Another thought. If the church in Germany understood who Jesus was, over against patriotism and self protection, do you think the Nazi's could ever have got a foothold? Do you think that if the church in Europe would have rejected anti-semitic lies (over centuries) so many "Christians" could have looked the other way? Whilst we must live with real politics and the world as it is – we are called as followers of Christ to imagine the world differently and not blindly follow the common sense view.

I saw this really good post today about car accidents and car crashes…. I was Bewildered by the fact that everyone thinks car crashes are not difficult to take care of in the formal area……

“Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.”

From this article specifically, I would point to the quote “mainstream Jewish and Christian ethics have always chiefly addressed the real world, not an imagined ideal.” For one thing, there is no such defined thing as “mainstream Jewish and Christian ethics.” The very phrase denies the centrality of Jesus as God to Christian faith and practice. Secondly, it assumes that whatever undefined thing Tooley is arguing against — which appears to be an amalgam of the pacifist beliefs of Taylor, Yoder, Hauerwas, and the “evangelical left” — is only concerned with “an imagined ideal” instead of the real world. Since it's unclear what the referent “such utopian pacifism” means, I can't argue in favor of it, but I can say that Hauerwas and Yoder are/were quite concerned with pacifism in the “real world.” The real world is the one that God came into as a man in order to save and heal. If this doesn't inform our every action, then we can't claim it as reality.

Also, Tooley refers to “traditional Christian Just War teachings” as an alternative to this undefined pacifism that he's countering, without giving us any idea what he's talking about. Does that mean the Catholic standard of Jus ad bellum/Jus in bello? Does that mean Augustine's own vague concept? Either way, the implication is that “Just War teachings” are traditional, and pacifism is newfangled. In reality, Christian pacifism predates Augustine's writing on warfare — he was attemping to refute the pacifism that had been part of Christian practice since the days of Jesus, because he couldn't imagine human civilization surviving into the future without the Roman Empire. And if we're looking at the Catholic concept — which would make sense since it's the only really detailed just war theory I know of in Christian theology — then we have the problem of Mark Tooley's own position. The Catholic bishops evaluating the Iraq war on the basis of their theory have declared it unjust, yet Tooley has continued the laud the war effort regardless.

So, Tooley is basically a polemicist — demonizing his opponents without bothering to refute their positions accurately or even clarify his own. I personally think the church doesn't need that kind of behavior.

“Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Ephesians 6:10-18

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints….”

http://www.crossroad.to/Victory/Armor.htm

“In so far as it hampers the British war effort, British pacifism is on the side of the Nazis and German pacifism, if it exists, is on the side of Britain and the USSR. Since pacifists have more freedom of action in countries where traces of democracy survive, pacifism can act more effectively against democracy than for it. Objectively the pacifist is pro-Nazi.”

As he said, pacifism only benefits our enemies, and in this day and age, Islamists benefit from our cravenness, and one of history's oldest lessons is that a nation of pacifists will fall to the first thug that comes along.

“For you gladly put up with fools since you are so smart! In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours you, if someone captures you, if someone dominates you, or if someone hits you in the face. I say this to our shame: we have been weak.”

The Corinthians had apparently been boasting about how “enlightened” they were; so “enlightened” that they were permitting evil men to do literally anything they wanted to them. Paul calls such an idea shameful and weak. (Note the heavy sarcasm in his phrasing.)

Since the muslim's are declaring a holy war against us, and want to kill as many people as possible, maybe it's time to return to the age of the crusades and the spanish inquisition. Maybe if we send more armed people into their country and do what the catholics did 200 years ago, we wouldn't have to worry about the muslim fanatic.

Maybe it's time for them to bow down to western sensibilities, and act like mature people, instead of like spoiled children.

No, surrender isn't an option.