Foundations for Christian Mission, Mentor's Guide, MG04

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F O U N D A T I O N S F O R C H R I S T I A N M I S S I O N

War Images Not Edifying for Faith

Although the Bible is abundant with the metaphors, images, symbolism, and mythic outline of cosmic war, of Yahweh as a warrior, and Christ as the great Victor over Satan, death, the curse, and the powers, many modern Christians feel squeamish about them. In a world torn by terrorism, conflict, and war, many sincere Christians do not believe that such imagery and focus is helpful. Rather than pointing to the heart of the Gospel, the love of God expressed in the death of Jesus Christ for the world, such warfare imagery confuses people, imports ideas that are hard to understand in the world today, and even blur the overall vision of God’s compassion for the poor and the oppressed. Others (equally sincere and biblical) feel that to ignore or overlook the biblical emphasis on spiritual warfare is to miss perhaps the most commanding and important motif for understanding the spiritual world given in Scripture. These who see the value of warfare images would affirm that we do not fight against human beings, but for them against those powers which would seek to destroy them: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6.12). These images provide us with substantial insight into the world of Christian struggle for good against evil, and we ought to learn from them. Which of these groups are correct in communicating the nature of the Christian faith in today’s world: ought we seek for other motifs to understand and communicate the faith in a world torn by war and conflict, or ought we to use them so others can better understand what the nature of the fight really is, and how much is at stake in them understanding and applying these images to their lives? (Based on a true story). Two missionary sisters, both single, dedicated, and committed disciples of Christ, offered their opinion about the kinds of motifs and themes being emphasized today in the Church. Both are convinced that the emphasis on God as Judge, King, and Maker is far too generic and impersonal to communicate to today’s modern urban environment. For them, the idea of the intimate, personal, and affectionate image of Jesus as bridegroom offered the best hope of communicating in the fullest and most contextualized way the heart of God for people today. Both expressed their understanding of the marriage symbolism in the most intimate way, even going so far as to be risque, on the verge of being a little too suggestive and even inappropriate. While they were aware of this possibility, Over-personalizing the Marriage Motif?

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