Both political parties tend to think of security in terms of unilateral defense. But people of faith begin with the truth of human inter-dependence — which teaches us that security is never won through weapons and walls but through attentiveness to the injustice that affects other children of God.
–General Secretary Michael Kinnamon of the National Council fo Churches, commenting on the German attack on Poland D-Day invasion expulsion of Iraqi forces from Kuwait reduction of suicide bombings in Israel U.S.-Russian nuclear arms agreement discussed in Moscow this week; when asked to what extent sin was a factor in international relations that necessitated the use of force in the face of evil, Kinnamon replied, “I’m not familiar with that word, could you define it for me?”
July 9, 2009 at 7:19 am
On the question about sin, David, you are kidding, aren’t you?
July 9, 2009 at 8:07 am
Yes, certainly. Though it is also the case that Kinnamon and his fellow liberals seem to have a remarkably naive attitude toward international affairs, as if the reality of sin is suspended or at least minimized when nations deal with each other. Their approach is exactly the opposite of the one Niebuhr described in Moral Man and Immoral Society.