Why Prophets Are Better Than Warriors

This is an excerpt from a 7-part series I did on parenting in an unpredictable world.

Stay tuned for the other episodes.

Dear Jennifer,

In our last conversation, you mentioned how unsettling it is to be raising kids in a combative, polarized society. This week people are raging over masks, vaccines and COVID treatments. And this is on top of the ongoing debates we have about politics, racial justice, gun control, immigration reform, sexuality and abortion.

In the midst of this charged environment, it’s tempting to believe, not just that your opinions are under attack, but that your very way of life is under fire and that the only option as a family of faith is to: fight back.

Unload both barrels.

At anything that moves.

At anything that sniffs of a threat.

Every day.

In person. Online. In private conversations. In public meetings.

Forget “ready.” Bypass “aim.” Just “fire.” Relentlessly fire. Then reload, and empty that clip too.

And yet…

The writer of Proverbs says, “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city” (Prov. 16:32).

There is power in patience, he says. And the ability to self-regulate (your thoughts, your emotions, your words) is better than the capacity to conquer your opponents.

The apostle Paul agrees. He says, “The acts of the flesh are … idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions… But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:19a-20, 22-23). It seems like the hallmarks of culture warriors (disdain, ambition, dissension) are completely at odds with the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, peace, patience, etc.).

If we’re going to fight culture wars, we need to be prepared to lose them.

The problem is: American Christians haven’t proven to be gracious losers. We have a propensity to double down, maybe go underground to regroup and then emerge again for a lengthy guerilla war. Thus far, it hasn’t proven to be effective.

Jesus’s opponents tried to bait him into contemporary debates all the time:

-Do believers have to pay taxes?

-Can we get divorced for whatever reason?

-Is it permissible to stone people who get caught in adultery?

-Is it ok to heal on the Sabbath?

And every time, Jesus refused to play their game. He willfully and consciously chose not to get lost in the weeds. He didn’t want people to think having the “right answer” was the pinnacle of spiritual maturity. Jesus was an equal opportunity offender. His words and deeds rattled people on both ends of the political / theological spectrum and everyone in between.

Jennifer, you get to choose: Will your life, and the lives of your children, be marked by your willingness to be combative or your desire to be prophetic? A culture warrior is driven by self-righteous indignation and the certainty he has it all figured out. The prophet, according to scripture, lovingly and boldly invites everyone (allies and enemies alike) to a fresh encounter with a God who is seeking to transform her.

Listen to what God says through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel, “I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23).

In this context “the nations” (i.e., the Gentiles) are the “bad guys.”

Ezekiel’s tribe is hoping for their defeat. But God doesn’t just say the Gentiles are guilty of profaning God’s name, but the people of Israel have done it too. In short, Israel isn’t better than non-Israel. When it comes to living a righteous and God-honoring life, everyone (including those with the “right answers”) is falling short.

The good news? God is going to reveal himself (“be proved holy”) through Israel, not so the nations can be obliterated, but so they can come to know God too. The warrior wants to win the current battle (over policy and ideology); the prophet understands the bigger end game: seeing everyone experience the love and hope of God.

You only get one life. And your life is bigger than this moment and whatever conflict is most pressing on your cultural radar. Be patient. There is something larger, better and more beautiful that God wants to do with your family’s time, energy and resources than raging against the bogeyman du jour.

All the best,

Steve