According to Heilbroner, evangelical Christians are a dangerous bunch of nutjobs because they believe that war and chaos much be brought about for Jesus to return to earth....
Thus comes the central political reality explored in Waiting for Armageddon: that Evangelicals risk creating what the Rev. Barbara Rossing calls "a self-fulfilling prophesy of death and destruction."
That is truly the purpose of Heilbroner's film - to show that evangelicals not only want death and destruction and war in the Middle East, but that they are actively working to bring about those things.
But unfortunately, Heilbroner is not alone in that assessment of evangelical Christians.
A U.S. Army document entitled "Strategic Implications of American Millennialism" also portrays Christians who believe in Bible prophecy as very dangerous loons who are using their political influence to push the world towards war.
To what extent this shocking 2008 report represents official U.S. military policy is not known. However, the fact that the following quotes are in an official U.S. Army report is more than a little chilling....
Page 51:
"The U.S. millennial proclivity for an unqualified military defense of Israel will continue to be a potential flashpoint of great import. Both the United States and Israel believe that Iran poses a credible existential to the state of Israel – especially if it is able to develop or procure a nuclear warhead. The Iranian Shahab-III missile system has to range to deliver a warhead to Israel. Ayatollah Khomeini declared the elimination of Israel to be a religious duty and current Iranian president Ahmadinejad cites him frequently when making similar statements. Because of the pre-millennial worldview, the U.S. will continue to adopt an adversarial approach to any country perceived as at odds with Israel. Since these conflicts are seen as deterministic and inevitable, there is little incentive to employ diplomacy or any other instrument of power other than the military in these situations."
Page 53:
"Pre-millennial interpretations of biblical prophecy that predict the emergence of a one-world government led by an anti-Christ causes distrust and even antagonism toward organizations like the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the European Union, NAFTA and OPEC. Reflecting on her time as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Madeleine Albright notes that many of her efforts were frustrated because the U.N. was widely perceived as playing the “villain’s role” as the architect of world government by many American Christians. Albright goes on to explain that she constantly found herself “on the defensive” and, as a functionary within the U.N., was perceived by many as “quite literally – the devil’s advocate.” The Christian right constantly works to undermine the U.N. One particularly noteworthy example was a videotape produced by Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum titled Global Governance: The Quiet War Against American Independence, which prominently featured future Attorney General John Ashcroft denouncing the U.N."
Page 54:
"Due to the influence of pre-millennialism, there is great distrust of Russia on the part of the U.S. The belief in a deterministic view of near-term events that make Russian military aggression inevitable understandably obviates any incentive for cooperation or partnership. This has contributed to a persistent distance and suspicion that permeates the relationship between the two powers. Because of this, it will prove difficult, if not impossible, for the U.S. relationship with Russia to evolve into one of constructive cooperation."
Page 60:
"Based on what we know about the effect millennialism has on our thinking, we may incorporate additional considerations into policy formulation and evaluation to assist ourselves in the identification of defects, diminished objectivity or unwarranted biases. As a result of millenarian influences on our culture, most Americans think as absolutists. A proclivity for clear differentiations between good, evil, right, and wrong do not always serve us well in foreign relations or security policy. Policy makers must strive to honestly confront their own cognitive filters and the prejudices associated with various international organizations and actors vis-à-vis pre-millennialism. We must come to more fully understand the background of our thinking about the U.N., the E.U., the World Trade Organization, Russia, China and Israel. We must ask similar questions about natural events such as earthquakes or disease. An ability to consider these potential influences upon our thinking may greatly enhance objectivity."
The reality is that evangelical Christians in the United States are increasingly being viewed as "outsiders" who do not share the values of society as a whole. Not only that, but many in positions of power view evangelical Christians as threats to peace and stability. Unfortunately, it is likely that attitudes toward evangelical Christians will only become more negative as we move into the future. Open persecution is on the horizon.
Not that Christians should be surprised. Horrific persecution of Christians is already happening all over the globe. If you are not aware of this, please read the following article that we recently published on one of our sister sites: "The Frightening Rise Of Christian Persecution: Christians Around The World Are Being Shot, Burned, Hanged, Tortured And Stuffed Into Metal Shipping Containers".
The truth is that the hour is late and Christians persecution is here. It is going to take a lot of guts to stand up for Jesus Christ in the years ahead.
Are you ready?
