Christianity and Militant Language (A series of mildly related thoughts)

The war metaphors presented in scripture make me nervous. They make scriptures dangerous in a way that honestly scares me sometimes. Militant mindsets are powerfully driven and brutally hostile against the perceived enemy. At the same time I love the soldier, battle, and military struggle passages of scripture for those exact same reasons. I can see the importance (perhaps necessity) of following Christ with such zeal as to be completely intolerant of evil, sin, and the works of the Devil. Sin in our lives and fellowship requires a strong reaction, and yet gentleness is called for again and again in scripture, just to make sure we don’t start thinking that the person is the problem. Sin is the problem, deception is the problem, Satan is the problem. And, like it or not, there is a battle for our souls.

Unfortunately, knowing that doesn’t remove my tension. Having invested time in prayer and advocacy for Africa, specifically with The Invisible Children movement, I wonder what it means to a generation raised in a literal war to hear of the life in Christ being warlike. Is it disgusting or exciting? Does it have a depth that only comes from knowing what real war is like? Does it feel like redemption of something seemingly irredeemable?

I worry when I see militant language used to incite passion in children and youth. I struggle with what nature is being appealed to when young people are hammered again and again with the idea that they are soldiers in God’s army. Is it an appeal to the carnal, broken nature of sin that constantly beckons us to preserve ourselves, or is it calling out the new self that has died in Christ so that it can live a life abandoned to the Kingdom?

I take great hope from Jesus’ use of war language in Luke 14:31-33. There he uses the illustration of a king making preparations for battle with wisdom to drive home the point that if you want to follow Jesus you need to count the cost. How often is that spoken in evangelistic messages or at confirmation/membership classes? Have you ever heard someone say anything along the lines of: “You want to know Jesus? Great, but before you throw your hat in the ring I want to to realize what is being asked of you. It will cost you everything to follow Jesus. You have to see him as more valuable than your sins, your parents, your money, your comfort, your full stomach, your ipod… more valuable than EVERYTHING. Why? Because it’s a war, and it is better for you to wait and come to a place where you can be fully committed than to start this journey and turn back later (2 Pet. 2:21). After all there is a word for that kind of action – treason.”

John Piper uses the illustration of Christian living as “wartime simplicity.” The phrase is a throw back to the war effort of WWII, when every ounce of metal, gas, plastic, etc. was conserved so that more could go to towards the war. Simplicity became a mindset, because whatever was not used on yourself could be used for the cause. I love imagining what it would look like if all who claimed Christianity embraced that kind of mindset. For me simplicity is incredibly attractive, but I can see how the mindset of wartime simplicity might help others wrap their minds around the fact that all we have must be subject to the call on our lives as Christians to act justly, to care for the poor, to honor the widow and orphan, to expand the kingdom, and to proclaim the gospel to all nations.