24 May 2010
Insurgency and Counterinsurgency
OK, I'm back. I was in a class on counterinsurgency all last week, getting ready for my deployment next year. By the time I finally got home each evening I didn't have the energy to write a blog post. One random thought from the class was was the applicability to the Christian life. Metaphors abound that compare the Christian life and evangelism to military action. So, I wondered, is the Christian life more like insurgency, or counterinsurgency? On the one hand I thought it is like an insurgency: Satan is the Prince of this world and he holds the reigns of power from our perspective. We Christians are a minority and we are trying to undermine the legitimacy and power of the evil one. On the other hand, I considered that it might be more like a counterinsurgency. God is the legitimate sovereign government and Satan and his minions are the insurgency. Christians in this model are like a special forces team behind enemy lines, trying to win the hearts and minds of the population and restore governmental control. Of course, neither metaphor is perfect. If anyone is still reading this blog, which do you think fits better, and why?
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Craig,
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts: Both...we know how the story ends....."God wins." I am quoting your 2 word thoughts about the book of Revelation. It really made me stop to think for a moment and think about it.
Satan and his insurgents are after us and our family members every moment of our lives. The Bible is our manual for the counterinsurgency efforts. Putting on the full armor of God......
We need to make sure that we aren't afraid to get up and take a stand. Essentially sharing the reason for our hope. That is part of of my counterinsurgency effort.
A question that commonly comes up is, "why do bad things happen to good people." Is this part of the insurgency? What are your thoughts?
Thanks for your blog.
Thanks Roy. I think you are right. There are elements of both. Overall, though, I think we are in a counter-insurgency. God is the rightful king and Satan and his minions are the insurgency. Sometimes, locally, an insurgency can seem like the active government. We see that in Afghanistan with the Taliban setting up a shadow government in many provinces, hearing court cases, enforcing laws, etc. It is like that on this earth. The powers of this world seem like the functioning government. However, God is the only legitimate government. We Christians are the Special Forces teams behind enemy lines trying to re-establish God's rule. He will win in the end but in the meantime we each need to do our part.
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