"Peace" de Resistance

Does anyone even remember or still talk about the fact that President Obama actually received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009?  In light of recent events, this is almost comical—if it wasn’t so seriously sad.  The very policies of this administration have seemed to bring about anything BUT peace.  The truth is that the more our leaders have tried to appease and apologize, the more aggressive our enemies have become.  Just the fact that the administration is even DISCUSSING the release of Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, the “spiritual advisor” to the 1993 World Trade Center bombers, indicates how seriously off track we have become.  The clear message sent would be: “Please continue to attack and kill our Embassy leaders and you will get more U.S. capitulations.”  This strange foreign policy posture actually INCITES aggression.  It seems so obvious to most clear thinking Americans, yet the Obama Administration is almost perverse in moving in the opposite direction.  Thus, we have more “wars and rumors of wars”.    

So what should we do?  Let’s go to the ultimate source:  What does the Bible have to say about addressing evil? 

“Resist the Devil and he will flee from you”.

~James 4:7

Resist…not ignore…don’t just go with the flow.  Don’t apologize to evil.  Here’s the dictionary definition of “resist”:

 To strive to fend off or offset the actions, effects, or force of.

Apathy, apology or inactivity is not an option. Consider this quote from Author Joel C. Rosenberg, a Messianic Jew some consider to be prophetic:

“To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it”.

During WWII, there was a colorful and diverse “Resistance Movement” that spanned every one of the countries under occupation by the German Nazis.  The movement was too individual and varied to go into much detail here, but suffice it to say—only a small remnant of the large population under oppression actually “resisted”.  While many people refused to actively participate in the genocide and societal madness of the Nazi regime, the effect of their silence and passivity was, indeed, tantamount to tacit approval.   There’s a famous quote directly attributable to one of the German Resistance fighters, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Pastor who was eventually executed by the Nazis:

  

“Silence in the face of evil is evil itself: God will not hold us guiltless.  Not to speak is to speak.  Not to act is to act.”    

Bonhoeffer knew that there was no peace in non-resistance.  True peace was only attainable in pushing back against the advancing darkness. 

Interestingly, a Polish Catholic Resistance fighter, Irena Sendler was nominated as a potential candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize also. She risked her life to valiantly rescue over 2500 Jewish children from certain death in the Holocaust.  She was captured and tortured by the Nazis for her bravery but somehow managed to survive the war. However, unlike President Obama, she did not receive the Peace award. Go figure. 

She was one of many “resistors”.  From the Dutch Netherlands to the Hills of Normandy, individual vanguards of freedom fighters fanned the flames of the Resistance fire.  All put their lives on the line for their acts of courage.  Many, like Bonhoeffer, gave the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow man.  Much like the brave souls that assisted fleeing runaway slaves during the Civil War, these resistance fighters answered to a higher trumpet call than the prevailing “wisdom” of the day. 

There is a common French phrase “Pièce de résistance” from which I obviously derived the title of this blog.  Here’s a direct quote from Wikipedia explaining the shades of meaning in this phrase:

“referring to the best part or feature of something, a showpiece, or highlight.  It can be thought of as the portion of a creation which defies (ie: “resists”) orthodox or common conventions and practices, thereby making the whole of the creation unique and special”. (emphasis mine).

Wow…that quote is the “Pièce de résistance” of this entire discussion.  No further elaboration is necessary.

Join the resistance and make the whole of God’s creation unique and special.

“They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.  ‘Peace, peace’, they say when there is no peace. ~Jeremiah 6:14

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take but as for me; give me liberty or give me death!"

~Patrick Henry

“The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality.”

~Dante (The Divine Comedy)

Please join us in the Grassroots movement National Day of Repentance:

www.dayofrepentance.org

 
In honor of our Judeo-Christian heritage, Americans will pray and fast from Sunset on 9/25/12 through Nightfall on 9/26/12.

 This will also kick off 40 days of prayer until the 11/6/2012 election:
40 Days to Save America
http://www.visionamericaaction.us/