Assassination Revisited...

Though I am still not entirely sure of the ethical implications of assassination...I think I can now say that Mr Robinson would have done better not to say what he did...and this is the reason that I say this.

I don't care if the world claims that he just made us look more like the tyrants they all believe us to be. Global opinion of the strongest nation on earth is never positive--heck, even when it was us or Hitler, us or Tojo, us or Stalin, public opinion has never been all wonderful and great (perhaps I should specify that by "public opinion" I mean the opinions of Europe and parts of the Middle East...there are and have been huge portions of Asia and parts of Africa that appreciate a relationship with the United States). The French in particular have, especially throughout the 20th Century, been at best friends of convenience. So I am not really concerned with whether or not everyone likes us. However, we need to command respect, and command influence--and nobody could ever deny that being liked helps with that sort of thing.

However, this touches an issue completely apart from international politics and power. This is a Christian minister making his words concerning politics and power the center of international attention and as a result making the ministry of missionaries in Venezuela that much more difficult. And for that, Mr Robinson should not have said what he said, even if there was merit to it.

Picking our battles. As Christians its a real challenge to discern what that means. For though we are not to be of the world, we are in the world, and that should mean that we have an effect not merely in church and ministry, but in every area of life--politics and international power included. Our involvement in those other aspects of life may be harmed by our association with Christ and our belief in absolute truth, righteousness and sin, judgement and forgiveness. That is the price we pay for being in the world and not of it. However, when our involvement in those other aspects of life harms the mission of the church...then we're losing sight of our priorities.

sigh.