Like many of you, I get a lot of e-junkmail. Today, I received an e-mail from, of all things, a local ‘Christian’ militia. While I would never doubt the conversion experience of anyone who professes to believe in the Jesus of Scripture (his original disciples certainly ranged in political and moral attitudes to say nothing of personalities) I am more than willing and able to use Scripture to point out inaccurate, immature (or perhaps self serving) doctrines.

The misguided fellow- believer wrote, “I will fight with you to protect all gun rights.” Really? What about, “Blessed are the peacemakers”? That’s not hard to understand, and it is NOT metaphoric for those who help people make peace with God through evangelism, as is often explained by believers who want to justify violence. What about, “Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword”? I know I have students who go hunting with their dads, and I have no problem with that. It’s refreshing to see a father / son (or daughter) relationship built on a common interest, even if it’s not an interest I share.

But my anonymous militiaman wasn’t speaking of guns in that context. As proof, I offer this quotation form the same e-mail: “I started this message by demonstrating the importance of Christian Patriots standing beside and working for the salvation of their unsaved Patriot brothers. I also made it clear that the enemy of both Patriots and Christians is one and the same, the government and it's brownshirt enforcers, regardless of whether they call themselves black panther, union enforcers, or FBI, CIA, BATF, or US Marshals.”

WOW!

Are there still black panthers?

The government is the enemy of Christians?

What happened to “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. There is no power but from God. The powers that be ARE ORDAINED BY GOD”? Does the writer of this ‘news’letter understand that the first century church thrived under a hostile Roman empire, including Caligula and the anti-Christ himself, Nero? Has he read the part of the Book where David, running for his life from King Saul, still refuses to kill him, but rather honors him whenever the opportunity arises? What happened to, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the princes, powers and principalities of the air (the spiritual realm.) .”

In other words, the true enemy - for someone who claims to believe Scripture at least - will never be Democrats, Republicans, the Taliban, Black Panthers (if they still exist) or even militias. The real enemy is true evil: selfishness, greed, racism, unforgiveness, and all the qualities -I would argue innate to us all in the form of original sin- that are contrary to the character of God.