Anti-Climacus

WELL: Gonna disagree with evangelical outpost on this one, thanks much.

Being one of those liberal types who supported the war on Iraq (without any reservations whatsoever), and living, as I do, in one of the most liberal towns in America (Ann Arbor), I often got asked the chickenhawk question: well, why don't you go and fight in Iraq, if you find it to be so important? I replied that if I was drafted, I would serve, and without mental reservation. But asking this question always struck me as disingenuous: why is it that if I support the war, I have to be prepared to fight it? Especially as I am, well, rather slight of frame, and have capacities that would be better utilized by putting me just about anywhere other than the front lines.

I think it's the same sort of thing in this instance. If those pesky Canadians invade, I'll be standing side-by-side with you, J.P., no matter how brutal things get. But it seems like set of personal abilities does not make me the ideal recruit for the Marines. I think there's an analogy in Christianity--not everyone has the same spiritual gifts, so not everyone will end up being a pastor, or in the choir, on teaching Sunday school. The diversity of gifts and their distribution across needs is vital to liberty, too.