Column: Evangelists and Armageddon

Lt. Gen. William Boykin has come under much public scrutiny and alarm after openly declaring the war on terror a "spiritual battle," America as a "Christian nation" and the U.S. Armed Forces as a "Christian army." But while Boykin should be removed from his station as deputy undersecretary of efense for intelligence as a symbolic gesture, Boykin himself should not be attracting so much public attention. What the American media and public should be focusing on are the churches and faith communities who hosted--and surely applauded--Boykin's remarks.

After all, Boykin was not a lone fanatic espousing his Americanized spirituality on a soapbox in the street, but was a welcome guest of the congregations to whom he spoke. And this is what is so alarming about Boykin's comments,--not just the content itself, but that it was accepted. Why were Boykin's assertions about an inextricable relationship between America and Christianity received by the audiences to which he addressed? Why is it that Christians see this war as a spiritual battle?

It is not simply the "my god is better than yours" mentality denoted by Boykin's most quoted assertion. The answer is much less obvious, especially if you have not grown up with the thinking and understanding of evangelicals, as I have (in the mixed blessing of my Christian conservative upbringing). What lays the foundation for the worldview of evangelical Christians is their eschatology--their beliefs on how the end of the world (Second Coming of Christ, Armageddon, Apocalypse, pick one) will play out.

This may seem silly, until you consider how seriously most evangelicals take it. Many evangelicals believe that the end times will commence within their lifetime (incidentally, so did the original 12 disciples). This belief stems from many recent world events which they see as the fulfillment of end time prophecy, such as the restoration of the nation of Israel, a pivotal end-times requirement. Todd Strandberg's "Rapture Index," found at www.raptureready.com, measures certain indicators that the rapture is near, the highest-ranked indicators including: the decline of moral standards, ecumenism, globalization, arms proliferation, the Beast Government, wild weather, famines, floods and climate change.

The Antichrist will then utilize the outcomes of globalization and technology to reign by controlling a one-world economy and forcing people to wear his mark (some sort of tracking device) in order to participate in commerce. His greatest deception, however, will be the promise of peace, through which he will get the world to disarm only to then turn on it with a nuclear war. The key geographical setting for all of this is Babylon. Or as we refer to the region now, Iraq.

This translates into political policies that oppose International institutions--such as the U.N. and E.U., as they are agents of globalization and will give rise to the one-world government through which the Antichrist will rule:

• Disarmament: as peace will be the deceitful weapon of the Antichrist, giving him the ability to bring ultimate war to the world;

• Environmental protection: God will destroy the world before the world can destroy itself, thus our resources should be devoted to saving souls, not the planet;

• Ecumenism: there will be a one-world church that becomes a primary tool of the Antichrist's deception;

These end times beliefs also explain the efforts to legislate morality as moral decline is the surest sign that Christ will be coming soon. Many see America as the last bastion of Christian values, which, once overwrought by immorality, will fall as a world power, providing the platform for which the E.U. and hence Antichrist will rise to world domination.

It also explains the intense push for evangelism-- there is much pressure laid on evangelical Christians to convert as many souls as they can before the end.

This is the context for Gen. Boykin's comments. This is the thinking that underlies much of the religious right's politics, as evangelicals grow more and more anxious about the end of the world.

This would all sound ridiculous to me if I hadn't grown up under its influence and seen firsthand how these beliefs shape people's political views. And while all of this seems as though it should be written off, it is essential that Duke students and academics are educated about such things, so that they have a full context for understanding the world.

The war on terror is not a war waged with religious motivations on only one side--many Americans see this war in religious terms, and as the past has taught us, that can be very, very dangerous.

Alicia Manning is a Trinity junior. Her column usually appears every third Monday.