WHO
is on the
Lord's Side?

One of the Latin America's cruelest dictators died yesterday. General Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator, lead a military regime that killed thousands and detained and tortured tens of thousands of his fellow countrymen. His reign was one of the bloodiest in our hemisphere. The thing that I find most disappointing about Pinochet's reign of terror is that his military coup was supported by the CIA and indorsed by the U.S. government.

Pinochet is one of a long list of unsavory characters who have been indorsed and supported by our government. In the name of political expedience our government put Sadam Hussein into power; the same Sadam Hussein who became known as the butcher of Bagdad. Not long ago we sold weapons to Iran; the very same Iran that is part of today's "Axis of Evil." Our political loyalties and alliances change from season to season because they are often based on short term political goals rather than time honored values. The reasons given for this politcal shell game go something like this: "We need to hold the line against Communism... We need a friend in the Middle East... We need to protect American interests in the region..." What about, "We need to do what is RIGHT, no matter what!"

As followers of Jesus we are called to seek first the kingdom of God. This means that our view of the world is shaped by the values of Jesus and the ethics of his kingdom rather than the shifting sands of political expedience. -- Bob