So I picked up my phone now, and I’m like, I have to record this. I have to record this. Can’t let it go.
I’ll stay specific to what I can see here on my screen, and let the details figure themselves out. Because—I’m not sure I want to go too deep into this right now. Should I swear? Should I call the “Christian” label stupid?
The thing is—if I do, then there’ll be much more I’ll need to explain in another commentary than I can right now. And deep down—there are certain things regarding the label I’m okay with, perhaps more than I’m not. But it’s problematic. It’s always been. Maybe from the day it existed.
But, let me stay specific to what I can see on my screen.
There’s no point mentioning the person’s name—you’ll know. By the time you read me here, you’ll know who the person is, or was, depending when.
I’m looking at their account—on X, or Twitter, if you prefer. It says:
Christian. American. Husband. Father. And then—official accounts: @SecWar and @DeptofWar.
So…
War.
War.
Each letter capitalized. War obvious. Both accounts.
Secretary of War. Department of War.
And I’m saying to myself—in one breath—Christian, Secretary of War, Department of War.
Christian. Secretary of War. Department of War.
And I’m thinking—wait, wasn’t it (once) called defense? Didn’t it used to be Secretary of Defense? Or is that just the polite name for the same thing? It’s now war? Was it anything but?
And here which is it? Two accounts for the same office? Secretary of War, Department of War? Whatever?
But is it not an incongruity to be both Christian, which is supposed to be a “beacon of peace,” and at the same time be Secretary of War? To be the head of a Department of War? (You probably already know why those quotes are on “beacon…” or would probably.)
Now, I said I’ll stay on the surface, because the deeper you go, the more you have to unpack—and I don’t think I’m ready for that in this piece. But still—one can’t ignore what’s right there.
They’ll say, oh, it’s not war, it’s defense. It’s all righteous, all necessary. An expediency. But let’s examine all the wars they’ve fought, take your time. All the meddling. Not a single one is righteous. Not a single one.
And yet—In God We Trust.
Yeah, in God we trust!
So at what point does war become sanctioned? At what point does a Christian—a supposed beacon of peace—become okay with leading war? At what point is it okay to have an entire department dedicated to war?
Even if we accept the milder word, defense—what exactly are you defending against? Lions? Tigers? Aliens? Wait, AI? China? Ah…
The level of sophistication that department has—the pride they take in it, the bravado, the braggadocio—it’s all power. Power to show off. Because men—men in general—feel something when they can show power over another. And that’s what it is. Show. And nothing else.
So, of course, one can be proud to have a department dedicated to war. To be in charge of it. To take photos in front of jets and bombers. And at the same time, cannot say anything without first declaring they’re Christian. Christian. Of course, they are!
The Christian label.
This is one of those clear cases where it’s used as a front—as virtue signaling. No depth to it. No depth to the Christian label, no depth to anything they claim it stands for. Or what’s it stand for again? Another day, please.
If at all that word once meant something grand—peace, equality, forgiveness—this wouldn’t be possible. Because if you desire peace—real peace—you don’t build an empire (of weapons) to keep it. You don’t broker peace in a pool of blood.
If our struggle were with the cats, or the forces of nature, that’d be one thing. But no—it’s man on man. Human v. human. Country country. Group group. Me v. you.
So yes, it’s hypocrisy. But it’s more than that. It’s theatre. A pretext.
A Christian Secretary of War. A Christian Department of War.
Impossible. O, possible!
Here it is. I see it. We see it.
We do?