{"id":13893,"date":"2016-04-12T20:02:20","date_gmt":"2016-04-12T19:02:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.watchmanmedia.org\/?p=13893"},"modified":"2016-10-10T19:41:36","modified_gmt":"2016-10-10T19:41:36","slug":"military-evangelical-complex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/?p=13893","title":{"rendered":"The Military-Evangelical Complex"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/2_Fort_Snelling_Looking_Southeast.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-14327\" src=\"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/2_Fort_Snelling_Looking_Southeast-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"2_Fort_Snelling_Looking_Southeast\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/2_Fort_Snelling_Looking_Southeast.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/2_Fort_Snelling_Looking_Southeast-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/2_Fort_Snelling_Looking_Southeast-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/2_Fort_Snelling_Looking_Southeast-320x240.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>There are evangelical Christians whom I love and respect. Nonetheless, it\u2019s time to face this: The military-evangelical complex is not just politically dangerous; it\u2019s a corruption of the Judeo-Christian tradition and thus of Western Civilization itself.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Definition<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Let\u2019s start by defining this clearly: <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.freemansperspective.com\/christianity-and-war\/\" target=\"_blank\">The military-evangelical complex<\/a><\/span> is an intricate partnership between the US government and thousands of churches, typically evangelical. These churches support and glorify government-authorized violence. Their messages to their members are clear: To enforce laws is noble and righteous; to bleed on a foreign battlefield is godly; the US military is a great force of goodness upon Earth; America, manifested especially through military action, is God\u2019s special tool.<\/p>\n<p>Every American past high-school age should recognize this description, but to be clear, here are a few exemplary images:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is announced in church that Johnny has joined the military. He is asked to stand and is heartily applauded by all.<\/li>\n<li>Memorial Day church services (or Veteran\u2019s Day or July 4<sup>th<\/sup>) feature dedicated sermons and proud displays of flags and uniforms. There is effusive praise for soldiers, casting them as godly heroes.<\/li>\n<li>Military-themed ceremonies are held before every major sporting event.<\/li>\n<li>Children are encouraged to choose \u201cservice\u201d as a life plan; if not in war, at least enforcing state laws.<\/li>\n<li>Enacting violence on behalf of the state is certain to get you public praise and pats on the back.<\/li>\n<li>Government-ordered violence is prejudged to be good and right.<\/li>\n<li>Funerals include the ritual touching of flags by military veterans.<\/li>\n<li>Churches promote slogans like, \u201cJesus died to save us; soldiers die to keep us free.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Rituals of saluting flags, singing anthems, and thanking soldiers for \u2018service\u2019 are obligatory.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s be honest about this. Military service has become a sacrament in these churches; soldiers are the new missionaries, and wounded soldiers are the new martyrs.<\/p>\n<p>And let\u2019s be honest about something else: If we found records of such things in ancient inscriptions, we\u2019d define them as the rituals of a military cult\u2026 and we would not be wrong.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>How Did This Happen?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>It happened because it was the easiest thing to do.<\/p>\n<p>Christianity, however, was never meant to be easy. Not only did early Christians risk serious persecutions, but Jesus had warned them that \u201call men will hate you for my sake,\u201d that they would be persecuted, and that they would \u201csuffer for righteousness\u2019s sake.\u201d A follower of Jesus is supposed to lead mankind \u201cinto the light,\u201d thus angering those who remain in darkness. (\u201cHe that dwells in darkness hates the light\u2026.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>Most Christians, however, don\u2019t want to suffer and don\u2019t want to be hated. On top of that, leading mankind into the light is hard work. Alternatives to such things \u2013 easier ways \u2013 have always been popular.<\/p>\n<p>And so, joining with the state \u2013 the biggest and most powerful entity \u2013 is the safest thing to do; once joined, no suffering and no hatred are required. And to gain that position, all you have to do is spin a theology that makes church-state partnership into a righteous thing.<\/p>\n<p>Christians began making such arrangements just a few centuries after Jesus\u2019s time. The Middle Ages had their versions, and modern times have theirs. And right now, among the most vocal advocates of Christianity, we have a military-evangelical complex.<\/p>\n<p>And we all know what has supercharged this process over the past decade and a half: 9\/11.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.freemansperspective.com\/truth-about-war-heroes\/\" target=\"_blank\">In a single day, people in uniforms were promoted into a new Hero caste.<\/a> <\/span>Minds stewing in fear skipped right past contrary facts and the lessons they had learned in the 1970s. (The Pentagon Papers, the Church Committee reports, the Gulf of Tonkin, etc.)<\/p>\n<p>All of this gave Christian leaders an immediate opportunity to fill their pews and keep them full. So they jumped at it. Presently, they are clinging to it. Military leaders jumped at it too and have spent millions of dollars promoting it, notably at sporting events.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>We Were Warned<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>There is a great deal more to say about this, and I am tempted to ramble on about the military-evangelical complex inverting the most fundamental elements of the Judeo-Christian tradition, how it turns government into an agent of sanctification, and how the Scriptures condemn it. But I shall not. I\u2019ve made my point and I will leave it where it stands, adding only this:<\/p>\n<p>As he was stepping down from the US presidency in 1961, Dwight Eisenhower warned about this. He talked about the threats of \u201can immense military establishment,\u201d that it was \u201cnew in the American experience,\u201d and that Americans \u201cmust not fail to comprehend [the] grave implications\u201d of this \u201ctotal influence \u2013 economic, political, even spiritual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And yes, this was the speech where he warned Americans to \u201cguard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence\u2026 by the military-industrial complex.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.freemansperspective.com\/eisenhower-was-right-the-military-industrial-complex-has-deformed-american-christianity\/\" target=\"_blank\">But, like all the great warnings of history, Eisenhower\u2019s were flatly ignored.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>It was the easiest thing to do.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Copyright 2016 <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.freemansperspective.com\/military-evangelical-complex\/\" target=\"_blank\">Freeman\u2019s Perspective<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Photo courtesy: <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_national_cemetery\" target=\"_blank\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-bottom-left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F13893&print=pdf\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-pdf\" target=\"_blank\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/pdf.png\" alt=\"image_pdf\" title=\"View PDF\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F13893&print=print\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_blank\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are evangelical Christians whom I love and respect. Nonetheless, it\u2019s time to face this: The military-evangelical complex is not just politically dangerous; it\u2019s a corruption of the Judeo-Christian tradition and thus of Western Civilization itself. Definition Let\u2019s start by defining this clearly: The military-evangelical complex is an intricate partnership between the US government and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":14327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13893","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-opinion","8":"wp-image-borders","9":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/2_Fort_Snelling_Looking_Southeast.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4bgnN-3C5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13893"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15526,"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13893\/revisions\/15526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchmanmedia.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}