Supplemental posting on the Social Gospel Blog, which has just been released on Substack.com
"Bombs Not Bread"; When World Peace and the Bible Are In Agreement
As People Struggle to Put Food On the Table, the Three Existing Super Powers Test Their Hyper-sonic Missiles
or: “Bombs Not Bread” by Rev. Paul J. Bern
(Matthew chapter 6, verses 25-27)
It is now official. The arms race between the 3 super-powers just got dialed up by a big notch or two. This past week, Communist China tested a hyper-sonic missile that is capable of speeds of Mach 5, or 5 times the speed of sound. It is likely that Russia and the US have these weapons too, they’re just being coy about it These weapons can travel faster than conventional radar can track them. This means we can’t hear them coming. Meaning, we could be the victims of a nuclear first strike while having no way to defend ourselves.
Ever since the 1940’s, the US has steadily built up its weapons arsenal to the point where America now has over 700 military bases scattered throughout the globe. Some would say that America’s arsenal is so formidable that no one would dare to attack us. But I would say it looks like the US military has presented our enemies with lots more targets to shoot at. Russia already has more than enough missiles to take out all 700 of those bases, and China will have similar capabilities before too long, if they’re not there already. America has been a warlike nation ever since it was founded in the 18th century, and lately those chickens have begun to come home and roost.
The Bible has a lot to say on behalf of peace and its benefits. It also has just as much to say about forgiveness and its benefits. In Proverbs 14: 30, King Solomon wrote, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones”. To me, a heart at peace is having a heart at peace with oneself. How can we ever hope to find peace in this violent world if we do not first have inner peace? In 1 Peter 3: 11 it says, “They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.” In order to remain in God’s favor, we must collectively pursue peace like a hunt for highly prized game, like a great safari into the wilderness of this marvelous earth on which we live. But the peace I am writing about cannot exist without forgiveness. If we can’t find it in our hearts to forgive someone, how can we ever hope to achieve peace and goodwill for the whole of humanity? Moreover, how can we ever hope to find forgiveness when we cannot, or will not, forgive ourselves for our own past mistakes? That’s why I say that peace, goodwill and forgiveness must first start from within ourselves.
Jesus taught us in John’s gospel “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14: 27) Fear and anguish are pointless. Everything will be fine, and all in good time. Jesus is in charge. Fear is pointless. Worrying is a waste of time. Jesus once remarked concerning worry, “25) “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26) Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27) Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matt. 6: 25-27)
The apostle Paul further remarked about this when he wrote, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 7) We cannot have peace when our country, the United States, is constantly in a state of readiness for war. Other countries look at America with a mixture of apprehension and loathing based on its prior record. America has manufactured an air of smug indifference that originates from Wall Street and from within the US military-industrial complex. America has the most firepower, and might makes right, according to many. But I do not count myself among that number. If we as Christians (or not, for that matter) want to become a truly peaceful people, we must first worship the Price of Peace, which is none other that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Finally, in Matthew. 5: 9, it reads, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” This is a quotation from the Sermon on the Mount. The full text of that portion of this sacred document can be found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. The first few lines read as follows: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5) Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, or they will be filled. 7) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matt. 5: 1-9)
We cannot continue as red blooded Americans to be warlike as we proclaim our love for God. We cannot continue to have the world’s largest military while simultaneously claiming to worship the Prince of Peace. Moreover, we cannot continue to be the world’s leader in human rights while having more people incarcerated than the rest of the world combined. Because of these glaring contradictions in American policy, the world is losing their trust with the US, and especially the military. So, if the US military doesn’t want to start a shooting war, we need to be the world’s leader in putting down our weapons. That would start with halting the development of these new hyper-sonic missiles. That, in turn, would start with being true worshipers of the Prince of Peace, and we’re not there yet.