Afghanistan, the Christian response, and some questions on my heart

I wrote a few thousand words on the Afghanistan crisis this morning from a technical and geopolitical standpoint. I won’t be publishing them soon.

I wrote about the futility of nation-building and interventionist foreign policy. I wrote about how it's irrational to expect Middle East and Central Asia Islamic nations to adopt Western-style representative democracies. I wrote about the lost cause of expecting a country that's largely tribal to be governed by one central US propped-up government. I wrote about blowback and how the CIA and other Western intelligence agencies funded and effectively created the Taliban (see Operation Cyclone). I also talked about how US and allied troops were prohibited from interfering with the widespread rape of young boys (trigger and language warnings) by our local allies. 

However, I felt uneasy and just generally unhappy with what I was writing. The above factors are important to look into, but I want to focus on a few other points today. My heart needed to focus elsewhere, and I suspect that it would benefit the Church more if we also took a moment to focus elsewhere. I have questions. I am asking these questions myself and for myself and I think we should consider them.

For context, after twenty years, thousands of lives lost, and untold billions spent on the war and occupation, the Taliban have taken Kabul.

Partiality and Opportunism  

Brothers and sisters, this is not a game. This crisis is of human blood, not political points. 

Today and in the coming weeks (or months or years), many will be tempted to use this tragedy to "dunk" on political opponents in both partial and ungracious ways. 

Many may condemn pulling out of Afghanistan altogether while looking back fondly on the Trump administration without remembering that Trump campaigned on pulling out of the nation. Many may point out the insanity of leaving millions of dollars (or much more) worth of military equipment to hostile forces while forgetting the same thing happened on a similar scale when Trump pulled troops, and ISIS commandeered countless weapons and military equipment. Others may want to put all the blame on Bush without remembering that Obama continued the same foreign policy mistakes from the Bush era. Or some may blame Trump for leaving Afghanistan in such a poor state for the Biden administration while ignoring that the Biden administration perhaps could have pulled out slower while evacuating personnel and equipment. Or some may point to the massive refugee crisis in Afghanistan as an indictment of the Biden administration while Trump faced numerous refugee crises with similarly disastrous results. There are countless examples, and I could easily go on. 

The reality is that it's tough to keep political score, and keeping score is part of the problem. I'm not sure which "side" is more to blame or which side has more blood on its hands when it comes to foreign policy. In large part, the War on Terror and the subsequent occupations have been a bipartisan endeavor with the rare exception of dissenting Republican and Democrat voices. There's plenty of blame to go around. Though I'm sure some have more responsibility than others, participating in the partial political games does not represent Christ well. Even if the "other side" is clearly more to blame, our duty is to remove the speck in our own eye first, and I don't even think who is more to blame is an obvious conclusion.

Are we gleefully using the death of others to opportunistically score points against Biden, Trump, Obama, or Bush? Do we get that endorphin boost when people "like" that meme that makes a joke out of war crimes and "dunks" on the political party we don't like? 

Are we demonizing the motives of those on the other political side while endlessly giving the benefit of the doubt to our side? Are the actions of the other side intentional monstrous acts meant to result in pain and suffering while the actions of our side are honest mistakes that no one could foresee?

We are not called to play these political games, nor are we called to turn a blind eye to the errors of the political party or president we happen to favor. When we prejudice the truth in the name of partisan politics, we reveal idolatry in our hearts. That which we are willing to sacrifice truth for is who or what we worship. I have seen this dynamic across the political spectrum, and if your reaction to this section is to point across the aisle, I contest that you may be missing the point. 

Smug Self-Congratulating

In addition to not twisting the truth to score partisan points, we should also address this crisis with the proper heart instead of a puffed-up heart. 

The inevitable fall of Afghanistan was a prediction I made over a decade ago. Still, it is a prediction made and come true with a heavy heart, not with smug social media "I told you so" proclamations. To my friends who are libertarians or, as I am, military non-interventionists, do not use this suffering flippantly and dance on the grave of the dead. I agree that the whole affair has predictably been one disaster after another, but do not be calloused or proud in this knowledge. 

Regardless if you're more aligned with the elephant, donkey, or hedgehog, where is your heart? Are you patting yourself on the back for being right about foreign policy on social media while US-supporting Afghans are being rounded up and executed? Are you internally smiling that your Facebook post on Afghanistan from a decade ago has proven to be true while the wives and children of moderate Afghans are raped? Where is your heart?

I cannot say, but I do know my own heart, and I know that I, too, have felt that rush of self-assured vindication when my public predictions are accurate. True love does not delight in evil, even when you were right about the nature of that evil (1 Corinthians 13:6). 

Nation Building and Kingdom Building

Next, I pray that we will cease putting faith in war horses and chariots. Though we are not called to be radical pacifists who will not defend ourselves and loved ones, the Kingdom of God is not built by United States Marines, Predator drones, and M1 Abrams tanks. 

Now, I'm sure many will be telling me, "you are confusing categories. This isn't about the Kingdom of God; this is about politics and foreign policy." My response to this objection would be that you forget how culture changes. Suppose we truly desire that the Afghan people honor human rights, welcome the Church of Jesus Christ, and build a society that establishes justice. In that case, the need is for missionaries, not military occupation. Though we can temporarily keep a nation from supporting terrorism, we cannot make lasting change to the degree we seek without fundamental transformations. 

Again, some may say, "but we must protect ourselves." I agree. There's undoubtedly some credibility with militarily striking hostile targets who have attacked us, but that is not the same as occupying a nation for twenty years and attempting to fundamentally change how the country is governed contrary to their history, traditions, and cultural values.

There is so much to say about the policy of nation-building, but I want to strike at a root theological problem instead. 

Christians, if the goal is to "nation-build," then the question is intrinsically theological. To create a stable nation with basic respect for human rights (especially for women and religious minorities), one must affect culture first. As Henry Van Til said in his book, The Calvinist Concept of Culture,

Since man is a moral being, his culture cannot be a-moral. Because man is a religious being, his culture, too, must be religiously oriented.

We cannot separate the nation from the culture, we cannot separate the culture from morality, and we cannot separate morality from religion. 

Now, I don't suspect that the US government will fund an army of missionaries, and even if they wanted to, I probably wouldn't appreciate their approach or theology. I very much understand the desire for a more likely solution. Nevertheless, Christians should be hesitant to support radical solutions that aim towards long-term and cultural-shifting goals when those solutions do not address profound spiritual and cultural differences. Our politicians were significantly inspired by the post-WW2 Marshall Plan that reconstructed Germany and other affected European nations. However, while the Marshall Plan was primarily concerned with economics, our situation in Afghanistan (and other similar Islamic nations) must also be concerned with fundamental human rights, political philosophy, theology, and culture. The Marshall Plan aimed to rebuild roads and bridges, our nation-building in largely Islamic regions aims to unmake thousands of years of virtues and customs. The Taliban is more numerous and has more Afghan support now than they did in 2001. Whatever we were attempting, it hasn’t worked.

What is our hope for Afghanistan? To establish a US-friendly asset in the region? To maintain a military foothold in a strategic region? To build up an economic partner that is beneficial to US-owned corporations? Or is our hope that the nation, and the entire region, come to know the Lord Jesus Christ? Have our political actions advanced the Kingdom of God and the Gospel of Jesus? 

Prayer & Power

Lastly, we must be praying for Afghanistan. We should be praying for the Church in Afghanistan, but not just the Church. We should pray for the lives and well-being of those who the Taliban are likely to target. We should pray for women and religious minorities other than Christians. We should pray for the Americans and other foreigners who are in danger. We should be praying that the nation will have peace and stability. 

We should also pray for our political and military leaders. We should pray that they will move forward with wisdom, truth, and a desire for peace. We should pray that the things the Lord loves will be the things they love. If they do not love the Lord, we should pray that they will hear and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

And yes, we should be praying for the Taliban. We should pray that the Spirit softens their hearts, hold back their wrath, and gentle their vengeance. We should pray that the Spirit miraculously meets them and they come to know Jesus. We should pray that they repent and know the Lord. And if it is not in the will of the Lord to save these souls, that God will thwart their plans by whatever means God deems fit. 

Are we praying or only reading articles (like this one) on the problem? Are we seeking the comfort of political analysis or the comfort of the Spirit of God? Do we put more faith in the power of the Spirit or the power of US military might? Do we really believe in the power of prayer?

Conclusion and Admonition

I am not discounting or minimizing the very real practical importance of foreign policy. What I am encouraging is not political disengagement but a distinctly Christian political engagement. The plain reality is that political policy has doomed many to death and that political policy can likewise save many from death. We must not shy away from educating ourselves and holding elected officials accountable. Still, we must do so as ambassadors of truth and the grace of Jesus, not political partisans or self-satisfied pundits. I will not shy away from the fact that I support a non-interventionist approach the vast majority of the time, and I encourage readers to look into extremist blowback and the hubris of imperialism. There are real political solutions, but I do not believe any of them will be free of hardship and suffering. Sin has begotten sin, and death has begotten death. We are reaping the whirlwind, and there's no escaping at least some level of tragedy. That's a hard truth, but I do not know how else to see the situation. 

But even if you disagree with my general position, we can do so as Christians with integrity and decency. We can address the crisis in Afghanistan (and other foreign policy issues) through a Christian lens instead of a Republican lens or a Democrat lens. We can also contemplate this tragedy like the tragedy it is and not as political fodder or an opportunity to boast in foreign policy predictions. We can seek first the Kingdom and not put unwarranted faith in violence or geopolitical maneuvering. We can do this with humility and without pompous chest-thumping, warmongering, and also without pious passivity. 

I've asked many questions, and I can't answer for anyone else, but I hope we ask ourselves these questions and honestly answer. I want to close with a few more questions. 

Do we put our finger on the scale of truth in the name of politics? Do we grin when we should be weeping? Do we gloat when our hearts should be breaking? Do we mock when we should be loving? Have we built nations to the detriment of building the Kingdom? Do we long after the power of carnal weapons when the true hope for the people of Afghanistan is Jesus? Will we welcome the refugee or leave him to pay for our own mistakes? Are we thinking about how to save lives, or caught up in only casting blame? What does it mean to be the Church amid war and turmoil? Are we praying? Are we only praying for our own or all image-bearers of God? 

These questions, and many more like them, are what I'm asking myself today. I'm angry today, friends. I am angry, and I am in tears. It's hard to have hope for Afghanistan and the politics of my own nation, but I know that the Living God can build his Church in the hardest of places. I know a wilderness of injustice and brutality can be made into an oasis of faithful believers and the peace of God. May God grant Afghanistan true peace in Jesus Christ.