Tuesday, February 10, 2009
REAL PEOPLE MAKING CHOICES
In the book Washington's Crossing David Fischer describes the incredible turnaround of fortunes for the American Revolution from Christmas Day 1776 through the winter of 1777. The American cause was nearly dead by December of '76 after the loss of New York and the British occupation of New Jersey.
The Continental Army was a ragtag army of short enlistments constantly expiring, low morale, and destitute of proper clothing (many marched barefoot that winter).
Yet by the end of winter, the British were pushed back to the Jersey shoreline, on the defensive, and panicking in London while the morale and enlistments in the American cause spiraled upward. Yes, the generalship of Washington was key, but there was much more.
Fischer writes, "We have seen how it happened: not in a single event, or even a chain of events, but in a great web of contingency. This book is mainly about contingency, in the sense of people making choices, and choices making a difference in the world....This is the story of real choices that living people actually made...a dense web of contingency, in which many people made choices within a web of relationships...."
Not only was this true of many a subordinate and ordinary soldier under Washington's ultimate command, but also of many independent volunteer militias operating in New Jersey that winter. There was a spirit of independent, volunteer action that Washington at times bemoaned because he had no control over it, but which he came to appreciate and which helped save his army and the revolution.
After the battles of Trenton and Princeton, Washington's army was exhausted and depleted. The army retreated to recover and was down to less than 3,000 men in fighting condition. During this time the pressure was kept up by the militias who harassed British foragers and supply lines keeping the British on high alert the entire winter - and demoralized. There were 58 attacks by such volunteers in less than 4 months. It changed the whole complexion of the situation.
While military metaphors for the kingdom of God can have negative implications in light of history (ex. the Crusades), there is a powerful analogy to what American volunteers and small bands of citizens were able to accomplish in the Revolution and what we can do for God's kingdom in the world today. There is a place for the church as a whole to plan and act, but so much of the good that is done is by small groups of volunteers. And the choices that individuals make in trying circumstances and in order to seize opportunities change the world.
Real choices by the living people of God change the world one act, one "skirmish" at a time. Remember what Jesus said about even a cup of cold water offered in his name.
The Continental Army was a ragtag army of short enlistments constantly expiring, low morale, and destitute of proper clothing (many marched barefoot that winter).
Yet by the end of winter, the British were pushed back to the Jersey shoreline, on the defensive, and panicking in London while the morale and enlistments in the American cause spiraled upward. Yes, the generalship of Washington was key, but there was much more.
Fischer writes, "We have seen how it happened: not in a single event, or even a chain of events, but in a great web of contingency. This book is mainly about contingency, in the sense of people making choices, and choices making a difference in the world....This is the story of real choices that living people actually made...a dense web of contingency, in which many people made choices within a web of relationships...."
Not only was this true of many a subordinate and ordinary soldier under Washington's ultimate command, but also of many independent volunteer militias operating in New Jersey that winter. There was a spirit of independent, volunteer action that Washington at times bemoaned because he had no control over it, but which he came to appreciate and which helped save his army and the revolution.
After the battles of Trenton and Princeton, Washington's army was exhausted and depleted. The army retreated to recover and was down to less than 3,000 men in fighting condition. During this time the pressure was kept up by the militias who harassed British foragers and supply lines keeping the British on high alert the entire winter - and demoralized. There were 58 attacks by such volunteers in less than 4 months. It changed the whole complexion of the situation.
While military metaphors for the kingdom of God can have negative implications in light of history (ex. the Crusades), there is a powerful analogy to what American volunteers and small bands of citizens were able to accomplish in the Revolution and what we can do for God's kingdom in the world today. There is a place for the church as a whole to plan and act, but so much of the good that is done is by small groups of volunteers. And the choices that individuals make in trying circumstances and in order to seize opportunities change the world.
Real choices by the living people of God change the world one act, one "skirmish" at a time. Remember what Jesus said about even a cup of cold water offered in his name.
