Posted on by Abe Austin

Us vs Them- Uncompromised Principles

Unsafe Discipleship)

In my last post I pointed out the inherent imbalance between those who engage in broad “us vs them” thinking, and those who treat everyone as individuals. Those who will persecute, abuse, and kill on the basis of identity alone will always be able to attack sooner than those who wait to see the true colors of another. The bigot can assume the offensive, while the just must begin on the defense.

It is the classic dilemma in Old Westerns. The unprincipled scoundrel has no problem shooting a man in the back, whereas the lawman requires evidence of lethal intent before returning in kind. Thus, the villain always gets to draw first, and the hero must catch up from behind.

This is but one example of a truth that we would all do well to remember. Virtuous and principled living is not safe. It is, and always has been, inherently dangerous. Perhaps we were raised in a special window of time where much of our society was virtuous, and so the imbalance of so living was not so clear. But this was the exception, and now we are seeing the rule restored. It is the pattern of history that those who act honestly and in congruence with their better nature are living with a handicap. This is not a flaw in the system, it is a simple reality, one that weeds out the fair-weather disciple from the one who holds true in all seasons.

I have noted the changing tides of society today, and the return of this hard truth. If we are going to be virtuous and principled and just, let us be so with a clear understanding of the dangers that are increasing day-by-day with that. Refusing to engage in the “us vs them” way of thinking is the right way to live, but also it is the dangerous way to live. we must accept both of those together, or not at all.

The Way of the Peacemaker)

Here at the end, I want to make one thing clear. I am not saying that the just man cannot use violence, that he cannot neutralize a threat once he is aware of it, that he cannot strike out against those who have already made their position clear.

It is not immoral to protect ourselves, even unto bloodshed (Alma 43:47), but it is immoral to be the first aggressor simply because we think someone might be violent towards us if given the chance. In dangerous times, this is what it means to be a peacemaker. It means that you do not ever initiate the violence, but that when the violence has begun, you overcome it quickly and efficiently.

I know that I am acknowledging dark ideas in this post. But presenting the real dangers and the real fears that will lead some to abandon their principles is not meant to cause discouragement or cynicism. It is meant to allow for true courage, which is only possible when we understand the real dangers before us, the real sacrifice that may come of maintaining our conscience, and with that full knowledge still do what is right anyway. The way of virtue is not an easy one, but may we all embrace that path.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 32:17-18

17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

Back when Moses had ascended the mountain, we were told that his minister, Joshua, accompanied him. So now Joshua met Moses along the way down the mountain, reporting that he had already heard a tumult coming up from the valley down below. Joshua assumed that it was the noise of a battle, Moses, however, heard the notes of a song.

These verses are describing the noises of two types of trouble. In fact, it is the two fundamental types of trouble that are the source of all of our problems, both individually and collectively. There is the trouble of a foreign attack, outside sources seeking our destruction and causing us harm. Then there is the trouble of deliberate disobedience, the idolatry and revelry that we inflict upon ourselves. One sounds like discordant chaos, the other like patterned notes of blasphemy.

No wonder Joshua thought he heard the sounds of the first, for persecution inflicted upon the Israelites had been the pattern for many years. But now the nature of Israel’s trouble was changing. It was shifting from an external enemy to an internal one, and Moses was perceiving that change already.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Loving Your Enemy vs Renouncing Evil- God’s Judgment

The Old Testament gives accounts of the people of Israel being an extension of the Lord to bring judgment and condemnation upon the pagan nations of Canaan. It also gives accounts of them going to war when not as an extension of the Lord, and suffering disastrous results.

As an example of the first we have God instructing the Israelites to circle the city of Jericho, following a very precise ritual that resulted in the walls of the city collapsing to the ground. The Israelites charged in and won a tremendous victory that day. As an example of the second we have the Israelites going up to battle with the Philistines with the Ark of the Covenant in 1 Samuel 4. God had not commanded them to go up to this fight, and as a result Israel lost 30,000 footmen, were forced to retreat, and the Ark of the Covenant was lost to their enemies.

I think in these opposing examples there is a lesson for when we should battle with the enemies of the church, and when we should hold our peace. We must always remember that we are the foot-soldiers and God is the general. This is His fight to fight. It is up to Him to decide when the field is right for battle and when it isn’t. The choice is His, not ours. Our duty is simply to obey. In both of the stories, the Israelites were willing to fight the Lord’s enemies, the difference was that the time to do so was right in the first instance, and not in the second.

As you see the enemies of God’s kingdom throwing their insults and barbs at the walls of the church, claiming victories and taking souls as they go, you may feel a great desire to leap into the fray, tearing them down in similar manner. But it is imperative to ask yourself, has God actually called you to fight that fight? And has He called you to fight that fight right now?

Having the courage and the desire to fight for God’s kingdom is, in-and-of-itself, a good thing, but it must be bounded by God’s will for when and how. Wage the right war when the time is right to do so, and in the meantime hold the line and be faithful.