'we Need An Army Motivated By Love Not Hate To Sweep Across The Uk' Says Guitarist...

[Johnboy60]

'WE NEED AN ARMY MOTIVATED BY LOVE NOT HATE TO SWEEP ACROSS THE UK' SAYS GUITARIST WITH THE BRITISH GROUP, DELIRIOUS?

He says the band was at Heathrow Airport when the bombs went off in London.

ANAHEIM, CA (ANS) -- The guitarist with the British Christian group, Delirous? says that British Christians need to react with love not hate to the July 7 London suicide bombings that claimed at least 54 victims.

Speaking before going on stage on the first night of Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusade at Angel Stadium, Anaheim, on Friday, July 15, Stuart Garrard (Stu G) said, “I think all you can do is pray and live as a light for Jesus and just get there into the communities and serve and love people because it is time for an army that is motivated by love to rise and sweep across the UK rather than one motivated by hate.”

The goateed guitarist said that he was with the band at Heathrow Airport when the explosions took place waiting to board a flight to Scandinavia.


http://www.assistnews.net/ansarticle.asp?URL=Stories/s05070063.htm

 

[neverforsaken]

well.....isnt that "special"

 

[Cjwinnit]

Hippies? In Britain?

 

[Reggs]

I honestly dont understand the thinking of liberals.

 

[RagingPumpkin]

I honestly dont understand the thinking of liberals.

A desire for love to prevail in their native land rather than hatred makes them "liberals"?

 

[Quijote]

How about "love of Country"?

btw, Happy B-day Robert43

 

[Gunny]

Poor deluded flower children, lol.

 

[MidnightBlue]

A desire for love to prevail in their native land rather than hatred makes them "liberals"?

Now you understand.

 

[dkara]

Poor deluded flower children, lol.

Exactly, why should they put any worth to..."
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28).

And
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

Silly Bible hippisms!

 

[Duke of Marlborough]

Exactly, why should they put any worth to..."
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28).

And
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

Silly Bible hippisms!

Those verses are for individual Christian behavior, not the behavior of nations.

Here is the relevant verse for how the nation ought to react:

• For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil. - Romans 13:4 (KJV)

 

[Maynard Keenan]

He asked for CHRISTIANS, not the governmnet, to respond with love. I don't understand the thinking of Christians who think its ok to have a hate filled heart.

 

[dkara]

Those verses are for individual Christian behavior, not the behavior of nations.

Here is the relevant verse for how the nation ought to react:

• For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil. - Romans 13:4 (KJV)

I doubt JC would mind if a heathern or two took these words to heart also.

So nations that claim to be Christian as ours has lately--should respond with with loving their enemies.

 

[Duke of Marlborough]

So nations that claim to be Christian as ours has lately--should respond with with loving their enemies.

Nations cannot be "Christian" by definition. A Christian is someone who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ, an impossibility for a nation. However, a nation CAN be made up of Christians or have been started by Christians.

God does not command nation-states to love its enemies, He commands them to protect their citizens.

 

[David Brider]

Nations cannot be "Christian" by definition. A Christian is someone who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ, an impossibility for a nation. However, a nation CAN be made up of Christians or have been started by Christians.

God does not command nation-states to love its enemies, He commands them to protect their citizens.

However, if a nation is made up of Christians, then is it possible for the individuals within that nation to have love and compassion for their enemies, but for the nation collectively to carry out acts of violence against those same enemies?

David.

 

[Black_Knight]

I honestly dont understand the thinking of liberals.

Who on earth said they were liberals?

Wait, I forgot anyone that you disagree with on anything must by default be a 'liberal'.

 

[Duke of Marlborough]

However, if a nation is made up of Christians, then is it possible for the individuals within that nation to have love and compassion for their enemies, but for the nation collectively to carry out acts of violence against those same enemies?

David.

It had better be possible or that nation will not last very long. Christianity is not a suicide pact. I will love my enemies, but if they try to harm my family I will act to protect my family.

 

[Gunny]

Exactly, why should they put any worth to..."
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28).

And
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

Silly Bible hippisms!

Indeed.


ECCLESIASTES 3:1
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
ECCLESIASTES 3:2
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
ECCLESIASTES 3:3
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
ECCLESIASTES 3:4
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
ECCLESIASTES 3:5
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
ECCLESIASTES 3:6
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
ECCLESIASTES 3:7
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
ECCLESIASTES 3:8
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
ECCLESIASTES 3:9
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
ECCLESIASTES 3:10
10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
ECCLESIASTES 3:11
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
ECCLESIASTES 3:12
12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
ECCLESIASTES 3:13
13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
ECCLESIASTES 3:14
14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
ECCLESIASTES 3:15
15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
ECCLESIASTES 3:16
16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
ECCLESIASTES 3:17
17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for [there is] a time there for every purpose and for every work.
ECCLESIASTES 3:18
18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
ECCLESIASTES 3:19
19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
ECCLESIASTES 3:20
20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
ECCLESIASTES 3:21
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

 

[David Brider]

However, if a nation is made up of Christians, then is it possible for the individuals within that nation to have love and compassion for their enemies, but for the nation collectively to carry out acts of violence against those same enemies?

It had better be possible or that nation will not last very long.

How, though? I mean, seriously, how can one lovingly and compassionately carry out an act of violence on someone, even kill them? In the contexts we're discussing here, I'd suggest it's simply not possible.

Christianity is not a suicide pact.

We're called to take up our cross. We're told to expect suffering and hardship. We have the examples of martyrs down the ages who've suffered and died for their faith.

I will love my enemies, but if they try to harm my family I will act to protect my family.

But if the only way you can protect your family is to harm someone else, there's something wrong, surely?

And anyway, in the context of the OP, we're not talking about a situation where anyone is directly trying to harm your family. We're talking about a situation where people already have been harmed, and how we should react to that. Should we, as per 9/11, decide that "war on terror" is the answer and embark on a campaign of military action against those we perceive (rightly or wrongly) as a threat? Or should we, as Stu Garrard is suggesting, be motivated primarily by the Christian spirit of love and compassion for our "enemies"? I'm firmly convinced of the wrongness of the military "solution", not only because I believe the taking of human life to be absolutely wrong, and certainly not a loving and compassionate thing to do, in almost all circumstances*, but also because pragmatically, it doesn't really solve anything. "They" kill some of "us", so "we" react by killing "them". But "they" think "they" were totally justified in killing "us", and that "our" reaction to "them" is wrong, so "they" retaliate against "us". And so on, ad nauseam. Where does it end? It ends, surely, when we break out of the cycle of violence and are prepared to demonstrate that there is an alternative to that vicious circle.

David.

*The possible exceptions being some of the extremes of abortion and euthanasia, although I'm not totally convinced about either.

 

[David Brider]

ECCLESIASTES 3:3
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
...
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

And do you know with any certainty whether this is a time to kill or a time to heal?

David.

 

[neverforsaken]

tie dye BDUs and M-16s equiped with dandylion launchers. peace man. Groovy. Now soldiers, make sure to skip into battle holding each others hands while singing Kumbaya