Idealism at War – The Battle for the Mind
When conquests of wars are predicated on advancement of ideas rather than on acquiring of territories or natural resources the scope and sensibilities of such conquests tend to go off scale. The “front lines” in such wars are never clear or easily defined.
Nazi Germany certainly possessed an idealism in its machinations but the overall impetus was for conquest of geography and natural resources of their declared enemies, therefore, the front lines of their advancing armies were always distinguishable and their intentions were clear.
Japan, German’s ally, also had a prevailing idealism but, like Germany, Japan’s conquering drive was to obtain territories and those territories’ natural resources. Detailed war maps can be studied as to the movements of these armies as they progressed or were deterred from their objectives.
However, when an enemy is motivated by ideology, rather than by greed, the overall picture changes from one of war normality to one that is very complex and abstract. Since the objective of the enemy, in this case, is not the acquisition of geography but the acclimation of an idea then the objectives are no longer map definable nor are the progression of troops viewed in rank and file in clearly defined movements.
America, today, faces enemies unlike its enemies of historical past who could be defeated on geographical fronts. America’s deadliest enemies of today cannot be defeated by generals and normal war machinery and weaponry because her enemies are not land hungry but are rather fanatics of idealism.
How does one form a frontline offensive against idealistic fanatics that hijack airliners and fly them into skyscrapers and buildings of government that are symbols of American wealth and prestige? How do you map an enemy that will strap on a body bomb and walk into a crowd of innocents and detonate their bomb in order to kill and maim individuals for no other reason than to breed terror all in the name of idealism?
When an enemy is not interested in conquest of material territories but rather in mental terror then the logistics of war with such an enemy becomes much more complex than the far more predicable enemy of territorial conquest. The enemy enemies are no longer the solider in the trench nor the sailor on the ship or the airman in the cockpit but becomes all the population, men, women and children, of the opposing idealism.
We, as Christians, must come to the realization that our enemy, satan and his forces, are not necessarily interested in the conquest of geography but rather in the conquest of the minds of their declared foes. It is, therefore, no wonder that one of the primary protection pieces of the saint’s armor is the “helmet of salvation.” The fiery darts of the enemies’ assault are aimed specifically at the two critical and vulnerable parts of our spiritual anatomy —the heart and the mind. We recall 2 Cor. 4:3-4, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
In simple essence the gospel of God vs the propaganda of hell is an ongoing battle of idealism vs idealism—the former from the Divine Mind and the latter from demonic mentality. We are admonished in Phil 4:4-9, for this very reason, to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
In this ongoing battle we are warned, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
It was God’s choice to save them that believe by the foolishness of preaching. Preaching that destroys the strongholds of the enemy and those strongholds are strongholds of the mind. It is preaching that destroys the yoke of the enemy and that yoke is the yoke of bondage of the mind.
1 Corinthians 2:1-8 “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
–jlg–