Christian Peace Witness for Iraq
A reading from the reflections of Joshua Casteel, a US soldier.*
When I traveled outside the prison walls on convoys, terror surged through my heart. I was not afraid of being killed; “If you live by the sword, by the sword shall you die.” If I died with a loaded rifle, I could not be angry with God. The terror that filled me was a possibility of becoming one who kills.
Once while driving outside, I pointed my rifle as I always did out the window of our armored humvee. Through the sights of my rifle, I saw the faces of three young shepherd boys, probably 8 years old each. I realized in that moment that I had just pointed a loaded weapon at three 8-year-old boys.
How was I, an ambassador of the love of Jesus Christ, supposed to recall that day? How can I talk of the freedom of Christ while playing the role of captive? How can I talk of faith when I only move from place to place by means of guns pointed in all directions, even at 8-year-old shepherd boys?
*Joshua’s testimony can be found in chapter 16 of Blood Guilt: Christian Responses to America’s War on Terror (New Covenant Press, 2011), page 238.