Old Testament Christians
There is, of course, no such thing as an Old Testament Christian, since the disciples of Jesus Christ were “called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:26), well into the first century A.D. But how else are we to describe certain twenty-first century Christian apologists for the U.S. military and its wars of aggression and occupation?
Old Testament Christians—usually followed by Christian armchair warriors, Christian Coalition moralists, evangelical warvangelicals, Catholic just war theorists, reich-wing Christian nationalists, theocon Values Voters, imperial Christians, pro-lifers for mass murder, Red-State Christian fascists, bloodthirsty Christian conservatives, nuclear Christians, Christian Coalition moralists, Religious Right warmongers, God and country Christian bumpkins, military chaplains, sniper theologians, and members of the Christian axis of evil—appeal almost exclusively to the Old Testament to justify the actions of the U.S. military and Christians participating in those actions.
Things like:
- Invading other countries
Since many of the enemies of the nation of Israel were slain in battle “because the war was of God” (1 Chronicles 5:18-23), the U.S. wars against Muslim “terrorists” are of God.
Since the LORD delivered up the Canaanites to the Israelites and they “utterly destroyed them and their cities” (Numbers 21:2-3), U.S. bombing campaigns against cities filled with civilians are excusable.
Since the LORD is “a man of war” (Exodus 15:3), Christians serving in the U.S. military are doing an honorable thing.
Since the LORD commanded King David to go and fight against the Philistines (1 Samuel 23:4-5) and Saul to “smite Amalek” (1 Samuel 15:3), Christians can wholeheartedly support their government’s wars.
Since the LORD fought for the nation of Israel (Exodus 14:14), it is okay for churches in America to ask God to bless U.S. troops.
This is why I have said on more than one occasion that the worst thing about Christian apologists for war, the military, and the warfare state is not their willful ignorance of U.S. foreign policy, their blind nationalism, their childish devotion to the military, their excusing of the evil deeds of the CIA, their support for warmongering conservatives, their delusion that the GOP is God’s Own Party, their acceptance of the national-security state, or their cheerleading for perpetual war in the name of fighting “terrorism.” The worst thing about them is their continual misapplication and misuse of Scripture.
Here are twelve fundamental principles to keep in mind to keep from swallowing whole the baloney from Old Testament Christians:
- Just because the Jews in the Old Testament did X, doesn’t mean that Christians under the New Testament should or are at liberty to do Y.
- It is wrong to invoke the Jewish wars of the Old Testament against the heathen as a justification for the actions of the U.S. military.
- The U.S. president, even if he is a Republican, is no substitute for Moses, Joshua, King David, or God Almighty.
- The U.S. military is not the Lord’s army.
- The United States of America is not the nation of Israel.
- The United States of America is not God’s chosen, exceptional nation.
- The Lord never appointed the United States to be the world’s policeman.
- The Lord doesn’t need the United States to protect or defend Israel—or give it foreign aid.
- The Christian’s sword is the word of God.
- The only warfare the New Testament encourages Christians to wage is spiritual warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
- Just because God authorized many of the Jewish wars of the Old Testament doesn’t mean that God authorizes American wars.
- The Lord never sanctioned any Christian to go on a crusade, commanded him to war on his behalf, or encouraged him to kill, make apologies for the killing of, or excuse the killing of any adherent to a false religion.
The Apostle Paul said in the New Testament that whatsoever things were written aforetime in the Old Testament were written for our learning (Romans 15:4). Learning to be an apologist for the U.S. military and its wars comes, not from reading the Old Testament, but from too much of watching Fox News, paying attention to conservative talk show hosts, listening to Republican politicians, and taking seriously Old Testament Christians.
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