March 2005

The Church as Counterculture

            Marking the anniversary of the bombing of Dresden, Germany by Britain, the Associated Press told a wonderful story of reconciliation in these words: “When the air-raid sirens sounded in Dresden on Feb. 13, 1945, Rudi Warnatsch’s family went wearily to the basement, hoping it was just another false alarm.  After all, their beautiful city on the Elbe River, known for art and delicate chinaware instead of heavy industry, had survived more than five years of war with little damage.   That was about to end with the Allied bombing, 60 years ago today, that killed Warnatsch’s mother, brother and sister and tens of thousands more.   ‘We could hear a droning noise in the air that we had never heard before, and it sounded very ominous,‘ said Warnatsch, who was 13 at the time.   The sound was from hundreds of British heavy bombers in the night sky.  In a few minutes they unloaded tons of incendiary bombs on the city, its people, baroque churches, famed opera house and art museums.  The bombing ignited a deadly firestorm and a controversy that hasn’t gone away.  Was it a necessary step to speed World War II toward its end or an act of terror and revenge against civilians?  Today, clergy from Coventry Cathedral in England — gutted by German bombing in 1940 — will present a cross to Dresden’ Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady.  The Frauenkirche was left in ruins for decades by East Germany’s communist government as a war memorial; with Germany reunified, the church’s reconstruction is nearly complete...  The official commemoration emphasizes reconciliation...”

            What an amazing story of two churches, the people of whom were probably unswervingly committed to their respective governments at the time, but who now see the horror of what both governments were party to, and they have sought forgiveness and reconciliation — in an attempt to be the true church.  The gesture would have meant even more if they had done it during the time their nations were at war, but that would have seemed traitorous.  But since the church is a kingdom with kingdoms, to do so while their nations fought would have shown their true loyalty to the kingdom of God and the Prince of Peace — a sign of their radical loyalty to the Gospel whose ways are always contrary to the ways of the world. 

            Perhaps our church could send a symbol of peace to a church in Iraq, Iran, North Korea, China or the Palestinians. 

Striving to be a member of the larger community of Christ,

Rod