What has happened in Syria is inexcusable. While all war is reprehensible, the use of Sarin gas is particularly disturbing. Not only is it a miserable way to die, it is generally considered ineffective against military targets. It is a tool for killing civilians.

It seems inevitable that Obama will attack Syria. It could even be argued that this is his Biblical responsibility. Immediately pacifist voices cry out “violence won’t solve anything!” I wonder if Francis would cry out “Pacifism won’t solve anything!”

When Francis realized that he was getting nowhere trying to convince European leaders to give up the war, he decided to go straight to Sultan al-Kamil, the ruler of Egypt. Bonaventure, an early biographer of Francis, notes that Francis went about this with “ardent love and yearning for martyrdom.”

When Francis was granted an audience with the Sultan, he proclaimed that he was not sent by any man, but by God, to tell him of Jesus Christ. Francis stated his case passionately and respectfully. The Sultan was impressed by Francis but was not persuaded. Francis refused to accept the gifts the Sultan offered, except for safe travel home.

History says that the Sultan was exceptionally kind to Egyptian Coptic Christians and even impressed the Crusaders. Legend says that the Sultan secretly wanted to convert and that Francis was so inspired by Muslim piety that he encouraged his followers to pray as fervently as they.

Gandhi once quipped “the only people on earth who do not see Christ and His teachings as nonviolent are Christians.” Non-resistance is key to any honest reading of the teachings of the Gospels. Once you are hit, turn the other cheek. But it is only a retaliatory tactic.

The accusation could be made that pacifist Christians would allow the innocent men and women of Syria drown in their own fluids just to avoid participating in violence.

The story of Francis and the Sultan would propose another option: risk your own life to tell the Syrians about Jesus and his peaceable kingdom.

In other words, what is the proper response of Jesus-followers to Syria? Missionaries prepared for martyrdom.

The post How Would St. Francis Handle Syria? Not with Violence or Pacifism appeared first on Chris Morton.

I picked up Dark Nights of the Soul, because of the St. John of the Cross reference, and because of my life long wrestling match with depression.
It’s mainly pagan dribble by some New Age dude trying to work out his childhood catholic guilt.  It had a few nuggets that jumped out:

1- Reframe “depression” as a Dark Night of the Soul: not a problem to be fixed, but a chance for spiritual growth.  You are like a ship adrift at sea, just because you’re not moving forward, doesn’t mean your not moving.

2-Dangerous lust and sexual desire are often just undirected desire.  When you’re overwhelmed with an unhealthy sexual desire, you should search for what it is that you really want.

Now The Life of St. Francis of Assisi is the kind of book that will change your life.  As a protestant, it’s hard to know what to do with stories of the medieval Saints.  But we have to remember we are a 2,000 year old family, with an immense amount of wisdom to learn from. Francis, like Paul before him, is one who could honestly say, “follow me as I follow Christ.”

Of the many beautiful things about this man, let me highlight a few:

1- He had a deep love for poverty.  He called it “his lady,” and strove to be faithful to it as a man would his wife. He owned nothing more than his robe and belt.  When he begged for alms he would then give them away to someone “worse off.”

2- He was known for his gentleness, to the point that even animals noticed.  My favorite story was of how he agonized through prayer and fasting over whether to dedicate his life to prayer or preaching.  When wise counsel urged him to preach, he ran as fast as he could to find an audience.  The first he found was a flock of birds that he exhorted to remember their gifts from God.

3- He pain was a blessing.  His passion for the lost led him to believe he must become a martyr.  He went to the middle east to preach to a powerful sultan.  The Muslim king was impressed, but would not convert.  Francis was not given the chance to die like Christ, yet “instead” was given the stigmata, a painful sign of Christ, that would give him pain for the rest of his life. This painful miracle gave many people faith in Christ.

It’s hard to explain the effect Francis has had on me.  It makes me want to be more like Jesus than ever, and gives me an idea of what that might look like.

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