Since 9/11/01 we've been hearing about "radicalized muslims" and how their sole intent is to kill 'infidels.' There has been a lot of talk about how Arabs are out to destroy the United States. And what had been rational Christian Americans began talking about the coming war with the Muslims and against those who want to annihilate Americans. But what I've been seeing and hearing is a bunch of "radicalized christians" who are guilty of the same talk and feelings they've been accusing muslims of. I talk to christians who are building up an arsenal to defend themselves, their family and their "country" but they're not talking about anything that's actually in The Bible. There is no talk of turning the other cheek, and if you mention it to them they'll tell you that Jesus did not mean to literally turn the other cheek. They go off into some justification of why they are allowed to kill muslims and Arabs and might even try to use scripture to make their point.
But, what is a "radicalized christian?" You'll note that I'm not capitalizing the C in the word christian for this post. Because I cannot bring myself to call someone a Christian who is not following the teachings of Christ. I cannot call them Christian when they're talking about hatred for God's children who don't believe or behave the way they think they should. Radicalized christians want to employ any means necessary to wipe out anyone who doesn't believe the way they do. Bombing buildings, killing people who don't believe they way they do and spewing hatred toward people who don't behave the way the radicalized think they should. They are no different than those "radicalized muslims" who are doing the same things. The oddest part of it all is that both groups are targeting some of the same people, yet they hate one another and will deny any common ground between them.
When did we start thinking that we can force people to be Christians? It's definitely not a new phenomena, I can tell you that. Back in the middle ages, the Catholic church burned people at the stake if they refused to accept the doctrine of that church. They declared war on peoples who were not willing to accept the teachings of the pope and follow the rules of Catholicism. So, what we're doing today isn't a new thing, it's just a rehashed version of what has been happening since the fifth or sixth century. And we have new targets today that the Church didn't worry about back in the middle ages. Not that the targets are "new," but people in the middle ages didn't go after those groups the way we do today, because today's church had to come up with a new enemy to fight after centuries of not being able to wipe out the non-Christian peoples of the world. Because the church seems to think we have to have a physical enemy to fight.
The Bible is clear that our enemy is not flesh and blood! Our enemy is the devil and his minions who are determined to knock us down and prevent us from truly believing and following the teachings of our Lord and Savior, Jesus! He has deceived the church into believing that it's the people who aren't like us that we have to fight because if we're fighting people we're not fighting him. And he has us convinced that we have to hold our earthly governmental entities in high esteem and fight for them to be number one and reigning over the whole earth. As for me, I am not a citizen of The United States of America, nor am I a citizen of planet Earth any longer. On 10 March 1985 I was born again and gained citizenship in the Kingdom of God whose king is Jesus of Nazareth. That's where my loyalties and my heart belong, not to the state of Tennessee or the United States. Yes, I live in this place but I'm no longer a citizen, I am now just passing through on my way Home. When we travel to distant places, we don't get involved in their politics and local governments because we're just strangers passing through so why should we be consumed with their regional or local goings on? We don't and we should be treating the kingdoms of this earth the same way: we're just passing through so why bother getting involved in their petty business?
This world is going to hell. There is no way to prevent it. There is no denying it. Jesus said it, John prophesied it and I believe it. The signs they gave that would signal the literal end of this world are all around us. One of the biggest prophesied events to signal the beginning of the end times was the call to rebuild and the re-establishment of the nation of Israel. If you aren't aware the nation of Israel was re-established on 14 May 1948. That was the day the countdown clock started for the return of Jesus, the rapture of the saints, the millennial reign of Christ on Earth, the final war between God and Satan and the ultimate day of judgment and reckoning. Now, we weren't given a time frame of how long it would take between the rebirth of Israel til the return of Jesus, but we were told that the generation that saw the rebirth would not pass away before Jesus returned. And that generation is losing members pretty quickly these days. So the return of our Savior cannot be much longer. And I, for one, want to be ready so that when that trumpet sounds my feet leave the ground and I fly away to meet Jesus in the clouds to begin eternity in the presence of Almighty God.
Maybe I'm the "radicalized" one these days, because I believe that The Holy Bible is God's Word and that what is written in that Book is the Truth and Map that will get me to that place in the clouds with Jesus. Because I believe that we are to love each and every person on this planet as we love ourselves and as we love God. Because I believe we are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give water to those who thirst, visit the sick and incarcerated and take care of the widows and orphans. I believe in doing good to those who wish me harm and I believe if someone smacks me on the right cheek I am to turn and offer the left cheek and not take up arms and try to destroy them. I believe that good will conquer evil. I believe beauty will overcome ugliness. I believe the lion will lie down with the lamb. I believe God is love and love is God. If that makes me a radical then so be it.
