This type of subversion does not have quite the same subtlety that teaching English does, obviously. Handing out Bibles is a pretty clear demonstration of what you’re doing and where your work is headed.
However, if you are handing Bibles out at a high school camp run by the military…well, that’s a bit more subversive than previously thought. Here’s the scene: we arrive at the Thai military base (no evil dogs here though) with our ministry contacts. The plan was to pass out the Bibles to the soldiers there, but our host hadn’t called beforehand to ask if we could, so we were denied access. However, they told us that we could go just down the road to the military-run camp to pass them out to what looked to be the Thai equivalent of Boy Scouts of America (Girls Scouts too). The look seems to have been more superficial than anything else though, because their instructors seemed to function more as drill sergeants than kindly teachers (fairly nice drill sergeants, though, I must admit).
As we got out of the truck and went to greet the officers who came out to meet us, my heartbeat quickened and I found a knot forming in my stomach. They were not carrying M-16’s or AK-47’s like at our original destination, but it was the same uniform, the same demeanor, the same swagger of men used to giving orders. I did not salute, I did not shake hands, I did not smile; I wasn’t rude, I simply stayed out of their immediate circle. The knot and the racing heart rate stayed with me as I walked through the camp, as I passed out New Testaments to the boys, the girls, and some of the leadership, as I stoically bid goodbye to the officers, and did not subside until I got back in the truck.
The reason, you see, is that I know the Truth contained inside the covers of that little book I was handing out. I’m aware of the revolutionary love and subversive spirit contained within the pages of the Gospels, and I’ve read the radical words written in red.
“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
“My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
And the Old Testament commandments of :
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
“You shall not murder.”
The self-condemning words of the Pharisees as they hounded Pilate for the crucifixion of Christ also comes to mind :
“We have no king but Caesar!”
…and I’m passing this stuff out to kids being taught by the military! What if some of the youngsters actually read it? What if a few actually believe it?! Will any of them walk away from the military? Will they see the cause of Christ incompatible with violence and military force, as well as loyalty to a worldly kingdom?
I pray that’s the case. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, the subversion continues…
