When I was in Vietnam in l967-68, one of our compounds (with the 26th Marines) was overrun one night. The South Vietnamese regulars, who on that night were responsible for guarding the perimeter, knew of the attack and instead of warning the Marines, deserted the perimeter leaving it unprotected. The Vietcong sappers blew the outer wire and came through killing all the Marines in the compound, two of whom were close friends of mine. To this day, I'll never forget going down to the Third Marine Division at DaNang with Lieutenant Abier, walking into a large refrigerated area, and having to make positive identification of each man. Now, I am sure any of us would want to find those men who in the face of danger and adversity, deserted their posts without warning the others and leaving them to their own fate. We would want to put them on trial for the cowards and traitors they really were. They were soldiers, they knew their responsibility, but they did the unthinkable; they ran and left others to face a sure death. I am also equally sure that there are many fundamental, independent, Baptist preachers who could get up and preach a good, old-fashioned, hell-fire and brimstone message on being soldiers of Jesus Christ. They can shout, stomp, and wave the old King James Version, but an amazing thing seems to happen when it comes time to lay those convictions on the line; our pulpit and generals (preachers) are strangely silent.
We say we "hate" politicians and politics, but isn't that what Fundamentalism has turned into? We worry about what people think of us, we check to see which way the wind is blowing, afraid to possibly offend "Mr. Big Shot" from any one of three or four different camps. We know of immorality, lies, sin, and cover-ups, and we just write it off as "business as usual."
Who pays the price? Our kids, our families, and many a young, impressionable pastor. Today, we are seeing men who, instead of defending truth, purity, and holiness, compromise their so-called "convictions" for the sake of politics, or ladder-climbing; and in the process, we have watered down the beliefs and convictions of our families, young people, and good young men of God, making them easy prey for Satan.
Of course those who take a stand are branded "hateful" and "jealous," which is and always has been an untruth! It has always been, and always will be, a question of standing for truth and righteousness or condoning sin. Don't get me wrong, we should still love those who fall. We ought to do everything to help them put their lives back together, but never to the point of compromising our loyalty to God and His holiness.
The next time we have a "God and Country" rally, the next time we talk about how patriotic we are, how much we love America, and how we would be willing to die for it, the next time we give the old "apple pie, motherhood, and Chevrolet" patriotic spiel, let's ask these questions: "Am I willing to stand upon the principles of the Word of God with even more fervor and conviction? When it's more convenient to 'politic,' will I 'politic,' or do right?" I say, I have convictions but do I have the courage of those convictions?
In this day and age more than ever, I believe God is looking for some true soldiers who will, in the midst of the battle and no matter what the cost, stay on His perimeter and defend His Word and His holiness. Our goal ought not be political, popularity, or ladder-climbing, but to some day look in the face of our Savior and say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." There is a difference between saying we have convictions and actually having the courage of our convictions!
Evangelist Bill Behrens
Southside Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pa
(Preaching at Trumpet Banquet Feb. 7th, 2000)