Pastoral Note Concerning the War in Israel

Like many of you, I have been unsettled to see the reports from Israel about bombings, retaliation, the destruction of homes, the deaths of innocent civilians, and most especially, the targeting of infants and children. The reports suggesting that terrorists may have intentionally killed infants in a gruesome attack painfully echo the murder of innocents around the birth of Jesus, a Jewish peasant, as reported in Matthew 2. Jesus's own ministry prioritized the care and protection of children (Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17).

War is its own confession of sin. It is an admission that isolation, aggression, disregard, and victimization have reached such levels as to cause the membrane of control to rupture and unleash intentional destruction of life. I join with others in praying for peace and that those who have unleashed atrocities on the innocents will be brought to justice.

I am also aware that, from my vantage point, it would be irresponsible to offer analysis or to pretend to know how this violent conflict should be resolved. However, I believe we need to stay connected and engaged. We cannot micromanage the specific of US foreign policy. However, as citizens of the United States, we have more power to influence national policy and diplomatic patterns than we acknowledge. I pray that we advocate with wisdom and for wisdom, justice, and toward the goals of peace. Our General Minister and President frequently reminds us to “stay at the Table.” She means stay at the Lord’s Table, to be sure, but she also means staying at the tables where our voice can be heard.

I will admit that my attention is more often drawn to problems near at hand than to crises abroad. We have witnessed the rise of antisemitism, bigotry, and Neo-Nazism here in Texas. Chilling pictures of protestors at a Dallas synagogue wearing khaki clothing resembling German soldiers and donning swastikas have deeply concerned us. I have borne witness to protests at an inclusive congregation by people who were unwilling to engage in dialogue first. I have also heard about similar manifestations of Neo-Nazi and other overtly white-supremacist demonstrations at congregations and businesses. It is possible that the rise of such non-violent but traumatizing demonstrations of hatred fuels violence on the other side of the world or is fueled by violence toward Israel. It could be that these phenomena are sad, mere coincidences. Whatever the trajectory may be, when a historically oppressed people who have survived one attempted genocide within the last 100 years, experienced attack upon attack for 3000 years, remained a light to the nations despite intense persecution, and is the nation of origin for our own Lord and Savior, experiences threats of attacks at home and actual attacks abroad, people of Christian faith ache to see the justice of their cause rise like the sun.

My faith is informed by the Swiss Theologian Paul Tillich, who described sin as separation. Sin is the false perception (lie) that we are separated from God and by extension, separated from one another. Many of the sins that punctuate our day-to-day existence are manifestations of this deeper sense of separation. We proclaim the Good News that God has acted in Christ to bridge the separation, and as we receive this promise of reconciliation, we are simultaneously called to receive God's call to be servants of reconciliation.

I believe my role is to speak to the Christian Church in the Southwest more than I speak for the CCSW. As a pastor, I urge us to pray. Prayer is not an isolated response to tragedy and violence. It is where people of faith begin, and it is our companion along the way. Prayers of praise await us as we journey toward the future God envisions.

It is important to combine prayers with information. I remind you that our Disciples and Ecumenical ministry partners are present in Israel, Gaza, and throughout the region. We should seek information from as broad a set of sources as we can find, but we should be particularly attentive to those who serve there as our representatives and as extensions of our commitment to the Gospel.

Finally, I ask that we reclaim the language of repentance. Our human impulse is to assign blame, pronounce judgment, and condemn. My experience is that these tools rarely construct anything helpful and usually succeed only in fueling greater alienation. A call to repentance points people to live by standards drawn from God’s character. A call to repentance acknowledges our own role in generating the problems that plague us. And calls to repentance are born out of hope that people can change and convert our swords into plowshares.