War Room Theology

War Room Theology

​In the sermon this week, I made mention of the Christian based movie called the “War Room.” I mentioned that I question the theology that is spoken of by the main character when she states, “"In order to stand up and fight the enemy, you need to get on your knees and pray." Below are some of my thoughts about her statement, as well as my push back on the “war” language used by many Christian movies and authors:

1. The Main Character's Statement: MIss Clara states "In order to stand up and fight the enemy, you need to get on your knees and pray." Her statement projects, I believe, a false sense of self reliance through the use of the personal pronoun “you” and “your.” Her statement would suggest that she is doing battle with the enemy by getting on her knees and praying (both actions which seem dependant on her own abilities) instead of relying on God. While I understand that God’s participation may be implied, her statement makes God a secondary participant to her action of prayer. Her statement also suggest that through her prayer that she can battle the “enemy” (Satan), which is impossible without God.
   
2. War/Fight Language in Christianity: Many Christians use war language (like the term spiritual warfare) to describe the battle we have with sin/Satan/temptation. They point to verses like Ephesians 6:11-17, 2 Cor 10:3-5, 1 Cor 10:13, among others. While an exegesis (and the historical worldview in which they were written) of these verses would better detail my point, it may be sufficient to say in this short blog that such verses do not seek to thrust a view that we are lonely warriors on a field of battle. This type of rugged individualism (a by-product of the Enlightenment- in which God is not needed because science can figure all things out) is not what Paul had in mind when he wrote those verses. Instead God is the one who will win the battle for us. We need only be still (Exodus 14:14) because God will be our strength in any battle we face.
   
3. Winners/Losers: And this is the biggest issue I see in war language/theology seen in Christian movies like “War Room.” Such language lends itself that to a winners vs losers mentality. This mentality says that if we try hard enough, and fight long enough, then we will win in the end (a results/works based faith). Movies like War Room teeter on the edge of a prayer prosperity gospel, in which God becomes the genie in the lamp. As long as I rub hard enough, He will give me what I want. However, if we fail, then that indicates that we have “lost the battle,”  or did something wrong. Unfortunately, this is frequently the message that contemporary Christian movies portray. The danger in this line of thinking is that it withdraws the grace of God in all things.
   

So is there Spiritual Warfare? Is there a place for this language? Absolutely. However, the verses which describe items of battle and war need to be properly understood for context and history. To attempt to make them fit into our biased enlightenment worldview is making the Scriptures into something they are not.