This whole issue around peace KEEPERS versus peace MAKERS is a huge trigger for me personally, in faith, in culture, and politically. I’ve written about it extensively such as here, Peacekeepers and Peacemakers.
Recently someone coined the term “peaceFAKERS” and I thought, just perfect. That pretty much sums it all up in one word! Nowhere in the Bible are Christians called to be peaceFAKERS. We are not told to sweep things under the rug, pretend all is well, and go along to get along. That is so not our calling, but in the Western world I feel like that mindset really dominates our culture.
I got really cranky yesterday with a good dozen popular Christian people like Franklin Graham who basically met that criteria of peacefaking in their various statements. I got off the internet, stopped reading, and today I am working on forgiving them their lack of insight. Peacefaking, peacekeeping, of the kind where you just drape a paper towel over a mess and pretend it isn’t there anymore, has done so much harm in the world. That’s like trying to put a bandaid over a raging infection because you don’t want to look at it. Do that to people enough and you’ll wind up leading them right into an amputation.
So when should you “fake the peace?” When somebody brings cool whip to a party rather than whip cream. When your hubby throws his socks on the floor. When kids and family are arguing too much at the dinner table. These are the times it is probably appropriate to attempt to temporarily smooth things over.
NOT when someone has just been mugged. Sexually abused. Or had an election stolen. All these Christian lectures about peace, unity, and forgiveness when you have a body laying right in front of you that has not even cooled is actually cowardice, evil, complicity. You yourself don’t know how to, or don’t want to deal with the situation, so you try to make it all just go away.
In fact, many of us have been far more damaged, far more harmed by a poor Christian response to our traumas, than by the trauma itself. True story!
Pretty sure the church even aided and abetted Hitler’s rise to power, by binding the conscience and silencing the nagging voice of so many Christians with lectures about Romans 13, “judge not,” and how we just need more “unity and peace.”
One final note, people also need to stop saying things like “God is judging America,” “America needs to repent,” and “America has died.” Wrong kind of words to be speaking over ourselves! We’re Christians called to bring grace down from heaven, not condemnation and death. America is her people, not her politicians, not her media, and not her Big Tech. People who have Jesus are not hapless victims waiting for God’s condemnation and judgement. That’s just all wrong and not the gospel at all.
In fact, God bless America! We are an amazing, incredible, beautiful, hot mess and that’s exactly why Jesus stepped into our world. God shed His grace on thee. Doesn’t matter where in the world you are, if you have Jesus, than God shed His grace on thee. Absolutely no condemnation or peacefaking required.
Curious where the place of judgement might play into all of this. I wrote on it today so it is fresh in my mind. It seems America is not, at least today, a Christian country. WE have Jesus but many don’t and are actively engaged in destroying any sense of God and His word in this country. Will there be no judgement?
Interested in your perspective here.
Blessings. Thanks for speaking the truth.
LikeLiked by 4 people
It’s a complicated subject, Michael! We’ll have to explore that more in depth at some point. I’m kind of a natural consequences person. What is the natural consequence of not having Jesus? Not having Jesus! No judgement required at all, my heart just breaks for those who don’t have Him to cling to, to hang onto. They don’t get to experience His love! The consequence of not having Jesus is..not having Jesus. We don’t have to punish people for not having Jesus, because they are already living in deprivation, in punishment. Like wise, the natural consequence for a nation that turns away from Jesus, is a country no longer governed by the ideals of Christian values. So basically a country whose authority becomes the sins of man, pride, envy, power, whatever. No judgement required at all, it is a self fulfilling prophecy, a natural consequence of our behavior.
People, much like America, do not just suddenly do wrong and lose the Lord’s favor. While we were yet sinners, He died for us. So God is not sitting there just waiting for our nation to make a misstep so He can revoke His grace. That’s not His way at all.
LikeLiked by 4 people
I have strong feelings about sweeping things under the rug. The problem is you don’t get rid of the problem by doing so. We’ve become so apathetic because we’ve been told to be tolerant of every kind of behavior. That isn’t what God wants us to do. He expects us to stand for Him and His Holy Word. When voices are silenced we become like every other country. If people would have remained silent in the late 1700s, the United States of America wouldn’t exist today.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Amen! You’ve summed it up well, Kathy. Just like in real life, you can’t just shove all the dirt under the carpet, tell people to move on, and pretend the house is now clean.
LikeLiked by 3 people
“NOT when someone has just been mugged. Sexually abused. Or had an election stolen. All these Christian lectures about peace, unity, and forgiveness when you have a body laying right in front of you that has not even cooled is actually cowardice, evil, complicity. You yourself don’t know how to, or don’t want to deal with the situation, so you try to make it all just go away.”
I agree very much with you statement above. So many of our societal problems are due to cowardice in leadership and their failure to say and do the right things. God forbid they make anyone feel uncomfortable.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Amen, Tricia. Cowardice in leadership can make bad situations so much worse. I suppose that’s always been true, I’ve just really been seeing it more clearly lately because we’ve had so many recent examples.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Again my (twin) sister in Christ!!! My thoughts exactly. In fact, I have been on a media blackout now for a month or two or for years! I’ve only read a things from my conservative group mailings. My God shed HIS Grace upon us all! And my prayers keep ending, “come quickly Lord.” Amen!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Amen, Debbie! 😊
LikeLike
Pingback: “PeaceFAKERS” | Talmidimblogging
We’ll said! Reblogging!😁👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
You’re welcome,!
LikeLike
So many scriptures came to mind as I read this post. Your term of peace fakers is so true. People using what I like to call the grace card instead of dealing with the problem has gotten out of hand, and how you wrote about more damage being done by poor christian response is so true. A wonderfully edifying post.
LikeLiked by 1 person