While Focus on the Family and ideological allies such as Cal Thomas wage a cultural war against Christians and against other faiths, Christian Peacemaker Teams pursue their Biblical calling to risk their lives for peace and nonviolence in the world’s most dangerous places.
The Rev. David B. Miller, a Mennonite pastor and participant in the teams, responds to a recent tirade by Thomas.
Hat tip: Jesus Politics.
They may be ideological allies, but Cal Thomas has a longstanding dislike of Dobson. Among other things, he thinks he should stay out of politics.
You begin to marginalize yourself, saying, I am the only true believer. Soon you are left only with your wife, then you begin to look at her funny. All of a sudden, you’re Ross Perot. [Cal Thomas on James Dobson]
And something more recent.
Cal Thomas actually has some interesting points in there – I was surprised. For example:
On the so-called “Christian” founding of our nation: Sure, there were some Christians, but there were also Deists, Free Thinkers, and many many Masons – including George Washington. At the time of the American Revolution, only ten percent of those in the colonies attended church. Thomas Jefferson created his own Bible, taking out the resurrection and any mention of the blood of Christ.
David
The “Christian Peacemakers” actually put other people’s lives in danger by going and making a nuisance of themselves in places like Iraq. If the CPT hostages hadn’t been so foolhardy, nobody would have had to risk their own life to rescue them.
John,
1. The CPT teams weren’t seeking to be rescued by armed force — though they were grateful to be freed. It seems to me that you fundamentally misunderstand Christian peacemaking. And I wonder whether your commitment to the sanctity of life is a bit too selective. Do you suppose that the apostles should have killed Christ’s captors in order to free him?
2. One of the Christian hostages was gay.
I think John makes a valid point.
The CPT does know full well that there is a fairly high likelihood that they will be captured and taken hostage.
Regardless of what CPT says, they know full well that western nations will attempt to rescue them. They can say “don’t rescue me” all they like, but they know that the media will demand military response and that the nations will perform it. It’s duplicitious of them to pretend otherwise.
The soldiers involved cannot say “I choose not to endanger my life” but have to follow orders. And they may not have signed up for military service intending to protect people who deliberately put themselves in harms way.
And the CPT is always quick to respond to media whenever anyone is captured. They are right there with prepared political messages.
This media-drawing activity suggests to me that the purpose of CPT is at least in part to sway political opinion and to advance their political goals. While they are entitled to their political agenda (as is FOTF and AFA) I don’t think we should pretend that their political activistm is any more noble than FOTF’s political activism (or mine, for that matter).
Whether or not you agree with their pacifist goals is up to you. But let’s be honest about their political nature and that they do, in fact, endanger others to advance their political goals.
Posted by: Timothy Kincaid at March 29, 2006 03:01 PM
I’m flying with Timothy here. And I would add that I have great respect for those who know want to help their fellow human beings devastated by the circumstances around them – indeed it is one of the most Christ-like things we can do in this world. I have a harder time with those who seem to use that work as an infomercial for this or that ideological view whenever the stage presents itself.
David