Pastor Wendell Smith recently wrote a blog post defending President Bush's decision to send 20,000 more troops to Iraq.
I am not exactly sure what he is trying to say other than, "Hey Bush. I support you and I'm starting a church right next to your home, so maybe we could get together sometime and talk about how you're such a great President and I'm such a great Pastor." It seems to ramble.
However, he does make this rather compelling statement:
While there are plenty of fears, concerns and even vicious criticisms of this new step by President Bush, we can nevertheless appreciate that he has a plan. With no plan or the over-simplistic approach of “just get out,” most thinking people and discerning leaders realize that Iraq would probably collapse into chaos and end up worse than her beginning. Even Jesus says that when an evil spirit is cast out, it attempts to return with seven other spirits more evil than itself, and finding the house swept and clean enters back into a man and the end will be worse than before. There must be a strategy to replace what has been eliminated.
And while I oppose escalating the war, let me quote a Christian pro-life Republican from Nebraska named Chuck Hagel, who yesterday made this statement to his colleagues on the Senate Floor regarding Bush's Plan to increase the troops:
I don't think we've ever had a coherent strategy. In fact, I would even challenge the administration today to show us the plan that the president talked about the other night. There is no plan. There is no strategy. This is a ping-pong game with American lives…. We'd better be damned sure what we're doing, all of us, before we put 22,000 more lives into that grinder…. and I want every one of you, every one of us, 100 senators to look in that camera, and you tell your people back home what you think. Don't hide any more, none of us."
Wendell Smith is in for a long two years, if his plans to succeed in DC are based on supporting this increasingly unpopular War.
You mean the “church” doesn’t have to take sides?
How is the D.C. Church going to look when Hillary is the president?
I mean besides suddenly approving women elders.
I’m with Rosie O’Donnell–someone needs to call for Bush’s impeachment.
As a Vietnam Vet, I have some real problems with the war in Iraq. The whole pretext of going in there has now been disproved. (weapons of mass destruction) Going on 4 years later we are STILL there?!!
I am also bothered by how ‘pro war’ the whole Christian community seems to be. I’d be hard pressed to remember a war they did not approve of. Is Wendell going to be there to help the returning vets? Will he help heal the shattered minds and bodies of those who carry out the war he approves of? In my few efforts to help feed the homeless here in Portland, I was dismayed by how many of them were veterans. There was no flag waving or applause for them. They just got to stand there in the rain or sit in their wheelchair to wait for a bowl of chili with the rest of the unemployed/disenfranchised. But not to worry! There are plans afoot to build huge church buildings with giant TV screens to reach them with the gospel of…..what?
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So, you want to impeach Bush so Cheney can be president?
I just googled “grounds for impeachment”, and came up with this web site:
http://www.impeachbush.tv/
What’s funny to me is, the site was “Founded December, 2000″, before Bush even took office.
Oh well, we can always dream, eh?
I think Rosie needs to be impeached first and foremost.. she is one nasty person.
Anyone who cheers for Rosie O’Donnell should themselves be impeached. Get a real life.
I am shocked that so many of you can be so ignorant of history. Iraq was nec. More people died in chicago from murders (That would be Obama the saviors state) than soldiers that gave their lives for our freedom in the month of Dec.06
someone said we have found no WMD really? that would be taken from the mainstream media right? The same media that pronounced gore a winner in 2000
I guess all the Serin gas, mobile Nuc trailers and plans found for nux were just maybe’s. Let’s not think like Kidz. There are no perfect leaders. Everyone should stand behind a President who is taking the offensive on terror. Sorry Gang
All hail cheif Obama…
We should start a manipulation list, such as:
You know you are being manipulated whenever you hear…
Steven is fair and balanced because he doesn’t get his news from mainstream media.
We worship Obama back here. I totally dumped my dashboard Jesus for a dashboard Obama.
Actually I read all of the news mainstream, cable and out of country. Try it
Just like Bill Clinton.
Are you Dick Cheney? Because if you are, I just want to say I loved your appearance with Wolf Blitzer the other day. I thought you were going to eat him.
I agree that the pretext for war has been proven falase… However, as Americans we have a vested interested in the success of Iraq.
A pullout (in which our enemies will call a defeat) will only encourage the terrorists and our enemies. We will only see an increase in terrorism wordwide and possibly here at home. Violence could spread to moderate states throughout the region.
Regardless of your views of the President, I think all patriotic Americans want us to suceed in Iraq.
Newt in 2008
Regardless of when/how we leave Iraq, our enemies will call it a defeat.
Back to Wendell’s blog, how might Wendell’s perspective change if Judah was over there?
How might any of our perspectives change if our investment in the war was flesh and blood?
Exactly scrupe –that happened at our MFI church here –tons and tons of flag waving and monument tours but when intern age types wanted to sign up for the war ”are you kidding?” but lets go visit the WWII museum. Do you think
there would even be a museum or monument if everyone held back their
sons like my Dad who was 17 when he joined the reserves at that time?
They never get the connection or do their sons get a special dispensation because they are annointed or royalty. Wierd thinking once again! You can’t have one without the other. As they say Freedom isn’t free. So put up or shut up! From a very patriotic offspring.
The thought of Wendell trying to buddy up to the criminal little Bush makes me want to vomit. Its all about power. It makes you wonder who the deceived and deceivers really are in situations like this; religion has always been the political strong arm of government control.
It always comes down to fear or greed..
I read that ‘a house divided cannot stand’. WOW you all scare me. I wonder if ROME ended this way.
Is it not a good thing that Saddam and his sons are dead? Is it not a good thing that his rape rooms no longer exist? And his meat grinders for men? Yeah, I’d like to see things come together quicker over there but it took decades to get Germany back in order (we’re still there!) and Korea too (we’re still there!). I’m afraid we have this “all problems must be solved in 43 minutes (60, when you add commercials)” type of thinking. My nephew just returned from 18 months in Iraq and I have two cousins who have gone twice so I have a personal investment in it. But, I’d like to believe we all see a personal investment in wiping tyranny from the planet when we can.
Wouldn’t doing that make the United States a tyranny itself?
American’s are so selfish.
This may be true.
But the President has said victory can only be acheieved when there is a stable democratic Iraq.
I just don’t that is possible. And I think it’s arrogant to assume that our military can force democracy on a country. The Sunni’s and Shia have hated eachother for 3000 years and that’s not going to change just because we want it to.
If Iraq is truly better without Saddam, then let’s declare victory and go home.
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As a ‘patriotic’ American, I’d rather the money we are spending in Iraq be used to rebuild New Orleans & other devestated areas from Katrina.
As far as a pullout encouraging our enemies, it seems to me they hit us pretty hard before we ever went in there! Could they really do more than they are now?
As far as violence spreading, Iran & Iraq fought an 8 year war back in the 90′s, Beruit had a 15+ year civil war, and the Palestinians have been fighting everyone for 30+ years! What’s new here?
We need to pull out to let our armed forces rest & refit for the next round. There will be other attacks, and we need to be ready to respond, not bogged down fighting on the enemies terms.
Democracy in Iraq? Please show me ONE democratic Muslim nation.
Their elected officials would have to lead from the safety of an underground bunker or from behind a merciless army – you know – like Saddam did.
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Yeah, they seem to have a real affinity for the cartridge box vs. the ballot box.
Back to the point of this blog –if MFI church’s are so willing to support the National Prayer Center and now the ‘church’ on C street -whatever that is—
are they all willing to send their own sons into the war? You can’t have a war without war hero’s and there are no hero’s without troops.
Are you willing to send your interns MFI –you can’t have it both ways.
Where do you think these young men are going to come from? Remember in
WW2 even 40 year old men went overseas. How about your pastors or elders are you willing to send them to the cause you support?
Our friend’s sons was offered at $40,000.00 signing bonus to join the army right now –of course he’d probably be sent to Iraq. They are now having to use that type of an incentive to get the numbers up –how long before the boys in the church have to go? —including pastor’s sons. think about it–
Ok now wave your flags.
To be fair, there are quite a few members of City Bible Church that are in the military and many of them have served in Iraq.
But your essential point is correct, none of the pastor’s kids are fighting in Iraq.
What about Capital and City Church in Seattle? It wasn’t blatently preached-
but we knew the leaders didn’t want their kids or their interns to even think
about joining the military. And yes we had our token few who were in the
military anyways so we cheered them on alot, but that was it.
Again a contradiction in terms don’t you think?
Joel Walker, Josh Cole, Pete Wood, and John Moore are all members of City Bible who fought in Iraq
Ya, along with the few token salvations that would happen. Both were paraded up front for all to see.
I’m also told that Nathan Jones the son of Mike and Susan Jones (who are Elders at City Bible) is also in the military.
FWIW, the Evangelical Community does seem to support the war effort with their own children, more than the wealthly-elite Republican community.
Yeah.. and it was HIS decision..much to the displeasure of mark and susan…
So don’t go tooting the horn for CBC yet.
It’s amazing how quickly we bail out of a Christ-plus-nothing, Christ-at-the-center, seek-first-the-kingdom-of-God mentality when we move beyond matters of personal faith to matters of public policy. We know what Bush would do. Why is it so hard to ask what Jesus would do when it comes to Iraq. Frankly, the invasion of Iraq has been an illegal, immoral war from the beginning – if there is any such thing as a moral war. If we spent as much time and resources waging peace as we do waging war, the world might be a better place.
It’s so obvious that America cannot heal Iraq from its inner fractions. What was once America’s obligation to declare a boundary to terrorists now seems like a prideful determination to not back down on Bush’s part. Unfortunately this is at the expense of the lives of our sons and daughters. What is the death toll now? Each death represents an American family which consists of generations of relatives. So you multiply the death toll by at least an average of 25 and what do you get?
Maybe if George had sons he’d get the picture. Or if he were Israeli, he’d understand better what it means to send a child… Israel mandates 2 years military from both male and female after they finish school. Here it’s voluntary.
Why are American families expected to sacrifice their children at the altar of a nation who doesn’t seem to think they need our help? George Bush needs to read the Boundaries book ~ maybe then he’d realize if Iraq isn’t going to do its part then we don’t do ours. Bush and those with him worry about saving the lives of innocent Iraquis, but what of the lives of our people? Why are we not worth worrying over? Why are we placing value on Iraqui lives before our own? And don’t say it’s the way Jesus would do it. If it were about Jesus and His way, George would be mentioning it. George’s decisions are not based on Christian principle. All that remains is Pride. He’s too proud to back down.
Psalms 73:6 HNV Therefore pride is like a chain around their neck. Violence covers them like a garment.
Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Proverbs 11:2 KJV When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
Proverbs 15:25 KJV The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow.
Proverbs 16:18 KJV Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
………
It looks like the Lord is simply saying: Pride = Stupidity, Acting in Pride = Foolishness.
The only answer to this war is to get out. When Bush went in he lacked the fundamental understanding of the political and religious landscape that is Iraq. Because of that we are allied with the Shiites who are allied with the Iranians, who are our enemies. The Iranians are supporting the Hezbollah who are enemies of our allies the Israelis. How could it be more messed up. Now it’s worse because it is a regional war. The Iranians are supplying the Shiites and the Saudis and Syrians are supplying the Sunnis. We have two hammers hitting an anvil. Guess who the anvil is. The US can not politically stop what is happening now and what will happen in the future. They can slow it down and get further into debt. The final result will be a Shiite Irag that is pro Iran.
I keep hearing how conservatives support our troops and our President. I say you can’t support our troops and our President because our President doesn’t support our troops. Our President sent our troops into combat without the proper equipment and without adequate armored vehicles. Hear it is 4 years later, the Presiden is sending in an additional 30,000 troops without body armor or adequate armored vehicles. In the 4 years he has not provided money for armored personnel carriers or for an adequate amount of body armor. He has however provided millions for contractors to waste and without one outcry over wasted money when our soldiers go without. President is underfunding the Veterans Administration which results in some veterans now having to pay for some of their medical and for veterans who have been injured in combat to have to fight for therapy. At the prodding of the Whitehouse, the Army turned over Walter Reed To a private contractor who had failed miserably on an ice contract during Katrina.
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It’s not pride that drives President Bush. I once thought they didn’t want to be seen as failing. I found out what is driving the Bush Administation and why they will not back down from Iraq. The Bush Administation just recently within the last week or two completed negotiations with the Iraqi government that places Oil Company executives on the Iraqi oil board and contarcts billions of dollars of business to the major US oil companies. The only way to keep the contract intact is if the present government stays in power. This news showed up in the foreign press but didn’t make it to the US mainstream news.