The Online Chaplain

Theology and Governments

From time to time someone wonders how a Christian can support something like the war in Iraq or any other war.  Recently, I have been attacked by a number of these individuals.  It is the price I guess I pay to have a blog site and wanting to increase soldier awareness.  Because of my chaplaincy there are a number of assumptions they ussually make, that amuse me.  First, they almost always assume that I am Republican, which is an inaccurate assumption.  I would consider myself bi-partisan.  I voted for Reagan, Clinton, and then Gore, for the record.  The second thing is they assume that I am a hawk.  People assume because I am a soldier I am somehow for war.  Let me assure you that I have never spoken to a soldier who is for war.  As Norman Schwartkoff once said, "No soldier worth his salt is for war....but with that said there are some things worth fighting for."  Also, I know of no pastor who could fully endorse war of any kind.  So, the assumptions of people has been an on-going amusement. 

I am in the Army for a singular reason.  This is where God has called me to be and my ministry is to help soldier get to the other side.  As it says in Micah 4:3 "...so they may one day beat their swords into plowshares."  The following is a response to one of my recent critics.  I publish it not to defend myself but rather to help others think through the issues of war, terrorism and the nature of government.

Dear Sir,
Currently, I am at an undisclosed location of Iraq serving the 1/125 FA as they carry out their mission here.  I have been away from my family for six months and I have nearly a year to go.  Last week I delivered Word and Sacrament ministry, and led worship seven times in six different locations.  I have, while here, led numerous people to Christ, baptized and confirmed a few and prayed with hundreds.  Last week I lost a full night sleep due to a unit that arrived at my location because of the death of one of their soldiers.  I lost a number of partial nights of sleep because soldiers wanted to speak to me about their particular crisis and their faith.  This is the context by which your letter has found me.  And frankly, due to the depth of my commitment to God and country the tone of your letter was disheartening.  You wrote, “the Star Tribune evidently misquoted you in the May 20, 2006 edition of this paper.  She quoted you as saying, “I pray history will tell us hatred can be defeated by force.”  You know of course, that if hatred could be defeated by force then the Cross would not have been necessary, and Jesus would have died in vain.”  Although, you did not invite dialog on this topic I will reply.

I was not misquoted and I said exactly what I meant to say, “I pray history will tell us hatred can be defeated by force”.  As you are aware the scriptures and main line Christian theology hold in tension what the reformer Martin Luther referred to as the theology of the “two kingdoms”.  On the one hand we have the scriptures telling us in Matthew 5-7 that there is no justifiable reason to take arms, even to defend ones self.  On the other hand, we have Jesus validating the vocation of soldiers in another part of the gospels, and we have Paul in Romans 13 validating obedience to government, and going so far as to say they are established by God alone.  Romans 13 says,

1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Each of us has a bias toward one or the other of these scriptural mandates.  In personal matters, I for one feel more compelled to follow the texts from Matthew 5-7.  However, for the sake of the neighbor I view government as a necessary force to establish order in the world.  Governments establish this order because not all people are obedient to the spirit of Christ.  Therefore, brute force must be employed by the “Kingdom of the Left” (as Luther put it) ie. government.  Luther validates the use of force clearly in his treatise, “On Secular Authority” and states that the “exercise of governmental power is not founded on the consent of the governed, but on the ordaining of God.”  He appeals to this text from Romans and also 1Peter 2:13 as justification for saying God establishes governments.  So, the police man who patrols your streets is part of the “Kingdom of the Left” and he uses force to protect you.  The reason he is successful is that he uses more force to protect you than evil is willing to exert to cause you harm.  According to Luther, and according to the scriptures this man is a servant of God and by using force acts as a curb against evil.

However, this same brute force applied in the “Kingdom of the Left” has no place in the “Kingdom of the Right”.  If it is not for the sake of the neighbor, then Christians are to bear the burden of the day, their cross, turn the other cheek, and sacrifice for the sake of Jesus.  So then, “How does a Christian know which kingdom to base his response from?”  Does he turn the other cheek, or does he use force? The classic Christian response of nearly all non-pacifist denominations is this: should only his own interests be at stake in a given situation, then the law of love dictates the method prescribed in Mt. 5-7 which took Jesus to the Cross and consequently takes us to our sacrifice.

On the other hand, if he is doing it for the sake of the neighbor the use of force to overcome evil is not only justified but profoundly Christian.  “Greater love has no man that he lay down his life for another”.  If this is the case, the Sermon on the Mount does not apply and we must function from the “Kingdom of the Left”, which is governed by God’s ordained leaders. 

Luther distinguishes between two persons present within each believer: the Christian as he exists before God and the Christian in society.  Christ died for both and until the “Kingdom on the Right” (Christ’s dominion) has the time to overcome the evil of the world, “the Kingdom on the Left” must preserve order.  And so “I will continue to pray that history will reveal that hatred can be defeated by force”, as it did in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, etc.  Although, we cannot destroy hatred, we as Christians and non-Christians alike, for the sake of others, must defeat it everywhere it makes its stand, until Christ comes again.  It is this very theology that has led Christians from every generation, men like Dietrich Bonhoffer and others, to make a stand against the forces of evil that are arrayed against the forces of good. 

@peace,

Chaplain Bjertness

“Fiddlers Green”: A Lesson Learned

The 108th Armor Battalion took their colors, their personnel and headed for a much deserved rest and to the normalcy of their civilian lives.  In about two weeks the great state of Georgia and Alabama will greet them and they will be home, at last.  Our prayers go with them.

The 108th has bequeathed to the 125 FA (Strike) a number of things. They have left us with an area of Iraq that is more secure than when they arrived.  They have left us with Combat Support Center that is well cared for, comfortable, and relatively secure, and many other blessings.  All these things we are aware of, but they have left us with something else.  They have left us with a reminder, a reminder of the cost of war.

On the outskirts of CSC Scania there is a new sign.  At first glance you won’t notice it as being extraordinary in any way.  But, it is an important sign, a reminder to us of a number of important things.  This sign names the landing zone as “Fiddlers Green” in honor of the six soldiers of the 108th who lost while serving here in Iraq.  These six men gave their lives in the line of duty, serving their country.  It weighs upon us to know a bit of their story, remember their sacrifice, and honor their lives.  The poem “Fiddlers Green”, although not a Christian poem, alludes to the tension in a soldier’s life between living a godly life and doing our duty.

             "Fiddlers' Green"
     Halfway down the trail to Hell,
     In a shady meadow green,
     Are the Souls of all dead troopers camped
     Near a good old-time canteen,
     And this eternal resting place
     Is known as Fiddlers' Green.

     Marching past, straight through to Hell,
     The Infantry are seen,
     Accompanied by the Engineers,
     Artillery and Marine,
     For none but the shades of Cavalrymen,
     Dismount at Fiddlers' Green.

     Though some go curving down the trail
     To seek a warmer scene,
     No trooper ever gets to Hell
     Ere he's emptied his canteen,
     And so rides back to drink again
     With friends at Fiddlers' Green.

     And so when man and horse go down
     Beneath a saber keen.
     Or in a roaring charge of fierce mêlée
     You stop a bullet clean,
     And the hostiles come to get your scalp,
     Just empty your canteen,
     And go to Fiddlers' Green.

How do you honor those who have gone before us?  In what way do we “memorialize” people who have died?  It is a question, in my line of work, I see answered in a variety of ways.  I see people on Memorial Day place flowers, other times they honor anniversaries, plant tree’s and even give cash gifts.  All these are good and worthy things.

However, the best way to honor those who have died, especially soldiers who have died for their country is to “live a well lived life.”  There is no greater honor to bestow on another person than to let their life and their sacrifice change you.  So, next time you are at work, whether you are soldier or civilian, and your peers are driving you nuts, be patient.  Next time you are too busy to help someone in need, take time and just do it.  Next time you feel compelled to be selfish in any way, stop and rethink you actions, then give of yourself.  The next time you say, “why me.”  Say to yourself, “why not me” and do what is right instead of what is easy.  The next time you have the urge to be petty, and we all do, rise above the temptation and choose to serve.  The next time you catch yourself complaining about anything, remember the sacrifices that have given you the right to voice your opinion.

If you are soldier of the 125 FA (STRIKE) walk out to Fiddler’s Green LZ, read the names, remember to “live a well lived life” and honor the dead.  And by the way, there is another who gave his life too.  His sacrifice can be remembered in like manner.  There is no better way to give glory to our Lord and Savior than to “live a well lived life.”   

The Problem with Freedom

Freedom is a seductive lover. She holds you in her sweet embrace and tells you there is nothing else in the world but her voice. All else pales until you are trapped into a world with a singular voice. The voice whispers softly to you, "You are the most important person in the world." Her voice convinces you what you have long expected. The sun revolves around you. The whisper of her voice seduces you till you can no longer hear any other voice. When the other voices disappear she has you under her spell and keeps you or discards you, at her whim. Indulging in her presence becomes the very air you breathe and you are convinced her presence is life itself. She is what gives life meaning.

And it is a lie! It is not freedom that gives life. In fact freedom alone intoxicates us, clouds our judgment and blurs our vision. Freedom finds its balance in the truth, truth about the world, life and our existence. And there in lies the problem. Who in this day knows the truth? It is as varied as the reporter who reports it. Freedom offers every one of us the ability to state our judgment with little or no evidence. And every time we do we become a little bit more obese in the arms of freedom. We become a little less likely to here the truth about the world. A little less likely to believe there are people who seek to harm us, even kill us because of who we are. We become a little less likely to believe there is evil seeking to harm us and others. And this is the problem with freedom. It makes us fat.

A person intoxicated on the perfume of freedom need not seek out the truth. The truth becomes what serves me best, not what is best. And so, people make decisions about the difficulty of Operation Iraqi Freedom based not on what is best for the world, but on what is best for me. It brings me pain to hear of yet another American soldier killed. Pain is not good. Therefore, Operation Iraqi Freedom is not good. It is the logic of a person drunk on the sweet wine of freedom. The truth is NO ONE knows if we are doing the right thing here in Iraq. Not the president in the White House or the soldier on the ground. History will judge whether this has been the right decision. History will tell us in the future whether terrorism can be conquered by brute force. History will determine whether we have been fools or heroes? And anyone who thinks they are smarter than history is more fool than hero.

The Apostle Paul in the fifth chapter of Galatians warns us of this very thing. For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another." Freedom has a purpose and the purpose is to help others, and not self. It is to protect others to the point of becoming their slave. It is dealing with the pain of loss, and the sacrifice necessary for freedom to be seized by all. Freedom is given to many, so that it might be granted to all.

And the great danger, according to Paul, is that we might use our freedom to indulge our own desire to get one more scent of this sweet lover. The great danger is we would sell our soul for just one more embrace, regardless of the cost. The danger is we would become fat upon the bosom of lady liberty and become deaf to the need of the world. Daily, I pray and hope the effort spent by so many, here in this place will be to this end, that freedom might grow and self-indulgence might decrease. Lord, please grant our efforts, sacrifices and lives be spent on the worthy cause of freedom. Protect us from self-service. Guide us to truth. Amen

Since CNN Won't Tell You...

A Letter from the Mayor of Tall Afar:  In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful.  To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.  To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.

Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi’s followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally destroyed them.

I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.

The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom. Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.

God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and in every flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.

Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven’t the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.

NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID AL-JIBOURIMayor of Tall ‘Afar, Ninewa, Iraq

Dancing in the Desert

Sometime in the next few months I am going to experience something new.  I am going to experience, for the first time, real desert.  Sand, oasis, camels, the whole works.  The closest thing I have experienced to a desert, thus far, is the sand traps at Little Crow Country Club.  Which, I have spent a lot of time in.  But, a real live desert. no!

My understanding of the "desert" is that it test your mettle in every way.  Physically, you are enduring 140 degree heat in the summer time, while packing around a bullet proof vest, wearing a helmet and carrying all the supplies you will need.  Emotionally, it is equally challenging.  The desert I understand, from those who have been there, has a way of completely and utterly isolating you.

Unfortunately, "dwelling in the desert" comes in many forms.  There is something familiar about the desert even if you have never been near one.  Isolation and feeling of finite-ness is a familiar feeling.  The lonely experience in the "desert of loneliness" is not unlike the desert of God's creation.  Both make us feel small.  And the deserts of our lives come in many forms.

Ask the widow or widower about "dwelling in the desert".  They will tell you what it is like to wake up to an empty house at midnight, again at two, then again at four-thirty.  They will tell you about desert dwelling at length.  Listen to them talk.  Listen to their stories...Talk to them for a while and you will begin to realize that a few evenings in their "desert" would fold you up in the fetal position crying like a baby. 

Ask the college student about the desert they live in.  They are plunged into a setting that is unfamiliar and antagonistic.  They are prodded through academic livestock chutes.  They feel reduced to a tuition bill and a grade.  Forced to make decisions they are told will permanently direct their paths.  There is no question why college students are often treated for depression.  It is the desert.

Stand next to the deathbed of a mother or father, a husband or a wife and you will understand the desert too.  Powerless.  Empty.  Impotent.  Dependent.  Useless.  It's the desert.  In the desert, you are a watcher at the shore of God's masterful work.  And God is great and you are small.  This is the desert.  And I am eternally grateful the bible talks about time in the desert.  There are things we can learn from characters like John the Baptist, the desert dweller of old.  Here, in these stories, John shows us  a way to dance in the desert.

Dance #1:  The Dance of Preparedness

The first thing John teaches us is the Dance of Preparedness.  The writer of Mark tells us exactly what the effect of the desert is to be.  Exactly!  We are told we go out to the desert to see John because it "prepares the way of the Lord."  I like that and it reflect my experience with the deserts of my life.

The times when I have felt I have been in the sand traps of life have ultimately prepared me to see Jesus.  Have you ever noticed when Christ appears in the Gospels?  He appears when someone has a great need. He did not send his angels to kings, he sent them to a bunch of needy shepherds.  He did not call the religious leaders of his time to be disciples he called a bunch of needy fisherman.  H became a friend with the friendless.  He healed the broken-hearted, the sick and raised the dead.  I appears to me that when we need God the most, he appears the best.

Look at your own life.  When has God felt the closest? When you have been in times of plenty or in times of great need? When you have been in the fairway, or in the sand traps?  When you have been in green grass, or in the desert?

If it were not for the deserts of our lives we may not call upon the Lord at all.  Being in the deserts of our lives is the Dance of Preparedness.

"It is written in Isaiah the prophet:  I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way. a voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him."

Dance #2:  The Come to Jesus Two Step

The second dance John teaches us is the "Come to Jesus Two Step".  The writer of Gospel of Mark tells us clearly what to do when the desert has softened us up a bit.  When the desert has had its way with us we are to do two things:  repent and confess.

Step One:  Repent!  In the Bible the word for repentance is "metanoia." It means to change ones mind/behavior.  So to repent is to turn around.  It means I was following sin, death and the devil.  I was walking toward darkness.  But now I am walking toward the light.  I repent.

Step Two: Confess! In Romans, Paul writes, "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord, " and believe in your heart that God raised him fro the dead, you will be saved."  Jesus is Lord of your life when you realize his greatness and your unworthiness.  He is Lord in your life when you submit to his authority and recognize that it is an authority greater then your own.  He is Lord of your life when you get to the point that you can say, "At whatever the cost Lord I will follow you."  John in the desert teaches us this

"And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him.  Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan river."

Dance #3:  The Salvation Waltz

The third dance the writer of Mark teaches us is hoe to Waltz with Jesus.  I love to dance.  When Beverly and I were courting we had a favorite place to go on Saturday nights.  It was to Seattle Center.  At Seattle Center, on Saturday nights in the pavilion, there is free Big Band dancing. Beverly and I would go out to a nice meal and then dance all night.  I loved it.

Let me tell you why.  It was not because we were such good dancers.  In fact, Bev and I dance best when I let her lead.  In fact, we do everything best when I let her lead.  The reason I like to waltz? The reason most people like to waltz? You get to hold your beloved.

The writer of Mark tells us this very thing.  When Jesus was baptized, the heavens were torn and God came into our lives, up close and personal.  His goal: to hold his beloved closely and dance with his creation.  God's heart was filled with desire for his beloved.  And this means you.

The desert as Teacher

The desert has a lot to teach us if your heart is int the right place and we are willing to learn, it can even teach us to dance with our creator.  The Dance of Preparedness, the Come to Jesus Tow-Step, and the Salvation Waltz are ways to live in this world that make the desert spring to life.  If you are in the desert today, be not afraid, drink deeply from the well of truth, and dance.  Christ is coming!  Christ is here!

"The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.  Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy...they will see the glory of the Lord, and the splendor of our God."