So, the jist of this is that I say to my fellow Church people and “followers of Jesus”: accuse me of being partisan against Republicans becuase I becry their methods and actions in this Iraq war. Fine. YOu apparently have to believe that, since that avoids the question of war in a Chriatian ethic. But this opposition has everything to do with my theology and not ay allegiance to a political party (of which I have NONE…..I’m readily willing to admit that I have voted “anti-Republican” rather than Democratic. I do NOT believe that the Republican party is , in any way, a “Pro-life” party. They talk the talk of anti-abotion and then their administrations see increases in abotion rates, while Democratic administrations see declines (under Clinton rates went down from the Reagan-Bush years, and then back up under GW Bush…..which makes pretty clear that “anti-abortion” is not what we need to decrease abortions. It is a matter of attacking the conditions that cause increases).

My resistance to resort to war is a theological matter. Period. The fact that I’m calling into question the larger scope of a president’s Christian ethics is something you’ll have to accept as a Christian argument and not a political decision. It’s something I see as siding with Jesus, and what he taught and lived. I am still somewhat puzzled as to how there came to be this separation of ethic by people otherwise entirely loving. I suppose it has to do with a longstanding myth and acceptance of “there will be wars” as somehow giving us to permission to segregate this into a “no-fly zone” of ouer minds, and default to the world’s position, which is that war is finally the answer, or that war is our only recourse, and that soemhow war will get us out of this mess (which is , too many wars…..it’s supposed to make sense, and be reconcilable with Jesus’ call to us to love our neighbor.