Does Memorial Day Honor Darth Vader?

on May 26, 2014

Tony Campolo’s RedLetter Christians site carries for Memorial Day its requisite anti-American blog, warning Christians not to honor the war dead with too much reverence, since they were victims of “war profits” and killed lots of innocent people and were essentially going AGAINST a non-violent Jesus. The author is an activist Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) clergy in Florida who often blogs against drones, Guantanamo, and other manifestations of the Evil Empire.

“While I find the inclusion of this nationalist holiday in worship a wholly inappropriate, theologically unjustifiable practice, I find it doubly disturbing that from what I have seen churches do little to introduce much needed truth to the occasion,” the truth-telling minister writes.

He grudgingly admits “remembering the dead, including those who died in war, is a worthwhile activity, and likewise, it is appropriate to recognize and honor sacrifice.” But he’s discomfited by “sweeping claims” they died to “protect our freedom” and particularly freedom of religion, or that they “sacrificed themselves,” when “they were actually sacrificed by politicians who sent them to war.” And he does’t like application to them of John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,” since the verse evidently only applies to “non-violent” Jesus, although apparently NOT to the Jesus who whipped the money changers or the resurrected Jesus who leads an army of saints and angels on the Last Day.

The author quotes a crank retired general of 80 years ago saying, “Beautiful ideals were painted for our boys who were sent out to die.… No one mentioned to them, as they marched away, that their going and their dying would mean huge war profits.” And he wants Memorial Day to commemorate the “far too many people” who “have suffered at the hands of the American military,” citing a conspiracy documentary called “Dirty Wars.”

He suggests: “Perhaps if all who died on battlefields were commemorated on Memorial Day – and not just Americans – the occasion might foster something greater than national unity: a global unity rooted in an acknowledgment of the tragedy of war.” In conclusion he suggests “war itself should not be honored, the reasons for war whitewashed, nor should the suffering and the deaths of others be ignored.” Rather while “putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25).

How much “truth” and when, pastor? Should Mother’s Day sermons highlight abusive mothers? Should the Sunday near Martin Luther King’s Birthday emphasize the unfortunate personal lives of some heroic civil rights leaders? This pastor’s church’s website has no mention of Memorial Day but does include that great sacramental church holiday, Earth Day. I wonder if his church will stress environmentalism as a multi billion dollar industry and political movement that often prioritizes inanimate objects over people? And I wonder if this pastor, at the next funeral he conducts, instead of focusing on the departed at hand, more broadly addresses everyone who has died in the world that week, so as not to privilege anyone, least of all the bereaved sitting before him.

There is of course some truth to this clergy’s obtuse critique of Memorial Day. Deceased members of the armed forces were, like everybody else, sinners. They served in the military with mixed motives, and their deaths were not always purely heroic. The wars in which they served were often necessary but were still always horrible and represented human depravity and failure.

Memorial Day honors the good and the many powerful ways that Providence has employed the sacrifices of many members of the armed forces. It’s not a denial of the reality of the human condition. In fact, the holiday, by its focus on death and war, helpfully reminds us of human sinfulness and the imperative of divine grace.

Holidays typically honor heroic achievement by faulty humans who were providentially inspired or deployed. We can celebrate without unduly romanticizing them or creating alternative, cranky mythologies like this blogging Florida clergy who conflates the United States with Darth Vader’s empire. Real history is better than George Lucas fiction. And Memorial Day, which pays homage to the flawed departed, deserves vigorous celebration by all of us who are no less flawed and typically much less heroic.

  1. Comment by Jimmy Boone on May 26, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    Mark, one other ironic thing he misses. The concept of Decoration Day began when some Confederate women went to decorate the graves of their fallen in a cemetary, but then began to consider the wives and mothers of some Union soldiers who were also buried in the same cemetary. As a result, these Confederate women ALSO decorated the graves of their enemies.

  2. Comment by Vince Talley on May 26, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    Speaking of “memorials”…. Some of us remember when Campolo was one of the shining lights of the evangelical movement, but in the past few years he’s really slipped his chain. Connecting the dots, it seems to have started when his wife became friendly with gay activists, then Tony himself did, and here we are on Memorial Day 2014 with an EX-evangelical bashing America and sounding like just another National Council of Churches clone. One reason (and there are so many) to oppose the gay movement is that those who support end up supporting the whole left-wing agenda, an agenda that includes “bash the Christians.”

    Mr. Campolo, thanks for your past contributions to the life of the church – and shame on you for bowing at the altar of Political Correctness. “Be not conformed to this world,” as Paul put it.

  3. Comment by JJonesMD on May 26, 2014 at 9:28 pm

    Excellent. thanks, Mark.

  4. Comment by James Copple on May 27, 2014 at 3:29 am

    Mr. Tooley: I read your comments regarding Memorial Day and I struggle to understand your criticism of those who condemn war. War is a failure of policy and we call on our young men and women to harvest the consequences of our failure. My own thoughts about yesterday:

    A MEMORIAL DAY REFLECTION FROM A CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR: My genealogy clearly anchors me in the military class. The first Copples in America were Germans who served in a special unit supporting the American Revolution. Then every generation after that, including some amazing people who fought in various campaigns for the Union during the Civil War, served in the military. Mostly enlisted men with a few distinguished officers. My grandfathers, my father, my brother – all veterans. During the Vietnam War I was a Conscientious Objector and my father supported me in that decision.

    Today I continue to struggle with the issue of war. It is mostly young men who go and die being sent by old men who cannot check their national egos. To be sure we have to figure out ways to stop a Hitler and the various genocides that have killed millions. However, war is always the result of failed diplomacy and driven by the economic interests of the wealthy. Imagine the millions of lives that would have been saved had America’s foreign policy in the 1930s not been driven by isolationists.

    I am an American, but I am first a follower of Jesus. And, by the way, being a Christian has nothing to do with my citizenship so don’t bore me with the argument that the military class has protected my right to faith. I would hope I would live out my faith in whatever world I lived. Others die for their faith in oppressive regimes around the world. My salvation is not in the nation state – it is in Jesus Christ. I often quote a famous military man from the Early Church – Tertullian – “Cheer up – you will soon be dead.” Now, that is liberation for the believer. I am not a pure pacifist, attack my family and Lord only knows what will happen.

    On this Memorial Day, I mourn the loss of those who have died in defense of our nation. My greater sadness, however, is that our ancestors were not smart enough to find alternative strategies to war. So, we sacrifice our sons and daughters and place markers on their tombstones thanking them for cleaning up our failure to work for peace and then to live in peace.

  5. Comment by Russ Dewey on May 27, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    You could argue that starting a war based on deliberate misinformation is one of the most evil acts conceivable…so much so that it “does not compute” with today’s conservatives. They would rather criticize a president they oppose politically for trivialities than recognize one of the biggest sins in history.

  6. Comment by John S. on June 2, 2014 at 7:12 am

    True, I always thought the British suckered us into The Great War.

  7. Comment by MarcusRegulus on May 27, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    For those who blindly condemn war and its participants — Jesus condemned war also. (Look it up.) However, he did not condemn soldiers. especially dead ones. Unlike the article referenced above. Certainly Mister Campolo would find himself embarrassed to be in the company of adherents from Westboro Baptist Church?

  8. Comment by Byrom Wehner on May 30, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    We should always remember April 22 not as Earth Day, but as Lenin’s birthday. Honoring Lenin was the purpose of Earth Day’s founder. How can Mr. Campolo equate a “non-violent Jesus” with the millions of people who have been killed by Lenin’s followers?
    And … what ever happened to a time for a process reversal: beat plowshares into swords and pruning hooks into spears?

  9. Comment by Cathy Farr Fothergill on May 30, 2014 at 9:57 pm

    Campolo is a legalistic hack! There is no greater love than when a man or woman willingly puts his/her life on the line for their fellow human beings. That’s what our war dead did. There is nothing wrong for remembering their sacrifices.

  10. Comment by Donald Sensing on May 31, 2014 at 9:52 pm

    I am a retired US Army artillery officer, now an elder in the UMC (since 2002). What Campolo and like-minded objectors overlook is that Memorial Day is almost always a very emotion-laden day for military veterans – who are found of course in our congregations – especially combat vets.

    Presumably, they need no pastoral care or attention because they were just schmucks serving greedy capitalists.

    If you will pardon a long comment here, I am pasting a segment of a paper I wrote in the 1990s called, “Pastoral Care and Combat Trauma.”

    _________________________________________

    A ecclesial distinction should be made between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day is intended to honor war dead; Veterans Day is intended to honor living veterans. Pastors should not confuse the two intentions because veterans certainly don’t, especially those who lost friends in the service. It would be a good idea to approach one or two veterans of the congregation and ask them to design the appropriate recognition, within the limits of the order of service.

    Of course, pastors must be careful to honor the intentions of these days without glorifying war. Rhetorically, one must walk a fine line between honoring the sacrifices on the one hand (good) while not using triumphal language of domination and conquest (bad). By no means should the nation’s erstwhile enemies be subjected to calumny. Not only is it lousy theology, it would almost certainly be very offensive to most veterans. Themes of peace and reconciliation are well received.

    Issues of war and peace offer a pastor an opportunity to wrestle with some of the most difficult theological problems. In particular, a service of communion brings forth stark images of blood and broken body which offer chances to address the spiritual issues of combat trauma. “Sacred heart of the crucified Jesus, take away this murdering hate and gives us thine own eternal love,” Marine combat veteran William Manchester prayed.

    In the eucharistic feast, wine becomes blood and bread becomes flesh. The material is transformed into the spiritual. The transformation is accomplished by the historical and material sacrifice of Jesus called Christ. This sacrifice is the material transformation of the dichotomy of existence. To the extent the pastor presents through word and sacrament this transcendence, he or she represents the actions of Jesus Christ. . . . In the issue of war, one clearly finds the dichotomy of human existence ( Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling).

    My specific tips for a pastor helping a veteran with combat trauma are:

    • Do not marginalize veterans in the congregation because of one’s own political, religious or ideological beliefs and values. Remember that there is almost no one more inclined to pacifism than those who have served in war.

    • Do not try to shut off expressions of guilt, condemnation or anger by the veteran. Do not moralize about the rightness and wrongness of the veteran’s feelings.

    • Make use of the pastoral office as a representative of a religious tradition that stresses both the reality of sin and forgiveness and healing.

    • Be alert for self-destructive indications. However, listen carefully. Many veterans may express bafflement at having survived, such as, “I just don’t see why I am alive.” This kind of expression is not a suicide indicator.

    • Be observant for changes in emotional states as significant dates come up. It is normal for reminiscing to occur, but morose emotionalism may indicate a need for pastoral intervention.

    • Do not stereotype veterans as permanently scarred spiritually. Assume that their stress is caused by their experiences, not spiritual weakness or immaturity.

    • Appropriate role expectations for the helper are support, alliance and advocacy.

    • Recognize that recovery from combat trauma can be a lifelong process.

    • Help the veteran to understand that experiences cannot be done over and losses cannot be restored, but they can be grieved. Be willing to encourage private rituals on the veteran’s part to help work through grief and loss.

  11. Comment by Paul Zesewitz on June 1, 2014 at 8:13 am

    As one who put on a military uniform for 23 years (1984-2007; Army and Air National Guard) to defend the freedom we Americans enjoy every day, I can only hope Rev. Campolo is not a Veteran like I am. If he is, then his attitude toward Memorial Day and our fallen heroes is downright shameful! It almost makes him look like a traitor. There are doubtless many fine outstanding pacifist clergy out there who at least observe Memorial Day (and July 4th as well) with passion and emotion. I am saddened to see that apparently Dr. Campolo isn’t one of them, and that his views of the holiday are so warped and twisted

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