Freedom and Force
2nd Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Lina and I returned on Sunday from Washington D.C. The reason we were in our nation's Capitol was to attend her Aunt's funeral in Arlington National Cemetery (she was married to a military man who had passed away about ten years ago). This was the first time I had visited Arlington National Cemetery. The service was quick...the staff at the cemetery approach their duties with machine-like precision. Besides the GPS taking us to the entrance of Ft. Myers, where I had to execute a fairly complex U turn with some other letters thrown in (and) all of the inhabitants of the car having to produce I.D., the funeral was so perfunctory and orderly that it almost seemed like it diminished Lina's Aunt's life in a way. I was almost expect to hear "Next" like some fast food place...
While we were in D.C., we visited the Holocaust Museum. In light of the recent tragedy there, it was particularly poignant to visit. The Hall of Remembrance, with an eternal flame sitting atop what looked to be a marble rectangular box which contains dirt from each of the 38 Concentration Camps, was a solemn site. According to a blog I read, remains of the victims of the camps along with American serviceman who liberated them, were placed in the box by Holocaust survivors.
Earlier in the day, before visiting the Holocaust Museum, we spent some time at the World War II Memorial. There I read the following quote from George C. Marshall:
"We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand and of overwhelming force on the other."
It was fitting, but not intentional, that the World War II and the Holocaust Museum were visited in tandem during the same day. It is very clear that without American involvement in WW II, the National Socialists (Nazi's) in Germany would have triumphed.
We have a real tendency to view liberty as something oriented along the lines of freedom and autonomy. It does not seem a good pairing to match freedom with the idea of overwhelming force."Overwhelming force" seems totalitarian and fascistic. Somehow "overwhelming force" has deeply negative connotations.
When I worked with juvenile delinquents over 20 years ago at the start of my professional career as a teacher and a counselor, I came to see that a lot of the inner city young men's experiences were that the "strong" men in their communities, the ones that people feared, were the criminals...the pimps, the thieves, the rapists, and the drug dealers. Few of these kids feared the police or the older men who acted responsibly. One of my goals in working with these boys was to show them, through both a high degree of caring and high degree of whup-ass confrontation, that I could be both sensitive and strong.
I used to put my hand on their shoulder when addressing a matter of concern with them and ask them the question, "We can go one of two ways here. I can either mess you up, throw you up against the wall, get in your face, and we can dance OR you can accept my confrontation and accountability, and we can talk this through. The choice is yours." They knew that I was not playing.
More often than not, except for the hardheads, the kids accepted approach number two because they knew that I was more than capable of executing option number one. They knew not to take 'My kindness for weakness." Or, if they did, I would issue a reminder. My philosophy of extreme force and offering freedom was not a compromise at all. Both were fully-loaded options that I could employ at any time considering how the young man was responding. It took a while for me to develop this posture. When I first started to work there, I was a pushover in dire need of a remedial class in street smarts and non-Suckerism and in projecting authority. Then, I went too far the other way. I was quick to assert my authority, without measure (incrementally and intelligently) to the situation at hand. I lost my cool and acted like a nutcase.
Neither approach worked...one let the kids get over (non-confrontational), the other (non-caring) alienated the kids. Both positions created more rebellion.
When I resigned my position at the Reform school, we had our usual "townhouse meeting" with the 60 or so kids in our unit and staff. When I announced to the kids that I was leaving, one of the boys spoke. He said, "Eric, we are going hold a party for you." I asked, "Who?" He said, 'The kids in the unit." He was speaking on behalf of the other kids, too. He was a leader and I took his words as confirmation that my approach of giving the boys choices before executing my response was appreciated and acknowledged.
People who put "No More War" up in their yards may have a reasonable grievance with how and why the U.S. got embroiled in Iraq. But, if they are making a general statement about war, then I would have to ask them: "Should not have the U.S. intervened in World War II?" Should we have really let the Nazi's kill the remaining 1/3 of Jewry (and only God knows, how many others)?" Hitler would have taken your stupid sign, ripped it in half, and sent a Panzer tank to your front yard to blow your kith and kin into kibble bits, and then feasted on your remains. Oh, I forgot, Hitler was a vegetarian. You might accept that consequence but don't be naive and count on mercy from the merciless.
I have a deep respect for pacifists and the peace churches...the ones that make the choice for themselves (and themselves only) that they would rather die than take up the sword. That is an individual's right. However, as a philosophy of the state and civil government, it is utopian and not supported by the Scriptures. Peace will only come to this broken world when God's overwhelming force comes down in the Second Coming of Christ (opposite of the month of March, first a Lamb, last as a Lion).
Also, in the Hall of Remberance, was a quote from the Old Testament.
It is from Deuteronomy 4:9:
"Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children."
What is neglected is a reminder of what would happen to the Israelites if they did forget the Lord and His mighty hand (verse 26):
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall utterly perish from off the land."
Does it need to be said, do we really want a backhand from God? Are we that insolent?
But then God puts His hand upon their and our shoulders, verse 29:
"But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and soul."
Let us marvel at both the Freedom and Force of God this July 4.
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Lina and I returned on Sunday from Washington D.C. The reason we were in our nation's Capitol was to attend her Aunt's funeral in Arlington National Cemetery (she was married to a military man who had passed away about ten years ago). This was the first time I had visited Arlington National Cemetery. The service was quick...the staff at the cemetery approach their duties with machine-like precision. Besides the GPS taking us to the entrance of Ft. Myers, where I had to execute a fairly complex U turn with some other letters thrown in (and) all of the inhabitants of the car having to produce I.D., the funeral was so perfunctory and orderly that it almost seemed like it diminished Lina's Aunt's life in a way. I was almost expect to hear "Next" like some fast food place...
While we were in D.C., we visited the Holocaust Museum. In light of the recent tragedy there, it was particularly poignant to visit. The Hall of Remembrance, with an eternal flame sitting atop what looked to be a marble rectangular box which contains dirt from each of the 38 Concentration Camps, was a solemn site. According to a blog I read, remains of the victims of the camps along with American serviceman who liberated them, were placed in the box by Holocaust survivors.
Earlier in the day, before visiting the Holocaust Museum, we spent some time at the World War II Memorial. There I read the following quote from George C. Marshall:
"We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand and of overwhelming force on the other."
It was fitting, but not intentional, that the World War II and the Holocaust Museum were visited in tandem during the same day. It is very clear that without American involvement in WW II, the National Socialists (Nazi's) in Germany would have triumphed.
We have a real tendency to view liberty as something oriented along the lines of freedom and autonomy. It does not seem a good pairing to match freedom with the idea of overwhelming force."Overwhelming force" seems totalitarian and fascistic. Somehow "overwhelming force" has deeply negative connotations.
When I worked with juvenile delinquents over 20 years ago at the start of my professional career as a teacher and a counselor, I came to see that a lot of the inner city young men's experiences were that the "strong" men in their communities, the ones that people feared, were the criminals...the pimps, the thieves, the rapists, and the drug dealers. Few of these kids feared the police or the older men who acted responsibly. One of my goals in working with these boys was to show them, through both a high degree of caring and high degree of whup-ass confrontation, that I could be both sensitive and strong.
I used to put my hand on their shoulder when addressing a matter of concern with them and ask them the question, "We can go one of two ways here. I can either mess you up, throw you up against the wall, get in your face, and we can dance OR you can accept my confrontation and accountability, and we can talk this through. The choice is yours." They knew that I was not playing.
More often than not, except for the hardheads, the kids accepted approach number two because they knew that I was more than capable of executing option number one. They knew not to take 'My kindness for weakness." Or, if they did, I would issue a reminder. My philosophy of extreme force and offering freedom was not a compromise at all. Both were fully-loaded options that I could employ at any time considering how the young man was responding. It took a while for me to develop this posture. When I first started to work there, I was a pushover in dire need of a remedial class in street smarts and non-Suckerism and in projecting authority. Then, I went too far the other way. I was quick to assert my authority, without measure (incrementally and intelligently) to the situation at hand. I lost my cool and acted like a nutcase.
Neither approach worked...one let the kids get over (non-confrontational), the other (non-caring) alienated the kids. Both positions created more rebellion.
When I resigned my position at the Reform school, we had our usual "townhouse meeting" with the 60 or so kids in our unit and staff. When I announced to the kids that I was leaving, one of the boys spoke. He said, "Eric, we are going hold a party for you." I asked, "Who?" He said, 'The kids in the unit." He was speaking on behalf of the other kids, too. He was a leader and I took his words as confirmation that my approach of giving the boys choices before executing my response was appreciated and acknowledged.
People who put "No More War" up in their yards may have a reasonable grievance with how and why the U.S. got embroiled in Iraq. But, if they are making a general statement about war, then I would have to ask them: "Should not have the U.S. intervened in World War II?" Should we have really let the Nazi's kill the remaining 1/3 of Jewry (and only God knows, how many others)?" Hitler would have taken your stupid sign, ripped it in half, and sent a Panzer tank to your front yard to blow your kith and kin into kibble bits, and then feasted on your remains. Oh, I forgot, Hitler was a vegetarian. You might accept that consequence but don't be naive and count on mercy from the merciless.
I have a deep respect for pacifists and the peace churches...the ones that make the choice for themselves (and themselves only) that they would rather die than take up the sword. That is an individual's right. However, as a philosophy of the state and civil government, it is utopian and not supported by the Scriptures. Peace will only come to this broken world when God's overwhelming force comes down in the Second Coming of Christ (opposite of the month of March, first a Lamb, last as a Lion).
Also, in the Hall of Remberance, was a quote from the Old Testament.
It is from Deuteronomy 4:9:
"Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children."
What is neglected is a reminder of what would happen to the Israelites if they did forget the Lord and His mighty hand (verse 26):
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall utterly perish from off the land."
Does it need to be said, do we really want a backhand from God? Are we that insolent?
But then God puts His hand upon their and our shoulders, verse 29:
"But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and soul."
Let us marvel at both the Freedom and Force of God this July 4.
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