Civil Wars & Burning Bridges

Photo from here

Romans 3:4

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

In much of the culture wars (Red vs. Blue) rather than the Blue vs. Gray of the Civil War, both sides appropriate Jesus on their side, much as did the South and the North. I think it is wise to step back and first consider what Lincoln said on such sentiments: "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

Although Lincoln was not a Christian in the traditional sense--he rarely invoked Jesus's name, doubted the afterlife, did not consistently attend church--his comment is transcendent. And reflects a humility that is rare. As the Civil War ground on, a conflict that neither side imagined would last and become as horrific as it did in terms of casualties and cost, it would have easy for Lincoln to gin up on religion for propaganda purposes.

Instead, as time went on, Lincoln's spirituality deepened and his assessments of the sins of both the South and North were acknowledged. True, Lincoln was ambivalent about Slavery at the start of the Civil War. He thought Slavery detestable, but also was pretty doubtful about Negroes intelligence and equality. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was more based on political calculation than moral conviction.  He was much more concerned about saving the Union. As time went on though, he recognized the inherent wickedness of Slavery unequivocally and without reservation and qualification.

Here in Columbia, Pa., I am a couple of miles away from the remnants of the bridge that the Union burned on the Susquehanna River to keep the Confederacy from invading eastern Pennsylvania with the goals being Harrisburg, Philadelphia and ultimately Washington  D.C. To take the war onto Northern soil and into their souls and break the back of the Union's will to fight and to turn public opinion against the war in the Northern States.  Gettysburg, as a result--west of the river--became the battleground instead.

It is popularly said that one should never burn a bridge and generally that is good counsel. But, there are times where a bridge must be burned yet we must be extremely vigilant that this is the last option rather than the first or even the second or third. There are moral and ethical lines in the Scripture that cannot be crossed and bridges must be burned and the stand has to happen.

Let God decide the victor in the battle. The very Supreme Court, which is now the Imperial Judiciary, has been wrong much in its prior decisions. And it has been right. Good to know that God is always right.

  








Slavery for the evil that it was