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So over the last several days Canadians have witnessed three soldiers being attacked, two fatally, here at home. I really don’t know what to think or how to respond to these tragedies. As a Christian, who happens to live in Canada, what should my response be? A part of me wants to fight and protect the country that I love. To ensure that my son grows up in a place where he does not have to be afraid because of what he believes, who he loves or what his political convictions may be. On the other hand, I’m torn when I begin to think of the words of Jesus. Was he serious about this whole “turn the other cheek” thing? I don’t have any answers. The point of this blog is to not tell you what to do or to puff myself up declaring that I have it all figured out. Rather its purpose is to share with you the tension that I’m facing when trying to determine whose allegiance I am a part of. Are the two compatible? Again, I don’t know.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian who stood toe-to-toe with not only Nazis but Nazism as a whole. He was quoted as saying,
“Things do exist that are worth standing up for without compromise. To me it seems that peace and social justice are such things. As is Christ himself.”
This is a man who lived and breathed, ‘Loving his enemy.’ Yet ultimately, he was found guilty for his role in a plot to assassinate Hitler and was executed. I am not condoning or judging the choices and actions that Bonhoeffer made. What I am saying is that if one of the most influential Christians of the last century decided that in the face of evil, one man’s death would be justifiable…what the heck am I supposed to do?
Please feel free to comment and let me know what y’all think.
Cheers and blessings.
Ryan