Many Christians pray "Thy Kingdom come" every Sunday. In the interest of inclusive language, we could pray, "Thy rule come." After all, we are not praying for a geographical place, but for a change in the power arrangement. And because that change is to be worldwide, we might pray, "Thy empire come."
| There are many in our government whose motto is: "Our kingdom come, our rule be done, our empire come." |
There are many in our government whose motto is: "Our kingdom come, our rule be done, our empire come." They envision a "New American Century" in which there will be peace because America's unmatched military power will be applied all over the world. Any nation that seeks to become a rival superpower will be crushed. The countries designated as "the axis of evil" will be forced to knuckle under or face "pre-emptive attacks." Permanent garrisons of American troops will be deployed on all continents.
The model for this is the Roman Empire, which for four centuries maintained the Pax Romana, the Roman peace. Roman legions were stationed throughout the empire. "Peace" was maintained by ruthless force. Anyone familiar with the gospels gets the picture-boys from Rome, sent far from home, systematically hardened to the point where they could routinely crucify those who resisted Roman power and callously gamble for their clothes while the victims suffered excruciating pain; proconsuls like Pilate, who could ignore what justice required in order to "keep the peace"; Jesus' correct perception that the Jews would soon revolt against Roman control and that the Romans would then reduce Jerusalem to ruins and destroy the Temple.
This is the pattern for the New American Century. It explains the real reason why we rushed to war with Iraq. We all remember the admission that "the imminent threat from weapons of mass destruction" was chosen as "the reason" because most people would find that a sufficient reason. But these planners pushed it as a first demonstration of American military power and a first step toward the Pax Americana. Iraq was a logical place for an American garrison in the Arab world.
This information, so slow to be revealed in the mainline press and other media, is finally being laid out in an increasing number of magazine articles, notably the article by Duane Shank in the September-October issue of Sojourners. In spite of this, we fear that most people and most Presbyterians are totally unaware of "our empire come."
Does it sound like the wildest "conspiracy theory"? On the website www.newamericancentury.org the plan is boldly displayed for all to see. Identified as planners are: Dick Cheney, Vice President of the U.S.; Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense; Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Defense Secretary; John Bolton, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security; Richard Perle and Eliot Cohen, members of Rumsfeld's Defense Policy Board, and others who occupy places of power in the current administration.
A significant peacemaking action which we can all take is to see that the circle of our friends and acquaintances get this information and send their reaction to it to all their elected representatives.
Submitted by Rev. Al Winn for the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship's Working Group on Response to the War on Terrorism. Reprinted with permission from Briefly (PPF Newsletter), Fall 2003.