Practical Solutions for Ending the War on Terror
by Douglas Phillips, Esq., May 28, 2004
Recognizing that terrorism, warfare, and national insecurity can be judgments that God brings upon disobedient people, the first mission of Christian Americans is to self-examine themselves and their practices in light of God’s Word. The greatest antidote to judgment is the favor of the Lord, which he promises to grant to those who humbly supplicate before him, repent and seek His favor. Rather than being an afterthought or a footnote in the sermons of our pastors, or the speeches of our President, a commitment to righteous public policy must be our first thought and our first commitment. With this in mind, the following practical steps are offered to end the war on terror.
What Our Leadership Can Do Today:
Our national leaders like President Bush need to publicly cry out to God for his mercy and His blessing on our nation. Instead of breaking the First Commandment by celebrating Ramadan in the White House as he did the other year [i], the President should use his legitimate biblical and constitutional authority as the moral leader of a nation consecrated to the One True God to encourage Christian Churches across America to lead their people in days of humiliation, fasting and prayer, that God would be merciful to the American people. During this time, the President should lead the example by seeking the Lord to forgive our nation for the perversions of abortion, homosexuality and sending women to die in combat. As part of this public repentance the President should commit to never fund, bless or advance these “abominations” through any of his policies or practices, knowing that they, more than 1000 Osama Bin Ladens, threaten the peace of our nation by challenging the Lord God. The same aggressive stance he has taken against Islamic terrorism, he should take against terror on the unborn and terror on the biblical family. If the President does these things, many will oppose him, but millions of others also will follow and love him. He will be the President responsible for ushering in an era of righteousness and blessing.
As Commander in Chief, the President and his State Department sets the policy for the military. As a professing Christian leader, the President should express genuine repentance over any contribution to the current acceptance of moral perversion through his perpetuation of Bill Clinton’s “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” regarding homosexuality. In his effort to be both political and “compassionate” he has refused to condemn homosexuality and has offered words of equivocation on the defining subject of the hour. Under his leadership, the military must once again make moral perversion the basis for discipline, expulsion and exclusion from the military. Second, the President must reverse the policy of sending our young girls (many of them single mothers) overseas to die in a theater of war. The Bible calls it an abomination (Deut 22:5) when a woman puts on the military clothing of a man, and so should our President. With every girl we send overseas to fight in the place of men provoke the Lord through our “abomination: and we invite judgment on our country, promote a culture that devalues and abuses women, and contribute to the searing of our national conscience. Third, our professing Christian President must publicly repent of giving ground to another “abomination” — homosexuality, through the statements of his administration giving public endorsement to the legalization of civil unions for sodomites. The implications of public endorsement by a professing Christian leader and Commander in Chief of our military, of legal rights for homosexuals, is far-reaching. The only truly compassionate stand is a zero-toleration stance.
What the Church Can Do Today:
Christians must take the advice of our first President, and rise above partisan politics. We must be willing to bless or confront leaders in any political party with the same objective standard — God’s Word. (See “Christ’s Sevant Standing At the Ballot Box”) If we love the President we will pray for him and also confront him. We will not turn a blind eye to moral compromise.
Christians (especially church leaders) should vigorously address the issue of women in the military by adopting position papers in opposition to the practice (see examples on our web site) and urging Christian women not to join the military. Furthermore, the issue of the female military and female registration for selective service must be a campaign issue in the 2004 elections. Refusal of a candidate to publicly oppose the subscription and drafting of our girls should be immediate grounds of disqualification for receiving the support of Christians at the ballot box.
Even if the secular world refuses to obey the laws of God, the Church must be faithful. This means that we need a plan. Christians must begin to prepare right now for the very real possibility that the next President, be he Republican or Democrat, will preside over a national conscription program pursuant to a draft, which will include our daughters. The time to be theologically centered on this issue is now, not when your eighteen year old daughter in pig tails is being shipped off to boot-camp for training as potential shrapnel fodder and rape victim for Muslim extremists in U.N. sponsored anti-terrorist “peacekeeping” missions. Christians can wait to the last moment possible to hold their “Christian” leaders accountable, at which point it will be too late, or they can draft position papers, make appeals, withhold votes, and publicly confront them now while there is still yet time. This means we must be honest about the state of the nation and the state of the Church. We must be consistent in holding all leaders, regardless of party affiliation, to God’s objective standard. We must hold those within the body of Christ accountable.
Imagine the impact on a nation of a leader turning to the Lord with humility and repentance! One man could turn so much around for our nation! One leader utterly sold out to Christ and following his Word would usher in an epoch of blessing and revival unparalleled in our history. Such a leader would truly lead us. And millions would follow him!
But what happens if politicians will not reverse engines before the looming iceberg in front of us? I remain more convinced than ever that the key to America’s success in the years to come is not the defeat of the wicked, but the defeat of wickedness within the Church. The time has come for a bit of humility and maturity on the part of American Christians. We must hold our leaders accountable, especially those who profess Christianity. We should hold ourselves accountable. We should know the difference between right and wrong, and never be afraid to speak the truth. Perhaps God will spare the city.
And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare [it] for the fifty righteous that were in it? “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who [am but] dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: “Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for [lack of] five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy [it.”] And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do [it] for the sake of forty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do [it] if I find thirty there.” And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy [it] for the sake of twenty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy [it] for the sake of ten.” So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place. (Genesis 18: 23-33)
Footnotes: The White House and Ramadan