Only United in Peacetime

"Workers of the world unite in peacetime - but in war slit one another's throats". A remark by Rosa Luxemburg, the German Marxist (1871-1919), I read in an article the other day. 

If you substitute Christians for workers, the phrase asks a sharp question about the churches in western europe and north america in the first half of the 20th century (and beyond). We had a rich history of internationalism and developing peaceful relations - not surprising given the nature of the Christian gospel. This is dumped by the majority at the national call to arms. Presuming that our remembrance reflections are not for one day only, it's an issue worth continuing to ponder.

A former colleague and friend, Jane Stranz, was reflecting on the German churches' majority support for the Nazis and wrote: "society evangelises us much more efficiently than the gospel does".