“A Norwegian Resistance hero, Knut Hansen wrote in 1947, in a fashion that reflects my own conviction after 50 years of writing books about conflict:
'Wars bring adventures that stir the heart. But the true nature of war is made up of innumerable personal tragedies and sacrifices, wholly evil and not redeemed by glory'.
That is what I have learned from countless meetings with men and women who have lived through the most terrible experiences of the 20th Century’.
Comment: I cannot agree with this statement, though I am sure it is true, in an entirely human context, if one looks with secular eyes and feels with a secular heart. After all, what matters more than life, for someone secular today? Does freedom from merciless tyranny, or the safety of loved ones, or the peace of future generations?
Would those who died agree with this statement? I don’t think so. Many of them believed they gave their lives for freedom, for loved ones and for us - and more often than not, they did.
From a Christian perspective, one must never interpret things as they seem to human eyes. God is working all the time to bring good out of evil for those who are called according to His purpose (Roman 8.28).
The real issue is that the secular world today is blind to the good that God brings out of evil for those who are called, because it cannot see deeply enough and it lacks a relationship with the One who gives wisdom and understanding.
The poet Keats was right: one must see the balance of good and evil - in all things.
Comment: I cannot agree with this statement, though I am sure it is true, in an entirely human context, if one looks with secular eyes and feels with a secular heart. After all, what matters more than life, for someone secular today? Does freedom from merciless tyranny, or the safety of loved ones, or the peace of future generations?
Would those who died agree with this statement? I don’t think so. Many of them believed they gave their lives for freedom, for loved ones and for us - and more often than not, they did.
From a Christian perspective, one must never interpret things as they seem to human eyes. God is working all the time to bring good out of evil for those who are called according to His purpose (Roman 8.28).
The real issue is that the secular world today is blind to the good that God brings out of evil for those who are called, because it cannot see deeply enough and it lacks a relationship with the One who gives wisdom and understanding.
The poet Keats was right: one must see the balance of good and evil - in all things.
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