I seldom delve into the world of politics on this blog. That’s not why I write and do my “armchair journalism” here at Along the Shore. Not that I don’t have political opinions! I do. I simply try to keep my focus on spiritual, pastoral, denominational, and church planting issues.

But the issue of the Iraq War is heavy on my mind and heart. This is especially true today, as I see that the House leadership is pushing to attach a withdrawal deadline to the current funding package for the war effort.

Where should we, as Christians, “land” with regard to this subject? I must admit that I have been, for the most part, a supporter of President Bush’s policies with regard to the war to end terror. Indeed, I originally thought that the Iraq invasion was a “stroke of genius.” Instead of fighting terrorists on our streets, our soldiers and marines (armed and trained for battle) would be fighting terrorists in the streets of Iraq once it became an epicenter of Islam’s war against western civilization.

But as the conflict drags on, I just don’t know. I live in a military community, in the shadow of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. We recently lost several local service members in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. The husband of a very close friend and co-worker of one of my church members was KIA in Iraq less than two weeks ago. The reports and statistics that many people just hear on TV every night hit “close to home” for us.

I know men who have been “on the ground” in Iraq. I have spoken with them. I have a very close friend in my church in he Army reserve, a mother of two small children, who has already completed one tour and is staring at the possibility of another. Altogether, their first-hand reports from their experiences are not glowing. It’s not that our people and our soldiers are not doing their best. The ultimate issue is whether the Iraqi people really want what we have to offer … freedom, capitalism, and, ultimately, peace.

One soldier-friend described the Iraqi military as “untrainable” by American standards. Indeed, they resist reinforcement training … doing the same task over and over again until it becomes “second nature.” That is the mainstay of American military training and instruction. In their apparent arrogance, Iraqi trainees do not seem to want to be told or shown somethng more than once. Little wonder there is an insufficient number of trained Iraqi units “on the ground.”

Another soldier described the situation in Islamic countries where American forces are engaged in this way: He said … “Our presence in these places is like sticking your hand in a bucket of water. While your hand is in the bucket, it changes things in the bucket … but once you remove your hand (i.e. “leave”) there will be no evidence that you were ever there.”

That statement really made me think. Are we still accomplishing anything, really? As the death toll has climbed over 3,100, and the wounded total nears 24,000, I wonder even more.

Many of us sought comfort in the early days of the Iraq conflict in a “doctrine of just war.” I defended that view on multiple occasions. But does such a doctrine still apply? Will there ever be that magic moment when we, as a nation and a people, have done everything that we can do? And will we know when that moment happens?

Or, maybe, has it already passed?

I just don’t know. But as a conservative, former military, God-loving, flag-waving, Hooah! Jesus follower and pastor, I just don’t know.

How should we respond to our church members and friends who ask the “hard questions” with regard to Iraq?Are other Christians and pastors struggling with this as I am right now? I need to know. I hope some of you respond.