War, Peace, and Afghanistan: The Fall 8 SEMI
This week’s issue of the SEMI, Fuller’s student newspaper, deals primarily with the war in Afghanistan. Those of you who know me well know that issues of war and peace are very important to me. Peacemaking is a gospel issue, and it is an issue that should be of central importance to Christians of any and all political perspectives. That being said, I recognize that advocating for peace is difficult. It is difficult because peacemaking confronts the notion that we are entitled to revenge. It confronts the notion that violence solves problems. It confronts the notion that uncritical nationalism is virtuous. Advocating for peace is difficult because it must be done in a way that honors those who serve in the military. However, I argue that in tactfully advocating for peace we are truly “supporting our troops”. Advocating for peace gives our rhetoric legitimacy, and demonstrates the extent to which we are shaped by the gospel, which is at its core a message of peace. Advocating for peace is also difficult because we live in a violent, vengeful world, a world that often leads us to find peace more threatening than violence. Advocating for peace is difficult, but peacemaking is a gospel issue.
This issue of the SEMI has a few different perspectives on war in general and Afghanistan specifically. You can access a PDF of the issue by clicking the link above.
Captain Dana Krull wrote the front page story. He is a soon-t0-be Army chaplain, and he wrote an excellent article about the challenge of loving and ministering to soldiers during war.
My column is on page two. It provides more questions than answers. The seriousness of the column is somewhat compromised by the silly cartoon of my face that is next to it, but I love the cartoon and I’m grateful to the guy who drew it, so I included it. It will be included with the rest of my columns.
Jake Diliberto wrote the article of page three. Jake is a two-time Iraq veteran and is the founder of Veterans for Rethinking Afghanistan, and he wrote passionately about the need for the Church to advocate for peace. Needless to say, I agree with his perspective. Jake was recently in Washington, D.C., where he appeared on Larry King Live to discuss Afghanistan and the potential disaster that a troop surge would be.
Garry Mathew wrote the article on page six. Garry spent several years working with a non-governmental organization in Afghanistan doing humanitarian work. He believes that pulling troops out of Afghanistan is not a good idea, and believes that a military presence is necessary for grassroots movements to be effective.
There are a few other articles in the issue that aren’t related to Afghanistan, but are still worth reading. I’d love to hear any comments you have, whether you are a part of the Fuller community or not.
