I didn’t sleep well last night. In ways large and small, the culture is falling apart. Theoden’s quote from LOTR (the film) is bouncing around in my mind this morning:
“What can men do against such reckless hate?”
Aragorn’s answer is heartening: “Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them.”
The nation’s problems are spiritual. The physical acts (murder, antisemitism, defamation, etc.) are simply the ugly manifestations of that reality. We are sick, lost, and hopeless without Christ.
How do Christians ride out with the King in this moment of reckless hate? Yes, there is much to do (feed the hungry, heal the sick, vote, speak the truth, found good organizations, etc.).
But we won’t get far if we forget that the ultimate source of our current chaos is spiritual: lost, sinful, broken, soulless, hopeless mankind seeking to do life without, or in opposition to, our Creator.
While some may be tempted to respond to violence with violence, Christians must keep our heads, love our enemies as our Savior taught us, gather with God’s people, pray without ceasing, and look to the Spirit: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”
Ride out and meet them.
