Do You Remember, Remember Last Summer?

One of the most fascinating aspects of "God's Politics" has been Jim Wallis' argument against what he sees as the current U.S. attitude of empire and mission in the world. In particular, Wallis points out that we have drawn the struggle against terrorism in terms of stark absolutes.




The U.S. government continues to draw comparisons of "good vs. evil" and "light vs. darkness" between ourselves and Arab nations, when in reality, those dichotomies run through every human heart.

I do not say this to reduce the barbarity and heinous nature of terrorist acts that kill innocent civilians and bystanders, but we must be aware that all people around the world do not necessarily hate Americans and our way of life, but they do hate some of the policies of our government. Part of our political involvement as Christians must be to see "the plank in our own eye, before removing the speck from our neighbor's."

We must also be very cautious in proclaiming that "God is on our side and he has ordained our actions." In contrast, what if we were to ask, "How can we be on God's side? What is he doing in the world and how can I be a part of that work?"

Op-Ed Columnist David Brooks of the NY Times has an excellent column on how our understanding of those who become jihadists has changed since September 11.