The Blood of Veterans and Martyrs
by Rev. R.J. Rooney, Jr. -

mailto:rjrooney@afo.net

Verona United Methodist Church - www.veronaumc.org

Sacrifice is the theme of Memorial Day.
The sacrifice of individuals.
The sacrifice of families. The sacrifice of communities. The sacrifice of a
nation. Memorial Day is a time when America's war dead remind us of the
price for freedom. John Quincy Adams once said, "you will never know how
much it has cost my generation to preserve your reedom. I hope you make
good use of it." Sadly, many Americans have not.

There are many today who propose that our war dead paid the ultimate price
so that they could do anything their minds could imagine under the rubric
of "freedom." To them "free speech" means the right to view and distribute
obscenity to adults or children. It means the right to burn and/or
desecrate the flag of our nation. It means the right to level
unsubstantiated and incoherent claims against one's ideological opponents
with impunity. Allegations of sexism or racism are all that is needed to
destroy reputations today and ruin lives. No evidence or proof is
required. Any kind of insistence for or requirement of personal or
corporate responsibility is met with cries of "intolerance" or
"censorship!"

This is what our war dead sacrificed their lives for? So that any
reference to God in general and Christianity in particular in government
or education could be deemed "unconstitutional"? Did they die on distant
battlefields or go to watery graves so that Biblical teachings concerning
the sin of homosexuality could be classified as "hate speech"? The
question really is, "Did our war dead pay the supreme price so that any
American could fulfill any lust or desire their hearts could imagine with
the government's sanction and even blessing? I hardly think so.

I think it is safe to say that our war dead gave their lives in defense of
their loved ones. They died because their sons and daughters, mothers and
fathers, and those they loved were being threatened with subjugation,
tyranny, and even death. Whether it was the Redcoats, the Axis powers, or
the Viet Cong, battlefields and oceans were stained red with American
blood to protect and defend the lives and livelihoods of our loved ones.
Only the grossest misrepresentations of facts can suggest that our beloved
war dead gave up life itself so that people could have unfettered access
to pornography, unrestricted abortions, and/or unlimited (no
accountability or responsibility) "freedom". Our war dead deserve more
credit than that.

Of all people who should be able to understand, appreciate, and identify
with the concept of Memorial Day the Church should be paramount. The
Church has never been unopposed and unpersecuted. The privilege to worship
God and acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as the world's Savior has been
afforded us by the same heavy price as our war dead. Untold millions have
sacrificed their lives because they refused to disavow Jesus as Lord or
sit idly by while superstition, false religions, and anti-Christian world
views (such as communism) ushered the ignorant and indoctrinated into the
bowels of hell. Christians have been fed to lions, burned at the stake,
and murdered in cold blood for their devotion to Jesus Christ for
centuries.

Like those Americans who fail to comprehend why their war dead paid the
supreme price so too, many in churches today fail to appreciate and
understand why the martyrs gave their lives in defending their faith or in
propagating the Gospel. Was Peter crucified upside down so that Church
leaders could declare homosexuality an "orientation" rather than a sin?
Was Paul decapitated so that Church doctrine could be modified to reflect
a more moderate spirit of inclusivity and ecumenical sensitivity regarding
the means to salvation? Did all those listed in "Fox's Book of Martyrs"
give up their lives so that Christ could be proclaimed as one of the many
ways God has afforded mankind to attain eternal life and happiness?

I think not. Christian martyrs gave their bodies to the crosses, their
heads to the executioners, and flesh to the fires of hatred and bigotry
because they knew in their hearts that Jesus of Nazareth is the only way
to be accepted by God. They believed in the Lordship of Christ and that
His promise was true that those who would lose their lives for His sake
would be rewarded with everlasting life. And how do many in the Church
choose to honor the ultimate sacrifice by so many for their Savior? By
condemning those who oppose ordaining homosexuals as ministers of God. By
preaching a gospel of tolerance rather than repentance. By stigmatizing
and thereby punishing those who are faithful to proclaim the truths of the
Holy Bible that happen to be at odds with current societal mores or
popular culture. The martyrs deserve better than this.

For many Memorial Day has been trivialized and relegated to nothing more
than a three day week-end. Time off from work and more time for
recreational activities. What a shame the sacrifice of our war dead has
been reduced to such insignificance. I think that all our dead veterans
would want would be an acknowledgement of their sacrifice and a
willingness for others to follow in their footsteps if and when the need
and call arises. The Church's dilemma is similar. Many in the Church today
would suggest that the martyrs were narrow-minded and insensitive to the
cultures they sought to influence and ultimately change. They say that
Christ was for peace and their heroes are the peacemakers and negotiators
(the compromisers would be more accurate). They feel the role of the
Church is to reflect society rather than transform it. I think all the
martyrs would want is for the world to understand their sacrifice and the
Church to acknowledge the legitimacy of it. Unfortunately, the world has
yet to learn and many in the Church refuse to appreciate and uphold the
sovereignty of Jesus Christ and the devotion to Him that each martyr was
willing to express. Love is not about making people feel goo