to invite our oppressors to a massive barbeque, with all the fixins’.

If we are abused, forgive and bless, do not curse and take revenge, or treat those who want to kill us and take all our liberty as if they are not the beloved children of God…because they are!

If you are experiencing fear in regards to a perceived dangerous group, (be they racists, communists, fascists, or even terrorists) please know that it is a result of careful programming. I refer to this as a program for a reason. There are people who work, very successfully I might add, to keep everyone afraid of each other. 

The "us versus them" mentality has pushed us to the brink of disaster. We must be reprogrammed by the Holy Spirit, brainwashed (if you will) with the agenda of God's Kingdom, saturating ourselves in the Good News of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Reprogramming

All authority on Earth and in Heaven has been given to me.

Matthew 28:18

Please consider turning off all forms of media and entertainment and dedicating yourselves to prayer and fasting. The result might save our nation from destruction but more importantly, the people of God will have their hearts aligned with His and begin again to look, sound, think, and feel more like Christ.

Jesus wants to be king not only of our soul but of our bodies, of our minds, our families, and our neighborhoods.

If you are stockpiling weapons and ammunition in order to defend your property, food, or cash from marauders, you are preparing to disobey our true King, Jesus Christ. Murder begins in one’s heart.

If you are reading this as a warrior who has already taken human life, or done grave harm to an enemy on the battlefield, and your heart is hurting because of it, I have it on the word of the King that you can be forgiven. You can be healed and you can be made new. 

If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There is no transgression so horrible that our loving Father will not forgive.

If you have never heard of the Way of the Spiritual Warrior, the Eternal Rule of Jehovah, or the commandment to surrender our lives to the One who judges rightly and it sounds like something you want to be a part of, pray this prayer out loud often:

I want to know Christ

and the power of his resurrection,

the fellowship of sharing in his suffering,

becoming like him in his death,

so somehow to attain to the resurrection of the dead

Hold the line

The King is soon returning to set the world right, to unify Heaven and Earth under one rule. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. We will be like Him when we see Him as He is.

Do not fall into deception or give yourself to any dark falsehoods. Let us not engage in ill-fated and misguided attempts to solve the brokenness in the world by force, the power of humans, but through

Christ’s love. Set the captives free, bind up the wounds of the hurting, bring them into Our Family. We will never die, so do not fear those who kill the body, remember they cannot kill the soul.

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus Christ, Matthew 5

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About the Author

Jonathan Cannone studied Constitutional Law and History before hitch-hiking around the American Southeast a while.

He settled down in the Allegheny Mountains, to the West of the Shenandoah Valley, where he is a husband, father of four, homesteader, and carpenter.

Fit To Be King

This morning I was reading Deuteronomy 17 and by the time I finished the chapter I realized Paul’s words to Timothy in 3: 10-17 had come true for me again. Paul explains to Timothy how Scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. After multiple seminary degrees and six years in the pastorate, I still fall far short of the glory of God and stand corrected again by the Word of God. 

I have avoided voting for many years now because of 1 Sam 8 where Israel demands a king because Samuel’s sons are corrupt and Israel is weak, disorganized, and unified in their disbelief and non-reliance upon God. God tells Samuel not to be disheartened because it is not Samuel Israel is rejecting, but God himself.

To make it more clear, the conditions within Israel were a direct reflection of their lack of faith in God. This can be read much more explicitly in Deuteronomy 28 where Moses outlines the blessings and the curses for obedience and disobedience. I wish this chapter was stuck to every refrigerator in the world.

Israel demanded a king in 1 Sam 8 that would be like the surrounding kings; a king who would raise armies, provide central and consolidated leadership, and judge Israel. God’s response to this is to describe the kind of king they wanted.

This kind of king would take their sons for his army and put them to work for him. They would not be free.

The harvest? It is for the king.

The ore and wood gathered every year? Those would be for the king and his instruments of war.

Private property? That would become the king’s property, which he will give to his favored men.

The king would take his own tax, which would be separate from the Lord’s tithe, as the men, women, and servants become laborers and servants of the king and his ruling class.

The description of the king Israel demanded is terrible. Reading these words drove me from voting years ago because the words of God, for the unfit king, describe every ruler in the world today.

Why would any Christian throw their support behind men and women who clamor to do all the things God says kings should not do?

The rulers of today clamor to build armies and send them abroad. They claim the first fruits of everyone’s labor and have laid claim to all possessions, making the residents of each nation-state serfs who work for the political class on large plantations.

The modern king’s demand far more than 10%. The modern kings demand 50% and more for their coffers when you add up the mass of taxes being levied and it continues to be increased every year.

This is why I stopped voting. There were no viable Godly kings I could support. This is still the case, so I will continue not voting, however, this does not mean we should not have a king, which brings us back to Deuteronomy 17: 14-20. Here we find the qualifications of a Godly king with authority to lead.

In a literal and spiritual sense, this King is Jesus. Jesus is the only man fit to be king over all men and He sits on His throne right now and leads for all who believe in Him.

But, is there a “normal” kind of person fit to be king? How would we pick them if there was?

This is a decision that takes extreme caution and awareness, it cannot be decided based on who can generate the most financial support, win pseudo-debates, or make the grandest promises to the widest swath of people. 

The Godly king of Deuteronomy 17 is chosen by God. So we must spend time in prayer seeking God’s will to identify this man.

1. Israel had to select an Israelite for king; they could not select a foreigner to rule them.

2. This king could not multiply his forces, his wealth, or take multiple wives for himself.

3. This king must be a one-woman man without desires for empire, concubines, or wealth gathering.

4. There is one other necessary component for this king. When he takes the throne he must handwrite the Pentateuch and spend time every day committed to its study and the application of God’s law.

This is the kind of man I could support.

Frankly, I do not think it is possible in the modern welfare/warfare State to select a Godly king. I think good leader selection is impossible in the modern nation-state.

Our cultures are no longer uniform. We have become a hodgepodge of people with different thoughts and different beliefs and different desires. How can disorganized people seek the will of God when they do not have the same beliefs and cannot even communicate these beliefs due to political and religious hatreds? It simply cannot happen.

In the current circumstances, only the worst selections can rise to the top and this has been proven with every election cycle. Only the worst win.

The options for leadership today are shrewd, empire-seeking, and wealth-gathering people who cannot be trusted. They lie with every breath, seek empire and power, and want to use their power to stand on the necks of their enemies while enriching their friends.

The politician is not a Godly king and they are unfit to rule. Christians should not support them because we should know better! The single issue we have for unity in elections is Scripture and God’s description of what it takes to be King. There is only one man fit for this crown. I vote for Jesus and will accept no other.

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About the Author

Ian Minielly is a full-time vocational pastor. He considers himself an “oddball” in ministry for his peaceful understanding of the Kingdom of God and how limited of a role Christians should have with the State.

Regarding how he came to this stance, he says:

God spared me and showed great mercy in opening my eyes to love, and against war and the State. To see the great work God did in me, previously I spent more than seven years as an intelligence analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency, focused on Counter-Proliferation of WMD material and systems.

Prior to that, I spent more than nine years in the infantry and Special Forces (I was a Green Beret). Once I became a believer, I found the biblical expectations of God were in opposition to my profession in the military and my nationalism. God slowly peeled this understanding back and I left the army and nationalism.

Ian has published three books, Emily's Tears, Revoked Consent, and The Genetic God, which are available on Amazon.

He also has a YouTube channel if you would like to see him in action!

More from Ian:

Podcasts:

The Dream of the City to Come: Do you not trust God?

Image from Great Bible Stories for Children (Regency Publishing House 1974)

When I was a toddler, my parents read me bedtime stories from a vividly illustrated Bible storybook called Great Bible Stories for Children (Regency Publishing House 1974). For some reason, my favorite, most requested Bible story was the one I referred to as "Bad Dream"— a nightmare of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon recorded in the book of Daniel, chapter 2.

Daniel delivers the interpretation of the dream to the king: 

In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock-cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold to pieces.

The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.

Even though Daniel is a captive slave and his life is in jeopardy every time he talks to the ruler of the known world, he speaks from the perspective of a man who is in constant contact with Yahweh, the God of his youth and home culture. Daniel was able to spread the message of his God to the most powerful man on earth, and the message was this: human empires will come and go built on force and violence, coercion and oppression, but the Kingdom of Peace that God creates will destroy all the empires that came before it, and once it is established, it will last forever.

There are a few passages that are repeatedly used in defense of tyranny and oppression, and blaming God for it, but if one looks at the overarching narrative of scripture we see a distinct anti-empire message throughout.

The prophets of Israel spoke of a future liberator that God would send to free humanity from all forms of oppression, both spiritual and material. The Messiah, or Christ, was a promise the Hebrews took literally and awaited with fervent expectation the initiator of a new world order of peace. Isaiah writes of Christ:

"There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea."

Isaiah 11:1-9

When Mary is told that she has been chosen to give birth to the Messiah, she is so excited she praises God for the liberation that she is being allowed to participate in. She prays:

My soul magnifies the Lord

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;

Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;

For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;

Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is His name;

And His mercy is from generation to generation

on those who fear Him.

He has shown might with His arm,

He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

and has exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich He has sent away empty.

He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy

Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

Luke 1:46-55

The hope that she placed in the God of her forefathers called for the end of oppression and tyranny on planet earth—a freedom that includes liberation from sin, death, hell, satan, and the empires of humankind. She read the prophets as a little girl and made their visions one with her mind and heart. Maybe this love for the promise of liberation and the Messiah is the reason God chose her to be Christ's mother?

Morgan Weistling - Kissing the Face of God

When Jesus was 30 years old, he spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting on water. At the end of it, the Devil appears to him in an attempt to recruit Jesus to Satan's side in rebellion against Jehovah. Satan takes Jesus to a high place where he can see all the kingdoms of the world and makes this offer: "All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." (Mark 4:9-10)

Satan's ability to offer all the riches and power in the world could only mean one thing: that they belonged to him. In other places in scripture, Satan is referred to as "the God of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), and that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). The knowledge of who Satan is makes the promise of a savior all the more appealing; if we are all born as serfs to an evil lord who wants to see us suffer and lies to us constantly, filling his domain with pain and violence, destruction, and rot, chaos, and confusion, who wouldn't want to be liberated? Jesus knew that he had come to bring the Good News of the Eternal Kingdom to the suffering, slavery, and misery of earthly kingdoms. He knew the Kingdom of God would one day have dominion over the whole Earth and all her people not by the idolatry of political power or devil-worship, but through the spirit of the Gospel.

When he was on trial to be crucified, Jesus told the Roman Governor of Jerusalem: "You say rightly that I am a King. For this reason I came into the world.... My Kingdom is not of this World. If it were, my servants would fight". To a Roman soldier/politician, getting crucified was the furthest thing from victory. Jesus saw the bigger picture- a spiritual reality that could not be defeated by death, nor could it be brought to reality through violent political and military force.

The Apostles state throughout their writings that God has exalted Jesus Christ above everyone and everything, giving him the title of "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" so that every living thing will recognize it and declare it. In Ephesians 1, Hebrews 2, and 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says that God has subjected everything under Christ's feet. in the Corinthians passage he points to the time prophesied by Daniel and Isaiah and others;

"Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.”

For those of you who still think of God as "Sovereign," by which you mean everything is his fault, and for those of you who are angry at God for the pain and injustice in the world, I'm not sure you're paying attention to the power of the Gospel. All of our wars and illnesses, slavery and addiction, and even death itself are due to the rebellion of Satan against God's plan. His deception campaign to bring humanity down with him will continue until destruction of all life on earth is a real possibility, then God will intervene and put a stop to it. In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul describes that point of intervention: 

"And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming". 

Human beings and their political leaders will choose deception, destruction, and death instead of peace and life, but God works patiently to save them, redeem them, free them, so that he might reconcile them to Himself and restore humanity, and all creation, to what He intended us to be.

People of every tribe and nation, speaking every language, will worship the One True God together. The current situation where other races and nations and languages are to be hated, feared, fought, and subjugated will not exist. This is a result of man's rebellion against God's plan-- a rejection of Christ's Kingdom.

From "A Bad Case of Stripes" by David Shannon. Sholastic Inc.

If we identify ourselves by nation-state or race or political party, pledging our allegiance to a nation and its flag, holding its military in worshipful regard, etc., we are telling Jesus that His Kingdom of Peace is not what we want. We do not want to be his family, the sheep of his pasture, his loyal servants. Instead, the message He receives is that we want war and oppression and for our little tribe to be top of the heap.

Nowhere does Jesus say: "I will establish a nation that will exceed all the other nations, they will be my people and I will make them powerful. They will crush all their enemies and get all the riches and I will bless them because they are the superior form of government". What He does say is he will destroy ALL human government and establish his own. If that is not exciting to you, do you know my Lord? If your god is the god of political empires, who is your god? Which side are you on?

"Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" Hebrews 13:14

The United States of East Germany

How is the United States like East Germany?

We have to go back to about 1984 to the time I first learned there was an East Germany and a West Germany. This was also the year Epix released the video game “1984” for the Commodore 64, which my best friend had a copy of. The game was epic to my eleven-year-old self.  You could compete across a number of Summer Olympic events as different countries, and this is when I noticed there were two Germanys (and probably two Koreas, but I do not recall noticing them).

I later learned East Germany was “Communist”! Back in the 1980s, there was nothing worse than being a Communist...or so I thought at the time. What were some of the things that made Communists so bad? East Germany kept its people in and kept others out with a concrete wall lined with concertinaed wire, much like that found on our Southern border with Mexico. I also learned they had “secret police” and a nation of informants who would “swat” their neighbor’s in a heartbeat, especially in exchange for freedom from a charge levied against themselves. I learned they tapped all the forms of communication people used and they watched their citizens 24 hours a day/365 days a year, lest anyone exhibit anti-German rhetoric or beliefs, like our NSA and Facebook Machine overlords are doing. Does this sound familiar to what our FBI, ATF, and local police forces do? 

While I cannot say for certain, I believe this is when I began to loathe communism and its concepts. I can say for certain that the more I learned about what is necessary to maintain a government in any form, the less I wanted to experience any form of government control. Unfortunately, my disdain, and probably yours as well, for the government's increasing control over our lives has not stopped every single facet of East German rule from being implemented in the United States during our lifetime. Every single one of them! Go ahead, look at the prior paragraph again, because each of those East German programs is in full effect in the United States and to an even greater degree because of our accessibility to more effective and advanced technology. 

To make us good little East Germans, and prevent us from being Bad Romans, the United States implemented a vast empire of schools to indoctrinate its residents and misinform our understanding of history. Freedom, to any real extent, is not allowed in the United States, instead only compliance with the State is authorized. Take for example the fact that most of our possessions must be licensed, taxed, registered, and paid for through fees. If you have to ask for permission to have it and pay a fee - it is not free.

To achieve these results, vast sums of money are spent to seize and control the minds of almost all residents. The combined expenditures for this empire fall around $720 billion/year, which works out to around $15,000 per student. With the exception of those who can afford private education or to do homeschooling, the majority of Americans spent 12 years inside the halls of those indoctrination camps, complete with a daily pledge of allegiance. This is how the United States makes sure Americans learn exactly what the State needs them to be in order to keep the empire going. Certainly, there must be a bulwark in the Church against this kind of thinking, right?

I wish the goals of the church were different than those of the State (as they should be). Unfortunately, I know most of my fellow “saints” like to pretend the United States is a Christian nation; one founded on Christian values, and with a Christian manifest destiny. I know my fellow saints have drunk the sugary drinks and swallowed the lies necessary to believe this. Look at the church on any holiday and you can see right through the reverence on display. Look at the dais, look at the flags on display, and you will understand who many churches have chosen to place first.

Fallen Heroes

Let us be serious about this for a moment. It makes Americans feel good to think about apple pie, pacifying the land, and spreading from “sea to shining sea” on-premises of Christian values. I mean, who does not like hotdogs, baseball, fireworks, and “freedom”? We mistakenly allow ourselves to believe this has all been done in the name of God, crafted under the guise of Jesus, to obfuscate the actions that have enabled the United States to exist through violence and terror. 

Unfortunately, my fellow saints are just as guilty of thinking the United States eradicated slavery, saved the world from Nazi Germany, the Emperor’s Japan, and communist Russia all without realizing every sin of our “enemies” is on full display and practice here. I know my fellow saints like to think they defeated slavery, the ”Savage Indian”, and the USSR through peace, trade, the Church (not to mention our large nuclear arsenal), but it just is not true. It has been violence, coercion, and endless threats of more violence disguised as diplomacy that got us here. We must ask, would this be sanctioned by God? Not in the least bit - if He were ever consulted.

Saints should not be so foolish. The United States committed genocide on the original inhabitants of North America. European settlers did not discover anything; they invaded a foreign territory and used every means possible to take it from its rightful inhabitants, which was then justified through biblical interpretive malfeasance. An outright war against the “Indian” was always on the table when they could not be suckered. The shooting and killing of Indian tribes pushed them further and further West until there was nowhere left to push them. The United States wanted those lands for white settlers who could use the land “properly” and be taxed for it—end of the story. The few survivors of this state-sanctioned genocide on Native Americans were housed on reservations in desolate areas the government did not see itself needing, as far away from “civilized” folks as possible.

The atrocities against the original residents of North America began in full force in the early 1600s and did not end until the early 1900s. Yes, only 100 years ago! And, it only gets worse from there. Borrowing from Wikipedia we read this:

During the early 19th century, the federal government was under pressure by settlers in many regions to expel Indians from their areas. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 offered Indians the choices of assimilating and giving up tribal membership, relocation to an Indian reservation with an exchange or payment for lands, or moving west.

This was a policy of genocide for an entire people group. We wanted to end their way of life and eradicate them from history. This, arguably, is worse than East Germany (but, shhh, don’t dare mention that in schools)!

Do you know who was president during most of the Indian genocide? The same men that are now revered as heroes of the State even have their faces carved into mountains on sacred lands(looking at you Mt. Rushmore). So, let us just look at a handful of these heroes who have schools and streets named after them in every town and county across North America:

1. Thomas Jefferson

   • Tommy boy led a multi-pronged policy against the “savages” of North America. He wanted to move them West because he wanted their land for settlers, but he wanted them to remain peaceful and not allied with the British. For the Native people who survived relocation, Jefferson wanted them to be civilized and incorporated into the European model of a citizen through assimilation. Jefferson was so successful in turning the Native Americans into the dead, the absent, or the near-white, that a number of tribes built “regular” towns and even began owning slaves like their white schooler’s taught them. Those who would not bend the knee to Jefferson would die in the War of 1812. American politicians and their supporters have always been comprised of violent men carrying a giant boom stick. 

2. Abraham Lincoln 

   • “Honest” Abe was a great murderer loved and known by almost all. Lincoln cashed in on the killing of Indians and taking of their lands, in fact this how he accumulated political connections. As a member of the Illinois House, Lincoln took up arms against Indians in the Blackhawk Wars,  though history says he never killed anyone during the brief conflict, it was his new resume bullet, Captain in the militia, fighting to protect the lands of Illinois from the Indian owners, that propelled him forward to the presidency. Once president, Lincoln would prosecute a genocide against the South and the Indians out west. Yet he is held up as a hero today.

I will not continue describing the rampant abuses perpetrated against the native inhabitants of North America, but every single president during that period is guilty of their deaths. In their time, each of these men claimed Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Jesus would never sanction their actions, but this has not stopped the Department of Education from claiming otherwise. The schoolers’ couch expansionist imperialism in the most colorful manner. It is always the other guy and his nation that are compromised by hateful warmongers. The US is always on the right side of history and there to help the oppressed; it says so in the schoolers’ history books!

After this brief history lesson, how does this make the United States a modern East Germany? Our universities are beginning to make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for attendance, and, while only a few have done this so far, it is likely to spread, much like a virus, to all of them. This is a totalitarian requirement pushed by the schoolers’ of the State to not allow their professors, or students, back on to campus without proof of vaccination. We have already seen members of the State promoting injections to attend concerts and sporting events—the natural expressions of East German totalitarianism, right here in the good ol’ USofA.

However, it is not just public institutions or policies that amplify our descent into totalitarianism. How many of our churches spent Sunday, July 4th this year honoring the flag for the Fourth of July and singing nationalistic hymns at the same time? This is a common practice across churches in the United States, on any state-sanctioned holiday, many of our churches practice State worship over the King of all kings. 

Our American Saints have embraced a polluted form of Ameranity. They combine their love of the State with their love of Jesus, failing to see that this is foreign to the Jesus of the Bible they aim to worship. This entanglement with the way of the State and the way of Christ only supports and ushers in an East German-style totalitarianism. Americanity fully supported slavery and the Wars against Native Americans. Americanity supported the genocide in the Philippines and against the Vietnamese. Americanity inserted itself into European wars when it did not have to. Americanity supports everything the State wants, no matter what the Bible says or Jesus would do. The United States is anything but a Christian nation. The United States is everything Jesus rejected on the cross and everything East Germany stood for.

Being a faithful Christian (a Bad Roman) is only going to become more difficult as the United States moves forward, but it has always been harder to live as a citizen of heaven. The mistake is when we believe we are able to remain faithful citizens to a finite man-made State while also living out the Gospel. So I ask you this, are you ready to be a bad East Germans? Will you join me and follow no king, but Christ?

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About the Author

Ian Minielly is a full-time vocational pastor. He considers himself an “oddball” in ministry for his peaceful understanding of the Kingdom of God and how limited of a role Christians should have with the State.

Regarding how he came to this stance, he says:

God spared me and showed great mercy in opening my eyes to love, and against war and the State. To see the great work God did in me, previously I spent more than seven years as an intelligence analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency, focused on Counter-Proliferation of WMD material and systems.

Prior to that, I spent more than nine years in the infantry and Special Forces (I was a Green Beret). Once I became a believer, I found the biblical expectations of God were in opposition to my profession in the military and my nationalism. God slowly peeled this understanding back and I left the army and nationalism.

Ian has published three books, Emily's Tears, Revoked Consent, and The Genetic God, which are available on Amazon.

He also has a YouTube channel if you would like to see him in action!

MORE FROM IAN:

Christians Without Borders

I grew up in churches. My father was in the military, a servant of the United States Empire, which required my family to move pretty frequently. Wherever we ended up, my Mom made sure to find a local church for us to attend on Sundays. 

Most of the time, these churches were Baptist or Southern Baptist—all of the time, these churches subtly mixed worship of the American Empire into their services. The church where I accepted Jesus as my savior had a roof painted like a giant American flag. Cringey, right? 

During my childhood and young adult years, I was taught in church that the Empire was good. The Empire's actions were valid and righteous. We must protect the Empire and confront and defeat her enemies.I believed these ideas to be true. I also believed the Empire's borders were under attack, with evil people constantly wanting to infiltrate and compromise the Empire's sovereignty. Secure borders keep us safe...or so I was told. 

As time progressed, I realized that many of the 'truths' I was taught when I was young were, in fact, propaganda. Chief among these are the myths surrounding borders. For at least 30 years, the Empire has had an issue at its southern border. The south edge of the United States is a gateway to Mexico which connects the Empire to Central and South America. Centuries of meddling in these regions' cultures and economies have led to considerable disparities in prosperity between the Empire and the Central and South American countries. 

The meddling specifically by the United States Empire has allowed drug cartels to overrun many of the nations in Central and South America. These cartels are the de-facto government and rule their territories with iron fists. The more actions the US Empire has taken to curtail the cartels(via the failed war on drugs), the more solidified the cartels' power has become. Millions of people have fled the violence and poverty caused by U.S. meddling and the cartels’ rule. 

Where do these people flee to? The southern border of the U.S. Empire. A line on a map that divides 'us' from 'them.' Debates have raged for years as to why people come to the United States. Undoubtedly, the reasons are as varied as the countries they are leaving behind, but it is undeniable that most people are attempting to find peace and prosperity that is understood to be unattainable in their homelands. 

For the last three decades, the U.S. Empire has tried to prevent people from crossing its southern border 'illegally'. Billions of dollars have been spent to “secure the border” and prevent both people and goods from crossing it. Despite all of the efforts and money that is thrown at the situation, the border conditions have remained essentially unchanged. People remain desperate to reach a place where they have a chance at safety and prosperity. 

The response by Christians in the U.S. has primarily matched that of the government. The prevailing thought is anyone who would violate the United States' laws and not respect the Empire's borders are criminals. Criminals, you see, are not worthy of being part of the Empire. Criminals could never be good Romans. What does this have to do with Christians? Christians, sadly, care about the borders of the Empire almost as much as the Empire does, but the Bible and Jesus himself tell us that this should not be the case. 

Borders, for a Christian, should be irrelevant. For reference, first, let’s take a look at the parable of the Good Samaritan. In Luke Chapter 10, we see Jesus layout how Christians should treat people from other countries and cultures. Here's what the text says: 

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."

Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

In Jesus' time, Jews hated Samaritans. The Jews saw themselves as the superior culture and race, while the Samaritans were considered unclean. While the relations between Jews and Samaritans aren't a 100% correlation to American Christians and immigrants’ relations, there are some parallels we can draw. 

We can see in Luke Chapter 10 Jesus breaks down the barrier between Jews and Samaritans. He is crossing the border that separates 'them' and 'us.' The man speaking to Jesus wants to wiggle off the hook, he wants to know who exactly these “neighbors” are he is supposed to love as himself. This is when Jesus hits him right in the feels. Your neighbors? Your neighbors are those folks you detest. The folks whom you have always been taught are lesser than you, not equal. 

Jesus plainly shows us who our neighbors are: everyone. Yes, even the people we don't like. Yes, even people from other cultures. Yes, even people from other countries. Yes, even people who 'illegally' cross imaginary lines on a map. 

In addition to showing us who our neighbors are, Jesus also guides us on how we should treat our neighbors. The Good Samaritan spends time, resources, and money to help a man he just met; you'll notice the Samaritan didn't ask the man what his reason for being on the road was, nor did he ask where he came from or if he had committed any violations of the law. The Samaritan saw a man in need and helped him. 

There are people in need at the southern border of the United States and many other places worldwide. When we, as Christians, use the border as an excuse to overlook people in need, we are no better than the men in the parable who didn't help, and we certainly aren't loving our neighbors. Rather, we are in defiance of the way Jesus instructed us to treat people. 

Governments use borders to establish their sovereignty and power. Borders tell us who we should care about and who isn't worthy of our time, resources, and money. But they are never mentioned by Jesus. The reality is, borders should be irrelevant to Christians. 

We have other examples of Jesus setting this precedent that borders are irrelevant. In Acts Chapter 1, Jesus ascends to heaven and gives his disciples instructions for the future: 

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Christians are to carry the story of Jesus everywhere. To the ends of the world. To all of humanity. There's no mention of crossing borders legally (or illegally) or even respecting the sovereignty of the nations we carry the Good News to. 

We aren't told to carry the Good News to the cultures and people who we like, the ones we deem worthy, but we are to take it to everyone. EVERYONE. 

Later in Acts, we see just how Jesus plans to empower the disciples to accomplish this task: 

"And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

They were completely amazed. "How can this be?" they exclaimed. "These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!"

Through the Holy Spirit, God empowered His disciples to preach to people of nations. Their languages weren't a barrier, and no one asked the people in the crowd that day what their legal status was. The Gospel was preached and God was glorified. 

My fellow Bad Romans, I ask you today to look at borders in a new light. Borders are a means to an end for secular government. They serve a purpose for government, and that purpose isn't beneficial to people in need. Jesus did not need borders, He had no love or concern for their protection. So, in turn, we, the image-bearers of Christ, should not concern ourselves with the government-drawn lines on a map. 

Instead, we should love our neighbors. Help people in need. Take the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, and to all people because they are all our neighbors. No more excuses. No more borders.

Pacifism in Action

Engage almost anyone in a discussion on pacifism, and you'll inevitably be cornered with some form of this same question (sometimes disguised as a hypothetical):"Oh, so you would just let the bad guys do bad things and not use **insert favorite weapon** to kill them?"

While this question might have merit, it's really overlooking the ultimate goal: to be a peacemaker (not stop a singular attack). Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that children of God are peacemakers. But what really is peace?

Peace is defined as “free from disturbance”. To be peacemakers we have to seek solutions in order to calm disturbances. Ever wondered why most states call even defensible homicides before a Grand Jury? Ever wonder why legal retainers for gun owners are strongly suggested? It's quite simple: returning violence isn't considered to be peacemaking. Jesus would tell his apostles that he who lives by a sword would die by a sword. Or, more generally, he who uses violence will have violence returned to him.

When Stephen was being stoned in the earlier part of Acts, would he have been considered "harmless as doves" had he got up and sliced everyone's head off? Absolutely not. When violence was done to Stephen, like Jesus, they both endured and prayed.

Pacifism is the true path to peace, not defensible violence, and we know this! We use it all day, every day to be peacemakers. Why do you pay taxes? So that the state won't rush into your home at gunpoint. Why do you do what your boss wants you to do when you may disagree? Why is it easier to do what your spouse wants than to force your desires in the situation? Simply because pacifying someone is a phenomenal way to bring about peace and be peacemakers.

Now, I'm sure you still have, or have at least heard of, some nearly impossible to answer hypothetical questions that you or someone think pacifism would be unable to resolve.

But, let's consider a few things here.

1. Violence is not just about you.

It isn't always about stopping a single instance of violence against someone, but peacemaking has lasting implications in solving violence now and in the future. When you make peace with a person, instead of doing harm, especially when that harm includes death, the effects are generational. We are not islands, every person has a family, whether it is parents, siblings, kids, or a spouse- all are affected by what happens in that individual’s life.

Responding with violence only begets more violence. You cannot overcome evil with evil,it must be overcome with good. Your actions can help turn a violent spouse or father into a loving one. They can help turn a child disobedient to parents into an obedient child. And even further, if you are still harmed, how will those around you now see you as someone searching for peace? Would the stoning of Stephen, in Acts, have as big of an impact if he whipped out a sword and started stabbing his attackers? Certainly not. The actions of Stephen are powerful because he prayed for his enemies’ forgiveness. They’re the same actions of his Lord, Jesus, on the cross. So should our actions imitate.

What happens if you shoot at an attacker, miss, enrage them further, and are, yourself, killed? Who, then, is going to defend the others around you, who are more likely to face heightened rage themselves?.

 There are others around you. Think about when you watched a hostage situation in either a movie or a real life situation. What does the negotiator try to do? Pacify the attacker to save the lives of the group.

 “We will give you a million dollars, pizza, a helicopter...just think about what you're threatening to do!”

The Christian rapper, NF, has a song with some power lyrics talking about how our actions against violence can affect others:

This girl at the show looked me in the face

And told me her life's full of drama

Said that her dad is abusive

Apparently he likes to beat on her mama

I got so angry inside

I wanted to tell her to give me his number

But what you gon' do with it right?

You gon' hit him up then he'll start hitting her harder

That's real

Our actions of aggression can most certainly harm others.

2. If you're not peacemaking, you're forcing others to seek violence

They don't call it an "arms race" for just any reason. They call it such because the first to come up with the deadliest weapon is considered the winner. Ever wonder why tons of countries are always trying to develop nuclear weapons? Because they're trying to defend against someone with a nuclear weapon.

Back to our hostage negotiation scenario again, what often happens? They talk but show they are unarmed. Why? Arms are a threat. Someone unarmed isn't a threat. If we are to be as harmless as doves then as Christians we are to not be perceived as a threat.

If we show up with a knife, evil people will grab guns. Show up with guns, and they'll come up with bombs. Why are we participating in arms races? Let's just call them the winner and quit making things worse for others.

In conclusion, pacifism is the only solution for peace. We must quit thinking about just ourselves in a single moment and truly think about all others both now and in the future. Provoking enemies and participating in arms races will only make the enemies more powerful and more capable of harm.

Rather, we should be harmless. To love our enemy, we must seek ways to end disturbances, not provoke them.

[Photo Credit: The Flower Power photograph by Bernie Boston, taken during "March on The Pentagon", 21 October 1967.]