This past March, I had a great conversation with a close friend over a bottle of wine about what it means to be a Christian today. My friend mentioned that the one thing that propels him to remain a Christian is that he know that God is for peace and stands up for the oppressed. I would agree that whenever I read the Old Testament this stream shines through.
At times I wonder how this God of peace works. I live in a world that so many people are in bondage to the systems of the world (many systems that many Christians in the west believe are 'God ordained'). It is hard at times not to slip into cynicism. However, I see a God who acts through his people in this world.
I've been listening a lot to Tom Waits recently and find his song 'Road to Peace' to be the most honest song about peace. I am weary of any violence in the name of God. I've often heard the 'Just War' theory about violence, especially with the recent wars. However, I am a firm believer in Gandhi's theory of Satyagraha, that believes a just end must have a just means. This belief naturally makes the genocide and violence in the Old Testament hard to read and understand in a view of a God of peace.
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