Ukraine, Love and War…

There is a saying, and I will de-vulgarize it into this:
Opinions are like noses, everyone has one.

Over the past year, I have been somewhat exploring more controversial ideas about War and in particular, the Christian’s response to War.

This is a very difficult and nuanced topic, at least in my mind. Opinions range from appropriate response by a Christian being to serve in the military, and more, to full conscientious objection.

I don’t think I nor anyone will ever have clear, pragmatic answers about the entirety of this, as it is like most things – pulling on one thread results in some other entanglement in the whole ball-of-tangled-string(s).

Suffice to say, I think all Christians (and most other humans) would agree that War is not what God wants for us and this world.

In contemplating this topic at this point in my life, having held a life-long interest in history and, War history, in various forms….I am finding myself wanting to use my own small voice in a certain way, while recognizing that my voice, or any one voice, can never have the perfect sound nor solution.

The problem of War in our world is simply too big.

I do believe that War is the failure of diplomacy. On a grand, macro-scale, it represents, collectively, the relational failures that we see every day in the micro-level.

When two (or more) nations meet up for War, there has always been a longer, more insidious history between the party (or allied parties) putting them on this trajectory.

Just as in a divorce War, for example.

One doesn’t simply wake up one morning and suddenly say, “I am going to go nuclear today on my spouse, my best friend in this life, and file for divorce.”

That would be absurd.

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War, like Divorce, comes on the string of micro-relational-breaks that are not (nor possibly/probably cannot) be mended along the way.

There is posturing.

There are threats, both overtly and tacitly, of many sorts.

There is something in the air – some elephant in the room, in what Rob Bell in his book co-written with his wife on love and relationships calls the “Zim-Zum.”

In this book, the Zim-Zum is the large, invisible space which exists between two people, or I would add, between two or more entities. Individuals, organizations, nations, even churches and religions….for example.

When we relate with our spouse, or others, we put things into the Zim-Zum. Some negative things put into the Zim-Zum can be forgiving, healed, modified…yet others, cannot, should not, or will not, ever be corrected. I suppose this idea is very similar to the idea of the “Love Bank.“

When we speak kind and affirming words, these go into the Zim-Zum space, or, the Love Bank, as a deposit. When we put negative things into this space, these serve as withdrawals from the Love Bank. As in banking, there can be Love Bank crashes, like stock market crashes, from which there is no possibility of true recovery.

As the saying goes, sometimes we simply cannot unsee something.

This is also along the lines of Love Languages, too. Forms of giving and receiving back and forth in this Zim-Zum may involve the following categories:

1. Words of Affirmation

2. Quality Time

3. Acts of Service

4. Gift-Giving

5. Physical Touch

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But, back to the topic of War, and both the visible and invisible pathway the precede(s) War(s).

Scripture says that the “Love of money is the root of all evil.”

So always in all ills in this world, and often interpersonally, we must ask ourselves, what financial interests or outcomes (or role, if any) might be involved here.

Territory, manufacturing, financial and supply chain interests, overt or convert desire for stimulation of economies….there is always that.

I glanced at a news article the other day that said that the War in Ukraine might be a good thing for some specific African nation. I don’t even recall the details.

Most things are very complicated, and tainted, and War is especially no different.

Some, if not most War(s) are between peoples (ethnos groups) that have a long history between them. I think of Vietnam, and the Civil War in the United States. From the little I know of the history with Russia and the Ukraine, clearly this is also the case.

I have written a few pieces on my blog so far on War, and have several as in-process drafts. One piece, would be a close look at the infamous Hatfields and McCoys, as a springboard for analyzing the process involved in any downward spiral of human conflict. This fascinating true-life story of the Hatfields and McCoys might easily illustrate on a micro level, issues of provocation and diplomacy and other failures that are so deeply embedded in War, and in the breakdown of any relationship.

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In my considerations of the topic of War and the Christian, also on the table are things such as the unholy marriage of (any) religion and (any) flag. But in particular, simple things such as, should a Christian Church, of any nation, display that nation’s flag in their sanctuary?

That might be a shocking question to many people, who would resoundingly say, “YES, of course,” with no further contemplation why another Christian might even question this symbol.

The Judeo-Christian faith relies heavily on symbols. I once heard along the lines of, “Some things are so true they can only be told in metaphor.” For many, at first blush, the word metaphor might suggest to them that the speaker thinks some thing is some type of fairy tale, and therefore, implying it is not true.

On the contrary, in my view.

From Genesis through Revelation, in what most Christians embrace as the canonized selection of God’s divinely inspired and instructive texts to the world, I believe we see so many repeated themes and deep truths about God and the world, divinely inspired and expressed through human vessels, with great continuity, over time, coming down through verbal tradition, and more, and consisting of many genres: poetry, national history, personal letters, prophecies, and such.

The idea of two kingdoms is deeply embedded in all of this. Jesus clearly taught about the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world, and especially, His Kingship.

Jesus spoke a lot of hard words to us, that if we viewed as distilled teachings (think vodka, rather than a hard 5% seltzer) they would be quite radical.

They would involve a follower’s full non-engagement in any War or form of violence(s).

However, I equally recognize that while Jesus spoke Absolute Truth to us in every way, many things exist in such idealized forms that it can be hard to know the application, in this temporal world.

For example, non-participation in War might fulfill one commandment, “Thou Shall Not Kill,” but simultaneously break some other command of Scripture, in some very real and challenging sense. I do believe there are cases where justly, to turn a complete blind eye to sufferings, violences and injustices violates the most basic command to Love God and Love One’s Neighbor.

But, the discerning of all this is so very, very difficult.

I suppose, at age fifty-eight, at least for myself, I would rather gravitate somewhat toward being the less popular vocalization of idealism, concerning War and more, even if it may make no meaningful difference, or even, possibly, be wrong.

Because, if the Christian doesn’t vocalize that War is intrinsically antithetical to the teachings of the Christ, then, who will?

With this, I will link here, and below, a news source I read today.

I am in my own deep personal micro-battles here in my small world. Sometimes, we feel such limits on how much we can know. How much we can bear. Especially, if we are given over to deep empathy. Without expending further time (as I am doing now) forming some opinion, conceiving of some reasonable stance, or action.

So, I have been somewhat avoiding reading too deeply the day-to-day status of the humanitarian crisis brewing in the Ukraine, and in our world. But, my Jesus does not permit me this, either.

I may have the luxury of this, at least at this moment, and all of us in other places of the world, the same.

But, Scripture teaches us that when one suffers, we all suffer.

In fact, being human, or learning from nature itself, teaches us the same.

The idea of a “little leaven ruins the whole batch.”

The idea of blight on a crop, eventually affecting the whole field or planting.

The idea that all of life is somehow interconnected.

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In this one news source today, which I have linked, I learned that the pentagon renounced Poland’s desire to move fighter jets to a NATO airbase in Germany. I need to agree with this step along this terrible pathway…

Posturing.

Provocation.

This is a very fragile situation, and I read that today, at least, in this same story, Russia is agreeing to a 12-hour ceasefire to permit Ukrainian civilians to safely evacuate.

Any perceived threat of NATO alliances posturing toward Russia, is complicated, but clearly, will put a something into the metaphorical Zim-Zum that exists right now.

I do believe that de-escalation and diplomacy must always be the first goal. Attempts at the understanding of others, especially those we might easily name, tribally, as some great enemy, is essential.

The Ukranian people are, in fact, historically, Russian people. There is a terrible history between Germany and Russia, obviously. Ad in, Poland’s history…Germany, Russia, the US, NATO and more….and, again I had to look at the map and read today, to know and notice the general geography and bordering nations.

In the least, or the greatest, we need to remain prayerful, and watchful, in whatever ways possible, for the interests of all involved, including ourselves, potentially.

And in particular, humanitarian relief efforts are certainly, and always fitting, in any given situation of violence(s).

Here again, is the link to just one news source I browsed today: