It is not hard to convince a soldier of the reality of sin.
He recognizes that sin is at work in a world that necessitates war to maintain order. He, when humble, recognizes that sin is something at work within his own thoughts, words, and deeds. He will often engage in humorous practice of apologizing to the chaplain if he cusses in front of him, though the chaplain repeatedly says he doesn't care. Yet even that apology is an implicit acknowledgement that sin is not acceptable and will be accounted for.
But sin is not relegated to mere cuss words, lies, gossip, etc. It also doesn't belong simply to the normal catalog of common sexual sins today, such as promiscuity, homosexuality, pornography, etc. It belongs to the human condition. We must look past the idea that sin is simply a matter of what we do and acknowledge that it is a part of who we are. My symptoms reflect a greater disease.
This reality is a hard one to face for most people, including soldiers. If I am a sinner, then my lie cannot simply be wiped away by a generous act. Even if my good deeds could outweigh my bad deeds on balance (which they cannot--even our good deeds are like filthy rags before the Lord), they cannot atone for a nature that is fundamentally at war with the King.
While this is a hard reality, it also creates a humility and fundamental equality that allows for greater vulnerability (I know, a mouthful!). My sin is clearly evident to my soldiers. I am ashamed of it, and I will continue to grow, but I don't both trying to deny or excuse it. If I wrong someone, I try to apologize quickly. When I struggle, my soldiers will know I will be honest with them.
In these things, I try to uphold the truth that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of who I am the worst. But it is for this very reason that He came--that in me, the worst of sinners, He might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who might believe and have eternal life" (1 Tim. 1:15-16).
I am an idiot saved by grace and readily confess this fact. My soldiers appreciate this fact and are more honest and vulnerable with me as a result. They know that I do not believe myself better than them. I had a soldier once freely tell me, "Sir, I love pornography." He knew I wouldn't condemn him for his admission, but he also knew that I would ask him why and invite a healthy discussion.
If my soldiers know I am a sinner, then they are free to be sinners in front of the chaplain. In this way, I am dealing with real soldiers, rather than the dressed up personas often presented to the chaplain. I don't want Sunday School soldiers. I want sinners in my path and hope that by the grace of God, I can share with them the grace that saved me, the worst of sinners, and manifest my own sinful expression of that grace in the warm and gentle tone I take with them.
May God grant me the wisdom, humility, and honesty needed to undertake a calling much greater than me. My life is bound to my calling, and my calling is bound to my Savior.
28.6.13
26.6.13
Why I Am Not Concerned...
The ruling today does nothing to change the way I interact with my soldiers. I counsel soldiers with a variety of behaviors I decidedly disagree with, from the sexually promiscuous to the homosexual. And they are not the enemy. As a faithful pastor and friend has often explained, "There are those saved by grace and those who need to be saved by grace." We are united in a common depravity and I seek, by God's grace, to unite more in a common confession and celebration of the grace of Jesus Christ toward sinners.
On a broader note, the culture wars are over. I will still steadily argue for my point of view and vigorously oppose any attempt to chill free speech on this matter (as a matter of religious conscience and civil principle). That said, the demographic writing is on the wall. And the demographic changes are merely a reflection of a broader philosophical trend toward linguistic relativism, historicism, and irrationalism. Words have meaning, and those meanings help norm society and maintain civil discourse.
That said, the reality is that words have lost meaning in our society. Tradition and logic are casualties of an innate wave of American progressivism that has swept over all people, regardless of party, ideology, or religious preference. Whenever we belittle traditions or define truth and make appeals based on our experiences, we allow ourselves to be swept up in this wave.
The culture war is over and good riddance. Any hope of a renewed culture lies in the rich soil of a revitalized church. And a revitalized church is rooted in a Word that norms all other beliefs and calls them to account. I will never sound a retreat from civic participation and even activism, but simply hope that a dark day for civil society will carry in its wings a new day for the church of Jesus Christ.
On a broader note, the culture wars are over. I will still steadily argue for my point of view and vigorously oppose any attempt to chill free speech on this matter (as a matter of religious conscience and civil principle). That said, the demographic writing is on the wall. And the demographic changes are merely a reflection of a broader philosophical trend toward linguistic relativism, historicism, and irrationalism. Words have meaning, and those meanings help norm society and maintain civil discourse.
That said, the reality is that words have lost meaning in our society. Tradition and logic are casualties of an innate wave of American progressivism that has swept over all people, regardless of party, ideology, or religious preference. Whenever we belittle traditions or define truth and make appeals based on our experiences, we allow ourselves to be swept up in this wave.
The culture war is over and good riddance. Any hope of a renewed culture lies in the rich soil of a revitalized church. And a revitalized church is rooted in a Word that norms all other beliefs and calls them to account. I will never sound a retreat from civic participation and even activism, but simply hope that a dark day for civil society will carry in its wings a new day for the church of Jesus Christ.
24.6.13
Happy Occasions
As reality settles in and the soldiers make an uneasy peace with the months to come, they take pinpricks of light and bask in their glow.
The wife of one soldier had a baby last week and the command gracious allowed the soldier to go on an emergency leave to be with his wife and baby (he also has a toddler boy). The soldier sent me pictures from the hospital, where he stared peacefully out the window as his baby girl curled up on his stomach. When he came back, I told him that his baby girl is beautiful. He said, "No, she's perfect."
He has been all smiles the past few days. Everybody, despite their growing unease, has rejoiced with him.
Another one of my soldiers will be getting married by the justice of the peace in the next week. He wanted to know if I could participate (I can't because I have a date with a little lady and a baby!), but I suggested that if his wife-to-be gets here early, we hold an informal religious celebration of his upcoming marriage. If he can confirm this arrangement, then several soldiers are at the ready to help make preparations. The soldier is incredibly excited by the idea and told me that he will have an answer by tonight.
For many weeks now, we have all shared in each other's sorrows. We grieve the separation from families and the resulting hardships. Together we grieve; together we celebrate.
Love. Life. As we prepare to walk through the valley, these peaks become our points of nostalgia as well as our destination.
The wife of one soldier had a baby last week and the command gracious allowed the soldier to go on an emergency leave to be with his wife and baby (he also has a toddler boy). The soldier sent me pictures from the hospital, where he stared peacefully out the window as his baby girl curled up on his stomach. When he came back, I told him that his baby girl is beautiful. He said, "No, she's perfect."
He has been all smiles the past few days. Everybody, despite their growing unease, has rejoiced with him.
Another one of my soldiers will be getting married by the justice of the peace in the next week. He wanted to know if I could participate (I can't because I have a date with a little lady and a baby!), but I suggested that if his wife-to-be gets here early, we hold an informal religious celebration of his upcoming marriage. If he can confirm this arrangement, then several soldiers are at the ready to help make preparations. The soldier is incredibly excited by the idea and told me that he will have an answer by tonight.
For many weeks now, we have all shared in each other's sorrows. We grieve the separation from families and the resulting hardships. Together we grieve; together we celebrate.
Love. Life. As we prepare to walk through the valley, these peaks become our points of nostalgia as well as our destination.
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