Member-only story
How Can I Vote for Peace in 2020?
How will God Vote: Part VII
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9 KJV
Sometimes the shortest passages cause the most trouble. Do you want to be called a child of God? Practice peacemaking.
As Americans we are solely tempted to add qualifiers to the expression. Yes peace, but only on our terms.
“Peace through Victory.”
“Peace Through Strength”
“Peace with Honor”
The qualifiers demolish the simplicity of the message. Jesus did not say we will have peace after we have obliterated our enemies. His crucifixion turned victory upside down. Within the context of his time, Jesus’ death showed his weakness and failure as Messiah. Accounts of his resurrection would take nearly three centuries before they were officially accepted by the Roman Empire. Even today his peaceful message is drowned out by imperial ambitions cloaked in Christianity.
The poster advertising a March on Washington in 1970 provides a vivid example of enlisting God in America’s quest for imperial dominance. Fundamentalist leader Carl McIntyre sought to rally Americans to support American dominance. He believed God would provide victory over our enemies in Vietnam, the Soviet Union…
