Pacifism and the Family

A recent post on TMB led me to wonder what you all believe about pacifism and the family. Not "how you feel" about it, but rather "what you believe" about it.

What got me started was that several women were writing that they expected their big, strong husbands to kill someone to protect them. While this has a certain savage appeal to it, it strikes me as a most unscriptural burden to place upon a man. If a man loves his wife as Christ loves the church, then he will do everything to protect her, right up to and including sacrificing his own life for her. But will he violate the command "You shall not kill?" I don't believe I could do it, nor should I, nor should my wife expect this of me.

I admit that I have lived a very safe life, and haven't been so challenged. But I heard an interview with a Christian missionary last year on the Dallas Theological Seminary podcast site, in which he described the awful decision to enter a hostile and dangerous missionary field after he had already started a family. He met with his family and they agreed that even to the point of death, they would share the love of Christ with these people, that they were not entitled to protect their lives. Their reasoning included that they are not entitled to kill; their life here is temporary anyway; they are saved and the other people are not; if they die they will go to heaven, but if they kill the other person will go to hell; and the like.

I don't think this is as simple as some of the posters on TMB were presenting it. I'm glad they feel secure in the presence of their big, strong husbands, but I am concerned that they put a most un-Christlike burden on him by expecting him to kill for them.

I'd be interested in discussing this -- and not from a perspective of feelings and traditions, but rather from a perspective of teaching and Scripture.

Mr. Rkt

US Economy

What caused the problems? How can we fix it?

I'm sick of voting

I know. How un-American is that?

It is just that it feels like picking between the lesser of two evils. Both parties have stances that I like, and stances that I don't like.

I have a friend who cracks me up with their statement, "I'm too Liberal for Christians and too Christian for Liberals." This poor soul catches it from both groups.

It just does not seem fair. There's not a happy choice, imo.

I will vote, but at this point I'm thinking of flipping a coin.

Off-Shore Drilling

Pros? Cons?

The Pulpit Initiative

From this site:

"The Pulpit Initiative is a legal effort designed to protect the First Amendment rights of pastors in the pulpit. As part of the effort, pastors participating in Pulpit Freedom Sunday on Sunday, September 28, 2008, will deliver to their congregations sermons of their own that apply Scripture to the subject of candidates for government office. The sermons are intended to restore a pastor’s right to speak freely from his pulpit without fearing censorship or punishment by the government. By standing together and speaking with one voice, it is our hope to recapture the rightful place of pastors and churches in American life."

Thoughts?

2008 National Election

Have at it! All of the stuff you can't talk about over on the main boards.

Polygamy/polyandry

Should polygamy/polyandry be legal? Why or why not?