And Wrong...

"Aggression is part of the masculine design...if we believe that man is made in the image of God, the we would do well to remember that 'the Lord is a warrior'...little girls do not invent games where large numbers of people die, where bloodshed is a prerequisite for having fun...a boy wants to attack something...they grow bored of games that have no element of danger or competition or bloodshed..."No one is killed?" they ask, incredulous...the boy is a warrior...like it or not, there is something fierce in the heart of every man" (Eldredge, p.9-11).

Wow. Is he kidding?

Listen, we are all called to battle against lies and darkness. We are all called to defend the widow, the orphan and the stranger in our midst. This world has fallen out of joint with God's original intentions and as people who seek SHALOM - true peace -which as John West has said, does not simply mean the absence of war but the presence of God, then every last one of us is called to "battle". But let us remember, "we battle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities..."

The moment we "enjoy" bloodshed and games where "large numbers of people die" is the moment we have passed from the Kingdom of God to the kingdom of darkness. It is the enemy that seeks to "kill, steal and destroy", yet Eldredge seems to encourage war and bloodshed and even goes on to say that the "receipe for fun" when it comes to boys is to "add to any activity...a dash of destruction, and you've got yourself a winner."

Now, what Eldredge did well in the last post, has come back to bite him "in the arse", if you will. Before he speaks to the culture. Now actually promotes the culture. (Yes, I know those darned soft-bellied liberals are trying to take over our country but...) He's completely enmeshed in "cowboys and indians" and thinks that this is the imago Dei.

Eldredge mixes worldly, cultural and even, dare I say, evil(?) aspects of violence into God's redemtive work. Battles? Yes. But enjoying bloodshed and destruction - he must be kidding, right?

(Here we should have discussion about God and Old Testament descriptions of him as a "warrior", but it would take us on a tangent...if you feel cheated, well...I'm tired today, maybe tomorrow...)

posted by Headless-in-GR @ 5/21/2004 09:29:00 AM