TCCW 5: Preaching on Truth & Conscience

Originally published at Sojourners' God's Politics blog, November 22, 2010. It has since been removed.

Just over a week ago, I participated in an interfaith service in the National City Christian Church in Washington D.C. The gathering — held on Veteran's Day — was part of the Truth Commission on Conscience in War (TCCW). Thursday also marked Martinmas in the church, a day to honor the conscience of and heal moral injury against our nation's service men and women. That day, the TCCW released their report to address the moral dilemmas created for members of the U.S. Armed Services by current regulations governing conscientious objection.

It was my responsibility to lead those gathered in prayer before Rev. James Forbes would preach on conscience in war. I shared the prayer of Martin of Tours, which is a prayer for perseverance. It is the prayer of all veterans who groan under the immense pressure to be heroes despite service they have grave moral doubts about, like having to kill children holding grenades, shooting families in cars because they do not stop at military checkpoints, or simply engaging in a war that many of their denominations declared unjust.

Studies show that there are an average of 950 suicide attempts each month by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. These veterans struggle with the expectations of heroism while wrestling with the demons unleashed within them as a part of their service. In the years of hearing from veterans and service members as a part of my work with Centurion's Guild, I have become convinced that the best way to combat the epidemic of soldier and veteran suicides is to create the space within churches for those who serve to meaningfully discern what it means to be Christians in a time of war. In the midst of this struggle, the churches have been complicit in that epidemic by their silence.

Originally published in Sojourners. Archived at https://civilianally.com/vita/20101122-sojo