Well, as of right now, Reverend Terry Jones is not going to burn the Quran. I am certainly pleased about that. I have not heard a single Christian in Tyler say, “Burn the Quran? What a great idea!”
I heard much talk last week about the lives of military men and women becoming more threatened. I heard renewed debate in some quarters about whether or not Christians could or should serve in the Armed Forces.
Of course, throughout history, there have been a number of Christians who have been pacifists or conscientious objectors. In the Restoration Movement, of which I am a part, there was a strain of believers who were pacifists. I have good friends today who are pacifists, and I respect them greatly. I also disagree with them, and I hope it is in a very agreeable way.
Today, I want to mention only one reason for my disagreement. I will do so in the form of a question, which I have never heard raised: can a Christian serve on the police force?
After all, throughout history, have there not been leaders and officers in police departments throughout the world who have been corrupt? Furthermore, are there not times when men and women in the police force are called upon to take the lives of other human beings? Is not an occasional byproduct of police action violence and the destruction to human beings and property?
I see many parallels between serving in the police department and serving in the military. Perhaps, those who see a difference between the two have good reasons for their beliefs. Perhaps, there are some who believe it is wrong for a Christian to serve in the police department AND in the military. Either way, I would be delighted to hear from you–either in comments on this blog or in a personal way such as email or Facebook.
Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)
1. I am ready to use my iPhone in my vehicles. Anybody found an effective means of doing so? I have yet to meet a person who is satisfied with the FM frequency option.
2. I am currently investigating whether or not Alex Barron is Phil Pozderac’s biological son.
3. I have never attended ACU’s Summit. The last time I was able to attend the old Lectureship was when we lived in West Texas in 2006. I am looking forward to attending Summit next week.
4. I am about to finish JUDE with my Sunday night audience. I am tempted to preach NUMBERS next.
5. The longer I think about it, the more I think it is essential that ETCA get its weight room running again for the athletes. I believe they are not as physically strong as last year. The school's new move has been good; and ETCA can continue to get better, which will in turn attract more students.
