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from the straight road and woke to find myself
alone in a dark wood. How shall I say
what wood that was! I never saw so drear,
so rank, so arduous a wilderness!
Its very memory gives a shape to fear.
So begins The Inferno, and so turned my thoughts as I began to read Mr. Hauerwas's Pacifist Response. He wrote this article for the Duke University paper, probably about 6 months after the events of Sept 11 2001. I sincerely hope that Mr. Hauerwas's journey, like Dante's, has changed for the better since that time, otherwise I fear he may be facing an eternity of much worse than any of the levels Dante envisioned. This article paints a picture of a man so deeply intellectualized and steeped in theological academia that the simple beautiful hope of the Word of God has become entirely obscured. Rather than writing a 10 page term paper dissecting every unfounded assertion, every grossly misconstrued and obtuse generalization that forms the body of this article by the supposed "Best Theologian In America" (Time Magazine 2001) I will simply share some verses that came to my mind while reading.
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
Romans 8:26
"because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things."
Romans 1:21-23
"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea."
Mark 9:42
I will happily tear apart every facet and detail of this article for/with any who are interested. My heart breaks for this man, for those like him, and most deeply for those who have heard his words and chosen to believe them.
Muddled... the author of the article couldn't really come up with coherent point and in so doing proved he is from Laodicea. This lukewarm diatribe had some good thoughts, but none ever fleshed out to the point of basing an ideology on. Having said that, I'm not against people who espouse pacifism. I believe the Word can back up that belief. Just as much as I believe the Word can back up just war. Both would have to be discerned as righteous only by the motivations of the person and the direction of God. Though I myself would prefer not to fight for this country, it is not on the premise of me not being willing to do my job in as much as I don't wholeheartedly agree with a lot of the policies of this country and therefore have no desire to give my life for it. I'm not against war per se, it's the motivations of such things that I judge. Having said that, I'm not sure what I would do if I were drafted. I respect our soldiers for what they are called to do though I do hope that each has searched his or her own heart as to what God has told them to do. I do believe that justice doesn't preclude one from taking a guilty party's life, though if there is a way that grace can accomplish redemption in the situation and spare a life, I'm all for that too. Even so, I do believe some deservedly die, even those who before their death, accept Christ. Though someone's sins are forgiven it doesn't necessarily mean that actions go unpunished, though sometimes they do. As stated by others earlier, self-defense, I don't think violates pacifism. At any rate, in any situation, acknowledge God in all your ways and He will establish your paths. I find it interesting that David was a man after God's own heart yet his hands were covered in blood. And though it precluded him from building the temple, God still thought more highly of him than He did of Solomon.
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