Are Evangelical Christians Warmongers?

I’ve been an evangelical Christian since I was a child. I’ve been in the Gospel ministry all of my adult life. I attended two evangelical Christian colleges, received honorary degrees from two others, and taught and preached in several others. I’ve attended many of the largest evangelical pastors’ gatherings and have been privileged to speak at Christian gatherings–large and small–all over America. I have been part of the inner workings of evangelical ministry for nearly 40 years. I think I learned a thing or two about evangelical/fundamentalist Christianity in America. And I’m here to tell you: I don’t like what I see happening these days!

Let’s get this straight right out of the gate: nothing touched by man can be perfect, because none of us is perfect. There is no perfect church, perfect school, perfect mission board, perfect Sunday School class, perfect pastor, perfect deacon, or perfect Christian. Until the afterlife, we are all yet encased in Adamic flesh, complete with human weaknesses and imperfections. And only the Pharisaical among us are too proud to admit it.

That said, I do think it is more than fair to say that, historically, Christians have always attempted to be–and have always publicly taught the importance of being–peacemakers. Historically, Christians have preached–and tried to practice–love and brotherhood. The early church was born in a baptism of love and unity. Oh sure, there were always individual misunderstandings and differences, but, on the whole, the church was a loving, caring, compassionate ecclesia.

Mind you, Christians historically were not afraid or ashamed to defend themselves, their families, and their country. The Lord Jesus, Himself (the Prince of Peace), allowed His disciples to carry personal defense weapons (see Luke 22:36,38). Yes, while some Christian sects were conscientious pacifists, these were the exception, not the rule. The vast majority of Christian believers understood the Biblical, Natural Law principle of self-defense. But believing in the right of lawful, God-ordained self-defense was never to be confused with warmongering.

So, what has happened to turn the most peace-loving institution the world has ever known (the New Testament church) into the biggest cheerleaders for war?

CONTINUE . . .

I've been asking the same question for years Chuck. I think it may have something to do with the bride of Christ falling into bed with Caesar. What do you all think?

Not that I really expect an answer. Normally you folks fall silent or turn to ridicule when asked the hard questions. Let's see if this time is any different.

 

Maybe for some "neo" Christians but the majority it would seem have taken up idolatry and worship at the feet of the state, just like the good preachers have been teaching them to do for years.

All hail Caesar!

 

Well what do you know you still leave out the best part of the story to fool people into thinking there is no story. That's dishonest NS. Especially when you keep spinning the same yarn after you've been shown the truth.

You said . . ."Baldwin is a flake, and he repeats the same junk that's now the accepted wisdom." And yet you do exactly the same thing does that make you a flake too?

As I have explained to you many times in the past the CIA funneled money to the Mujahideen through the Pakistani ISI. And alot of it was drug money, just like in the Iran Contra "affair".

Pakistan's ISI was used as a "go-between". The CIA covert support to the "jihad" operated indirectly through the Pakistani ISI, --i.e. the CIA did not channel its support directly to the Mujahideen. In other words, for these covert operations to be "successful", Washington was careful not to reveal the ultimate objective of the "jihad", which consisted in destroying the Soviet Union.

In the words of CIA's Milton Beardman "We didn't train Arabs". Yet according to Abdel Monam Saidali, of the Al-aram Center for Strategic Studies in Cairo, bin Laden and the "Afghan Arabs" had been imparted "with very sophisticated types of training that was allowed to them by the CIA" 6

CIA's Beardman confirmed, in this regard, that Osama bin Laden was not aware of the role he was playing on behalf of Washington. In the words of bin Laden (quoted by Beardman): "neither I, nor my brothers saw evidence of American help". 7

Motivated by nationalism and religious fervor, the Islamic warriors were unaware that they were fighting the Soviet Army on behalf of Uncle Sam. While there were contacts at the upper levels of the intelligence hierarchy, Islamic rebel leaders in theatre had no contacts with Washington or the CIA.

With CIA backing and the funneling of massive amounts of US military aid, the Pakistani ISI had developed into a "parallel structure wielding enormous power over all aspects of government". 8 The ISI had a staff composed of military and intelligence officers, bureaucrats, undercover agents and informers, estimated at 150,000.

When are you going to get it through your thick noggin that the CIA works for corporate interests and not the interest of U.S. citizens?

No problem Bro. Just doing my duty. The truth cannot set us free if we fail to recognize it. :smilewinkgrin:

 

You never cease to amaze me NS. You can look right at the proof that the CIA created and trained Al Qaeda and even agree with it then in the same sentence try and tell us that because the CIA used the ISI as a proxy in the creation of Al Qaeda the CIA didn't have a hand in it.

The whole jist of the matter is (and as history clearly shows) that the U.S. and UK governments have been using Islamic terrorists as proxy fighters in regime change "wars" since 1953. From Iran to Libya and back again to Iran if we count our support of the MEK terrorist organization in Iran to this day.

The "war on terror" is and has been one giant farce which anyone who does even a limited amount of (honest) research into it can see, well except for maybe the most ardent red white and blue flag wavers most of which seem to reside right here on BB.

This should be our national security slogan "we create and support international terrorists to combat international terrorism, hooah!".

 

Who was funding the ISI? The CIA. With our tax dollars and alot of drug money. You do know what drug money is right?

The very "non - evangelical" warmongers are a subject for another thread this one is dealing specifically with evangelical warmongers.

Report Identifies Organizational Nexus Of Islamophobia

A small group of inter-connected foundations, think tanks, pundits, and bloggers is behind the 10-year-old campaign to promote fear of Islam and Muslims in the U.S., according to a major investigative report released here Friday by the Center for American Progress (CAP).


The 130-page report, "Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America," identifies seven foundations that have quietly provided a total of more than 42 million dollars to key individuals and organizations that have spearheaded the nationwide effort between 2001 and 2009.

They include funders that have long been associated with the extreme right in the U.S., as well as several Jewish family foundations that have supported right-wing and settler groups in Israel.

The network also includes what the report calls "misinformation experts" – including Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy (CSP), Daniel Pipes of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum (MEF), Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, David Yerushalmi of the Society of Americans for National Existence, and Robert Spencer of Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) – who are often tapped by television news networks and right-wing radio talk shows to comment on Islam and the threat it allegedly poses to U.S. national security.

"Together, this core group of deeply intertwined individuals and organizations manufacture and exaggerate threats of ‘creeping Sharia’, Islamic domination of the West, and purported obligatory calls to violence against all non-Muslims by the Quran," according to the report whose main author, Wajahat Ali, described the group as "the central nervous system of the Islamophobia network."

"This small band of radical ideologues has fought to define Sharia as a ‘totalitarian ideology’ and legal-political-military doctrine committed to destroying Western civilization," the report said. "But a scholar of Islam and Muslim tradition would not recognize their definition of Sharia, let alone a lay practicing Muslim."

Nonetheless, the group’s messages receive wide dissemination by what the report calls an "Islamophobia echo chamber" consisting of leaders of the Christian Right, such as Franklin Graham and Pat Robertson, and some Republican politicians, such as presidential candidates Representative Michele Bachmann and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich.

CONTINUE . . .

From what I have witnessed here on BB y'all swallowed this particular brand of propaganda hook line and sinker and begged for seconds. Matter of fact this is one conspiracy theory all but a very few here loved to babble on and on about. I'd say the vast majority of you bought into it and became part of the "echo chamber" in thread after thread after thread. And to think you all call me a conspiracy theorist.


When it comes to believing in conspiracies I can't even hold a candle to you folks. So, what does that make you? Besides hoodwinked I mean.