WHEN WAR IS THE ANSWER

The beleaguered economy is down-sizing, or at least running "lean and mean," to try and weather our current economic mangling. "Fat," in the form of expendable jobs, overtime, benefits, insurance, over-inflated pay-scales, gratuitous bonuses, over-multiplied middle management, etc., are either being eliminated or diminished.

As usual, the "establishment's ways of dealing with its systemic problems are ruthless, unfair, and not a little self-serving, but my purpose here is not to comment on earth-dweller morality.

The business scramble to stay alive reminds me of the situation of the Church here in the West. We're too comfortable and too fat. After decades of pampering ourselves by ignoring biblically supported priorities in favor of some baptized form of the American Dream, we've life-styled ourselves right out of the only pursuit in life – glorifying the Lord.

The Lord will still get His glory and will still achieve His objectives – a perk of sovereignty. We are the losers – "fiddling while Rome burns," so to speak.

Do I have any suggestion? Yes! One in general: "Trim the Fat." I was tempted to say: "Self-Denial," but that's too big a jump for us. We're too flabby and out of shape, myself included. Trimming the fat seems like a do-able compromise. We've turned the Christian life from one of combat, with its "ripped" warriors, seasoned sages, servant leaders, inviolable codes, and heroic sacrifices into that of pageantry, with its pomp, costumes, garish norms, and hero worship. Re-tooling for war is the only answer!