“Pope Francis says that the church should
be ‘a field hospital on the edge of the battle-

field,’” the theologian wrote. In today’s world
that is such a refreshingly true and rare state-

ment in the face of the fear that harbours deep
in hearts of Christians who scream the battle

cry and call for death to the enemy, whoever
that may be, and so as Saul slew his thousands

and David slew his tens of thousands, Christians
cheer on the David who in retaliation slays

thousands upon thousands to the hundreds slain
by others and in so doing raises up enemies

numbering like grains of sand in the deserts
of the Middle East and war goes on and on and

on and the battlefields get bloodier and blood-
ier with expendable lives while American Christ-

ians cheer from the sidelines of the battle-
field and go home in fear and trembling past

that field hospital.