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 The military metaphor has been a hallmark of Christianity since the beginning with Paul writing about the "full armor of God" and the Bible as a "two-edged sword." When Theodosius the Great established Christianity as the state religion of Rome in the 4th century brutality in the name of God attained official government sanction.
The religious right is calling today for a theocratic government and a return to Old Testament law. Randall Terry of Operation Rescue is quoted as saying, "I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good...Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a Biblical duty, we are called by God, to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism." (1) Pat Robertson of the Christian Coalition has made it equally clear that his organization intends to take over the government. As I read these statements I wondered about "aggressive Christianity" and found some very interesting, and disturbing resources.
 One of the most bewildering was a group actually called Aggressive Christianity. If you write to them at: PO Box 90, Berino, NM 88024, they will send you a fabulous package of tracts and pamphlets. They call themselves the 'Army That Sheds No Blood' and for all their militaristic rhetoric use only the two-edged sword of the Bible as a weapon. Beyond that they are pacifistic. The army is run by Generals James and Deborah Green and their ministry is active in Africa as well as the U.S. They owe their allegience to the "Shim Ra Na Tribal Community, a true theocracy - NOW - HERE - TODAY!" With all the enthusiasm of a Dr. Bronner's soap bottle, their literature is a fun read.
 They are an ultra conservative organization, anti-gay and anti-abortion. But they know their history and they know their Greek, in a selective sense. General Deborah Green expounds on the teachings of Paul to show that women ARE called to lead in the church and teach men. It's too bad that she can't apply the same logic and scholarship to her misinterpretations of the verses she uses to condemn homosexuality. Still, she's a sassy babe and won't have women backing down to bad men, whom she calls 'dogs.' In their pamphlet JESUS, AS A MAN she says, "I don't preach that kind of twisted submission that teaches a woman should submit to her husband no matter what he does, because ultimately it's the Lord that sets the standard. Now, if [your husband] is aspiring to keep the [Lord's] standard, then yes, wives submit yourselves to your husbands. But if he's damning his own soul, honey, don't be submitted to him that he can damn your soul as well."
ACMTC (Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps), an 'un-gunned' army dresses in military wear, addresses each other by rank, trains, and operates a short wave radio station. Their policy states: "All references to military and warfare are given to graphically give example of the war in the spirit and are not intended to show our support for any form of military structure in the worldly sense. - The Generals." If you don't mind a little Fundamentalist hysteria send for your packet today.
 The godfather of Christian hysteria, Jack Chick, calls his monthly newsletter The Battle Cry and you simply MUST subscribe. He also hosts SWAT Team for Christ out of Rossville Georgia. It's an organization for street preachers and SWAT stands for Special Weapons and Tactics, just like it does in the real world. The SWAT Team for Christ gives helpful hints on how not to get arrested and how to deal with hecklers. They brought their convention to Sacramento and San Francisco this March. Unfortunately, we were unable to attend.
COPS for CHRIST
 One of the most disturbing trends, gone largely unnoticed, is the growth of fundamentalist policing organizations. International Cops for Christ claims chapters all over the world though they only have three on the Internet. The gossip in San Francisco is that it was Cops for Christ that broke up the Annual Queen of Heaven Party on New Years Eve several years ago. But information about the group is difficult to obtain. They push the book "God's Final Warning to America" on their web site claiming that it was the 1993 Gay Freedom parade that brought "brought monumental judgment from God. During the late Winter and entire Spring of 1993, heavy rains fell on the Midwest. The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers rose and approached flood stage. By mid-June the rivers were just at flood stage. On June 25, shipping was halted on the Mississippi." Cops for Christ challenges its members, "We as the police have to choose between obeying the Supreme Court, which has lost all sense of values, or obeying God's Word...."
Another police organization is Peace Officers for Christ, International. They publish tracts and hold annual events in the Los Angeles Area. They sponsor a couples retreat and their newsletter is called "The Peacemaker's Journal." This seems to be more of a support organization and less threatening than Cops for Christ. Their links page lists other Christian Police organizations including Cop and Cross, Partners Off Duty, Behind the Badge, Shield of Faith, Iron Sharpens Iron, Beside the Badge and more. Iron Sharpens Iron offers an essay that expounds on the role of police in the Bible.
The Living Bible Translation says it this way: verses 3,4 "For the police officer does not frighten people who are doing right; but those doing evil will always fear the police officer. So if you don't want to be afraid, keep the laws and you will get along well. The police officer is sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for the police officer will have you punished. The police officer is sent by God for that very purpose."
What does all this mean for the police officer? You are an officer by God's authority, whether you realize it or not. With this authority comes great responsibility, for God Himself will hold you accountable for what you do with the authority that He has given. Also realize that God has authorized you, when necessary and when it is justified, to use reasonable force (the sword or in todays world, the gun) against those that would do evil.
Ultimately we as officers must realize that we are a minister of God, and we must act accordingly!
Pretty scarey, huh?
Christian Crimes Throughout History
 There are two excellent books detailing the bloodbath that Christianity has left in its wake since Jesus walked the earth. Helen Ellerbe wrote The Dark Side of Christian History about Christian crimes in particular. James A. Haught has written Holy Horrors, an Illustrated History of Religious Murder and Madness chronicling not only Christian atrocities but those of other religious groups as well. These are great books to offer your friends and relatives that insist Christianity is a "civilizing" force, bringing order and morality to the world. In fact, more people have been murdered in the name of God than for any other reason. It's only by challenging those who have set themselves up as Christian authorities, and by confronting destructive dogmas, that we can reclaim the true message of Christ and resist the vagaries of his servants.
NOTES
1 Randall Terry, Founder of Operation Rescue, The News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 8-16-93
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