From a netfriend (Feb. 17, 2003)

Thank you for considering my response to President Bush’s request for prayer. My response was based on a number of concerns I have about a Christian response to the leadership of nations that have so much international impact.

1. If I pray that God will help President Bush to make wise decisions, am I then bound by faith in that prayer to trust that President Bush is indeed making decisions that reflect the heart of God? I am convinced by my reading of scripture, my theological reflection, and my awareness of the history of international conflict involving the USA, that the decision to use military force to remove the threat of Saddam Hussein does not reflect the heart and mind of God. In light of this conviction I must surely conclude that President Bush is not currently making wise decisions that reflect the heart of God in this situation. If this is the case then my prayers need to identify what the heart of God is in this situation and cry out for God’s way to prevail. Jeremiah never limited his prayers for the king to the provision of wisdom. The courage to call on governments, Christian or not, to heed the way of Jesus Christ is, I think, an imperative of the gospel.

2. The relationship between religion and politics is certainly a fertile ground for discussion. I believe that followers of Jesus should be ready always to act as the voice of the Body of Christ with regards to political decisions. To encourage justice and compassion and freedom is crucial. Equally, to criticise decisions that negate these things and to continually present the way of Jesus to our leaders is crucial. This is always going to require careful prayer and reflection from the Christian community.

3. The dilemma facing Christians is that the way of Jesus Christ presents us with a radical departure from previously accepted ways of solving conflict. There are many very good reasons to remove Saddam Hussein from his position of abusive power. We do need to cry out against his unjust government. Saddam Hussein however, does not have a monopoly on injustice. We here in Australia have a record of oppressive behaviour towards our own Aboriginal peoples. The USA spends more on military force than the next 17 countries combined. It boggles the mind to think what good might be done with money like that. But while that kind of money is spent on arms, millions in America live in poverty. The issues are complex but a willingness to take the risk of finding creative, non-violent means of solving the conflict is more in line with the gospel of Jesus than it is with full-blown invasion. We need to be willing to reform the way we live in the world and the way we respond to conflict with our neighbours.

These are just a few of my real concerns about how we should be praying for our governments and how we should be calling upon them to act. I take your point about over analysis of peoples words and positions. I do, however believe that people in positions of leadership should expect to have their positions rigorously critiqued. I do in fact encourage my congregation to analyse my sermons and to feed back their thoughts and questions. Without that kind of engagement I would have lost one of the most valuable resources of theological reflection available to me. I hope that you and others will feel able to respond to my issues. I, like many others, am feeling very anxious about the possibility of war and about the responsibility that I have as a Christian leader to speak up in the context of our community.

Peace to you