The Spiritual Effect of U.S. Society’s Militarization

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address of January 17, 1961 included his oft-cited warning of the new “military-industrial complex” that was burgeoning after the Korean War and into the Cold War: “This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence – economic, political, even spiritual – is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office in the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledge citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.” Those who favor cuts in the U.S. military budget happily refer to the Republican Eisenhower’s warning. Here I want to highlight Eisenhower’s mention of the “spiritual” effect of the steadily increasing militarization of the United States of America.

 As Eisenhower pointed out, the “conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry [was] new in the American experience.” Over the past half century, the U.S. has only increased its ongoing military capabilities such that vast numbers of people throughout U.S. society have been in the military, had family members in the military, worked directly for the military, worked as military contractors, and grown accustomed to viewing the U.S.’s relationship with the rest of the world through military lenses. In Ike's words, one of the "grave implications" of increased militarization has infiltrated "the very structure of our society."

 Spiritually, it thus seems to have become instinctive for the vast majority of U.S. Americans to react to irregular actions toward such national symbols as the flag and national anthem as disrespectful attacks against the U.S. military. This brief article will be viewed by many readers as a similar disrespectful attack against the U.S. military. Such an attack is not at all my intent here, just as many of those who in recent days have displayed irregular actions toward national symbols have tried to insist as well. Rather, I am wanting to point out the spiritual, psychological, and collective societal effect against which Eisenhower warned, over half a century earlier, could happen. The assumption that those who do not “behave properly” toward national symbols are thereby being disrespectful toward men and women who have been in the military has become so self-evident to many U.S. Americans that any other explanation has become inconceivable.

 If you have never viewed Eisenhower’s 16-minute address, I encourage you to do so, e.g., at https://www.c-span.org/video/?15026-1/president-dwight-eisenhower-farewell-address. At the beginning, you might (regardless of your current political persuasion) crack a smile at Eisenhower’s expression of gratitude to the media for their assistance throughout the years. There are other matters he addresses beside the “military-industrial complex” issue, although that one certainly stands out. The pre-Civil Rights, racially segregated situation of 1961 should be remembered, I believe. So should the civility and respect with which the outgoing President speaks - a welcome spirit in comparison to much U.S. public interaction today.

 Any thoughts or comments you would like to offer are welcome. Thank you for visiting “Worldwide Witnesses”!

Inter-Christianity

One of Christianity’s greatest strengths is its adaptability. Scriptures, liturgies, governing styles, as well as how love, joy, and other Christian traits get expressed all are translatable into new languages and settings. The Christian faith “comes home” into all human settings. That’s one way that God graciously draws close to all of us.

   That strength can also be a weakness, however. Particular settings – nations, generations, militarist movements, etc. – fortify themselves through co-opting religion for non- and even anti-religious purposes. The Third Reich and Apartheid co-opted Christianity, Imperial Japan co-opted Shinto religiosity, ISIS co-opts Islam; the list goes on ad infinitum.

   Christianity’s two-sided strength-weakness makes “Inter-Christianity” all the more essential. Central to the Good News of Jesus Christ is that everyone, all kinds of people, human beings without distinction through faith alone are welcome and belong to each other. Christianity’s “inter-“ traits demonstrate the wideness of God’s grace as well as combat against the self-promoting, co-opting tendencies of all groups and settings.

   International Christianity warns against nations exalting themselves and their warriors as the world’s greatest, mightiest, and most honorable, hallowed, and eternally secure.

   Interconfessional Christianity humbles particular traditions to learn from other traditions’ strengths and insights.

   Interdisciplinary Christianity encourages self-awareness of our demographic makeups – economic, ethnic, political, linguistic, social, and otherwise – that shape us and through which others readily view us and hear our gospel witness.

   Intergenerational Christianity helps the old to hear the young, the young to honor and hear the old, and all those living both to stay connected with our ancestral “cloud of witnesses” and to live responsibly for the sake of those yet unborn.

   Interdependent Christianity drives us all – intertwined as we are with our particular nations, traditions, religiosities, and generations – to embrace our need for those in other groups, all under the umbrella of our dependence on God and interdependence with the rest of God’s creation.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Hiroshima, then Nagaski. August 6, then 9. Every anniversary gives fresh opportunity for reflection, discussion, and current political posturing.

  This year I was in Seoul on August 6 and for the few weeks leading up to it. Since late July the huge box-office hit movie “Gunhamdo” (“Battleship Island,” or “Hashima”) has been showing in theaters, depicting Japanese wartime treatment of Korean laborers. The movie has a scene depicting the atomic mushroom cloud rising above Nagasaki, not far from Gunhamdo. When I saw the movie I wasn’t sure what to make of that scene, so I asked several Korean acquaintances what they thought the scene meant. The prevailing interpretation was that the Korean laborers viewing the atomic blast from nearby Gunhamdo were thinking of the Koreans in Nagasaki who would have been killed by the blast. That wasn’t one of the options I had considered, but neither am I Korean.

  On August 6 itself I also asked Korean acquaintances what they thought of in association with that date. All of them drew a blank. More than August 6 or August 9, it is August 15 that Koreans particularly remember as the day of Korea’s liberation from Japan, when Japan surrendered in the wake of the atomic bombings. It seems that the Korean view of the atomic bombings is that they were important insofar as they facilitated the end of Japan’s deeply resented 35-year colonization of Korea. Moreover, the main tragedies of the bombings were the deaths of Koreans in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, most of whom were there not by their own choice.

  The Japanese view of the bombings is of course much, much different: Japan suffered the only atomic bombings in history, and the horror of those events must never be repeated. A nuclear-armament-free world is thus imperative. Period. That is, unless Japan must somehow develop deterrent capabilities in light of North Korea’s developing nuclear arsenal.

   Discussions in the U.S. about the moral, military, and political rationales for the bombings continue to this day. To distill the debates to an oversimplified generalization,  the prevailing U.S. view seems to be that Truman’s decision was the least horrible option available at the time. Dropping the bombs certainly saved a host of U.S.-American lives that would have ended in an invasion. Many will differ from that generalization in one way or another, but I suggest that statement best characterizes how many U.S.-Americans come down on the matter in the end.

   So what do these various viewpoints tell us about Korean, Japanese, and U.S.-American moral, historical, and political sensibilities? All of us hate suffering and destruction, especially when they are unjustly inflicted on people like us. All of us tend to evaluate historical events in connection with how they promote the status and well-being of our own countries. How events fit into the metanarrative of our countries’ most noble aspirations also plays an important role in how we view such monumental events as those of August 6 and August 9, 1945.

  Learning what others think, and why, has a broadening effect on our otherwise unwittingly self-serving viewpoints. That does not mean we just take the most generalized position we can come up with. It does mean that what such events mean for all of history, including the implications for what steps to take henceforth, should override simply what best serves my kind of people. The God of all the earth expects no less of us.

“As the Battle for Mosul Rages: Some observations from my visit to northern Iraq last week”

I was privileged to travel to Erbil, Iraq March 23-30. Two Iraqi pastors I had met in Seoul, through our common connections with the Onnuri Community Church, and the International Alliance Church [don't miss this and the many other links to photos or videos] hosted me. Through their gracious hospitality I met refugees, worshiped and met with various church members, toured the devastated Christian town of Qaraqosh just south of Mosul, toured one of the areas’ huge refugee camps, and enjoyed Erbil. Here are just a few of my observations and reflections:

Encouraging Christian Witness and Service. It was in the summer of 2014 that ISIS forces swept into Mosul, then further southward through Qaraqosh and other areas. Christians could either leave (on very short notice), be killed, or convert to ISIS-styled Islam. Most fled, and many flooded into Erbil and specifically its Christian sector, Ankawa. The predominantly Catholic and other churches were overwhelmed with the flood of displaced people in desperate need of help. God’s grace has enabled churches to give emergency and continuing help. For its part, the International Alliance Church continues to help refugees with housing and other needs, including through the work of individual church members in various organizations, including the U.N., Red Cross/Crescent, and Samaritan’s Purse.

Destruction and Displacement. The Christian town of Qaraqosh is in ruins. Churches were desecrated. It is now empty except for the Iraqi military and a very few residents who have returned. I took some short videos (with embedded links) to help show some of the destruction, including how ISIS desecrated churches and burned out all the houses. Refugee camps abound all around Mosul. Refugees in Erbil that I met were from Syria, Baghdad, and mostly Mosul and Qaraqosh. Their lives are in limbo, unsure of possible relocation internationally or eventual return to destroyed or severely damaged neighborhoods.

Messy Military Context. Last fall’s Iraqi military ouster of ISIS from Qaraqosh was tough enough. But unlike the current situation in western Mosul, there were no citizens present that ISIS could use as shields, or otherwise had to be protected as much as possible. Moreover, ISIS militants are from around the world, many have previous military training and experience, and the weapons at ISIS’s disposal are sophisticated and lethal. ISIS’s media for ongoing recruiting is slick and sophisticated. The urban jungle in western Mosul where fighting ragesis nightmarish.

History. Present-day northern Iraq is where well-known ancient empires – Assyria in particular – held sway. More recent Western colonial presence has left current national borders, some of which ISIS seeks to obliterate. Kurdish people have significant presence in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran, comprising a greater Kurdistan without “official” national recognition. Erbil is the capital of Iraqi Kuridistan, an autonomous area in Iraq with Kurdish government and military. Maps (ISIS 2015-6, March 27 controlled areas) help in sorting out the current complex situation coming out of a long and complex historical background.

I encourage you to pray and not hastily to form simplistic conclusions about what is transpiring.

“High Marks for Scorsese’s ‘Silence’”

Several acquaintances and former students, knowing of our years in Japan, have asked me about the movie “Silence.” Kathy and I finally saw it last evening, and we were deeply appreciative, even thrilled, with how Martin Scorsese has conveyed Endo Shusaku’s 1966 historical novel Silence (沈黙, Chinmoku). The story itself is not at all “thrilling,” of course; better descriptions include “excruciating” and “religiously provocative.” What makes the movie superlative, in my view, is what Scorsese has don, and refrained from doing, in order to communicate Endo’s complex message in Silence. I will get to those particulars shortly.

The message of Silence is difficult succinctly to articulate. It deals with religious faith, interreligious encounter, and imperial conflict – as particularly manifest in Japan beginning almost a half-millennium ago. Endo’s message in Silence can also be understood autobiographically, as he tried to integrate his Japanese and Catholic identities (at that time in his 40’s). Silence is Endo’s most widely-known work, but it is by no means his only or even best one. (Theologically, I think Endo’s 1980 Samurai, with more crystallized Christology, offers even more discussion points.) For a general audience, however, Silence offers a compelling entryway into Endo and the beginning stages of Christian history and of European presence in Japan. Again, I believe Scorsese’s “Silence” leads viewers through that entrance faithfully, appropriately, and meaningfully.

I will not try and offer here either a summary of Silence or a movie review per se. You can easily find many elsewhere (two of which I link in the next paragraph). As you would expect, I recommend reading the novel if you have not already done so. If you have not yet seen the move in a theater you have missed your chance, since its lack of box office draw is causing many theaters to cut short its anticipated longer showing dates. I also recommend that you read a little about Endo Shusaku himself (at least the Wikipedia version). While you’re at it, look into Scorsese and his long-time interest in making this movie, e.g., here.

One movie critic is appreciative yet writes, “’Silence’ is not a great movie…. Though undeniably gorgeous, it is punishingly long, frequently boring, and woefully unengaging at some of its most critical moments. It is too subdued for Scorsese-philes, too violent for the most devout, and too abstruse for the great many moviegoers who such an expensive undertaking hopes to attract. Another insightful reviewer, in comparing the movie’s relative Oscar-snub to the several nominations of “Hacksaw Ridge,” labels “Silence” as “the finest movie of 2016, and one that will be recognized belatedly as one of Scorsese’s greatest achievements. But at the present moment, ‘Silence’ represents a challenging sit for audiences – and sadly, this too often includes Oscar voters – who see intellectual engagement and moral ambiguity as the enemy, rather than the enabler, of great cinema.” I think this paradoxical greatness of the movie and its lack of Oscar voters’ and audiences’ attention lie in what I came away liking the most about “Silence,” namely in how Scorsese has faithfully conveyed Endo.

My basic skepticism when I first heard about the movie was whether the U.S.-American Scorsese could even approach understanding, much less communicating, Endo’s nuanced, Japanese-Catholic complexity. After viewing the movie last night I was elated having recognized Endo’s message, including through some of the climactic events toward the end. That the movie is basically in English was surprisingly not a major deterrent, perhaps there was enough spoken Japanese (and Latin) to help anchor the story in Japan. (Because I do not know personally all of the particular areas in Kyushu where the events would have taken place, I cannot tell if filming the movie in Taiwan detracts from the subtleties of the coastlines, landscapes, fauna, etc.) Also, in my estimation the movie’s few additions to the novel only enhance the overall story, rather than distracting those who know well Endo’s Silence.

A secondary concern I had going into the movie was the degree of violence that would be on display. After all, Scorsese’s films have that kind of track record, and a friend who saw a preview showing of “Silence” had warned me that it was “gruesome.” The book itself does not hide the horror of the persecutions central to the history, so it would not have been surprising if the movie had majored on blood and gore. Thankfully, neither Kathy nor I found the movie to be that way at all – certainly not more so than Endo’s own gut-wrenching, detailed elaborations of Christians’ excruciating suffering at the hands of their persecutors.

Related is how Scorsese has refrained from sensationalizing the violence of the persecutions is the remarkable absence of music from the movie. There is no “normal” music before, after, or for that matter during the entire showing. As one analysis puts it, “The spare, haunting score is a combination of wordless vocalizations, electroacoustic drones, and interwoven sound effects (far-off clangs, wind, waves, crickets [semi], and the like).” Such an “eerie score” helps to convey Endo’s sense of mystery of profundity, rather than amping up the horrific violence intertwined with the story’s persecutions.

There are many other particulars worth mentioning, but here I will note only two more. First, Scorsese’s inclusion of different attitudes among the Jesuits in Japan not only is historically accurate but also true to Endo’s complex message. Second, the movie’s portrayal of Japanese characters – Christians, persecutors, and otherwise – as primary protagonists (not just backdrops to the expatriate priests) further conveys Endo and the reality of what was actually happening during those early decades of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

I encourage those who see the movie not to conclude that they therefore understand Japan or the history of Christianity in Japan. I also encourage not solely fixating on some of the key summary phrases from the book or movie, including Japan being a “swamp” in which the “Western sapling” of Christianity cannot take root, or “hearing God in the silence” of suffering. Furthermore, in my judgment the type of Japanese-Christian struggle of faith that Endo experienced and communicates should not be interpreted as the only, or the “best,” or the “truest” Christianity in Japan or elsewhere.

Having said all of that, in this blogpost the positive encouragement I want to convey is that Scorsese’s “Silence” is true to Endo’s Silence. To my mind, that faithful rendering is a remarkable achievement to be celebrated.

Don’t Take Your Eyes off the Ball

  As this new U.S. presidency has shown from day one, there will be all kinds of conflicts, discussion points, and issues to sift through. With POTUS DJT, the most important factor to remember – more than policies, tweets, economics, and fighting between groups – is that he has is a Narcissistic Personal Disorder (NPD). If you have dealt with NPD’s, you will know. You can also read through the descriptions on the MayoClinic website and see for yourself. NPD's can do some good, and they are beloved by many. But they are self-promoting and genuinely believe they are the best thing that could happen to others fortunate enough to know them. I urge you to keep your eye on that ball throughout this presidency.

  NPD’s are also manipulative, deceptive, and ruthless without remorse towards people they perceive to be opposed to them. DJT’s similarity to Bane (villain in “The Dark Knight Rises”) is just as much due to his ruthlessness towards enemies as it is to a striking resemblance between Bane's speech and DJT's inauguration speech. (For clips of Bane’s ruthlessness, click here.) Related is how NPD’s lure others into fighting each other, by tossing out half-truths, accusations, criticisms, responsibility-deflections, or claims that divert attention from their own manipulative ambitions.

  Reality also includes the fact that DJT was elected by enough of the U.S. citizenry for him to win through the Electoral College system. NPD’s have remarkable insight into leveraging arguments and systems to their own advantage – and the DJT campaign won the election. Now we as U.S. citizens, along with the rest of the world, will live with that. Many people are happy about DJT’s promise to “Make America Great Again,” including some U.S. Christian leaders who see God’s protecting hand of blessing at work. Some analysts are saddened by “The [Exceptional] America We Lost When Trump Won,” e.g., through the election’s "sheer, profound vulgarity." For myself, more than ever I see the United States of America as a contemporary economic, military, and cultural power that resulted from just one more colonial rebellion. That independence movement was part of a reshaping (in some parts unhealthy) over the past half-millennium of the Trans-Atlantic world – including the peoples and overall environments of West Africa, Western Europe, and pre-European “America.” We Caucasian U.S.-Americans who wish to continue to reap the benefits and inherited privileges of that transformation may unwittingly have helped bring into power a man who simply adores himself beyond all else.

  While this 45^th U.S. Presidency holds forth encouraging promise to many in financial and business senses, it also portends to wreak havoc through a self-serving NPD whose decisions and policies will only be made more harmful by DJT’s lack of international political experience and sensitivity. Running the U.S. Government like a for-profit business empire may help some people’s livelihoods and most corporations’ bottom lines improve, at least in the short-term. However, I fear for women and for those in the U.S. who fall outside DJT’s and his electorate’s racial-nationalist circles. I also fear for those many parts of the world that do not see eye-to-eye with a leader who would rather ruthlessly compete with them, in a game-like business that has military consequences, rather than cooperate toward the greater good. Kyrei eleison.