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I’m an Unrealistic Peace-Loving Utopian Idealist
Every time I write a column on the war issue I get a bunch of emails from people telling me that I’m ignorant to the "real world" and that I’m caught up in hopeless "utopian idealism." This was also the case the other day when I demonstrated from Scripture and church tradition that war should only be an absolute last resort under very strict conditions. I further proved from Scripture that Christians ought to be striving for peace and to reflect Christ-like lives, not pounding the drums for war. Some Christians, however, did not like this crazy talk at all and accused me of a litany of errors in my reasoning, most notably that I was being an unrealistic utopian.

There are some problems with these accusations. Nowhere in these critical messages did any of these fellow Christians try and dispute my exegetical analysis. They just asserted that I didn’t know what I was talking about and then they would usually launch into some tirade about how I hated America, freedom, the Jewish people, etc., etc. Others would go on about the need for sacrifice and the "realities" of the 21st century. Apparently the only reality they can fathom is a very pessimistic one where the ethics and ideals of Christ are incapable of rising above the values and ethics of this world.

Why do they have such a hard time with Christian teachings against violence? They claim that in the "real world" violence and war are always going to be around and that force will always be necessary in different situations....

... To my war-happy Christian critics who accuse me of being a utopian idealist, how would you like it if your pastor condoned fornication because Biblical teachings on purity are "unrealistic" (which is what basically all non-Christians would say)? You’d probably go nuts. You’d accuse the pastor of not fully trusting God and lessening his standards on Biblical truth. You’d be right. So if it’s wrong to doubt God and dilute truth on sexual matters, why is it OK to do so with teachings regarding peace, revenge, love, etc.?...