The truth is we are engineered for relationship, and that’s the way humanity has lived for the entirety of its existence – in tribes, villages and neighborhoods. And although technology has allowed us to be more connected than ever, we are more lonely than ever. We’ve replaced the intimacy of face to face human contact with little digital quips that we hope will add up to one meaningful moment with another human. And when we’re present in the same spaces with other people, we’re disconnected from them by the constant interruption of communication devices and the need to generate content.

In a lot of ways, we’ve lost the ability to be fully present.

I don’t say these things out of disdain or judgement – rather a desire to see the people around me connect with one another more intimately. Out of that, Connected : An Interactive Experience was born.

That underlying philosophy of isolation and connection was the root of my desire to generate interactive art – art that connects people through shared experience. So, a couple years ago, I started a list of things I’d want to do to create an interactive show inside of a theater space. Of course, the original brainstorming list included things that I could only do with a multi-million dollar budget, but instead of waiting around for it to rain money, I knew it was time to get started.

So, I took some of those ideas and the concept as a whole to my friends Holly and John David Harris. Together (with director, Aradhana Tiwari), we began crafting a show that invites people into the exploration of story, the world around them and their own life experiences.

One of the producers of another show that will be debuting in our venue at Orlando Fringe recently asked me, “what’s been your favorite thing about your show so far?” And it awakened me to how the content of our show is realized through gathering people to bring it to life.

 ”I love working WITH people. I like sitting in my room conceptualizing and writing, but I can only do that for so long. I guess – however cheesy this may be – I like “connecting” with people.

This whole show is kind of a bit of my own journey – having people in my life that I care a lot about who have just disappeared or moved away and recognizing how much that has affected me. Or knowing that there have been words that have been spoken over my life that have hurt and stuck with me.

I know those are collective human experiences, so I wanted to invite people to sit in a theater and investigate them together. There’s something powerful that happens when we connect.

So, there’s the content of the show itself that I care about, and at the same time, there’s power in the relational, physical and emotional connection we get to share as a cast and crew.”

And I think it’s easy for us to justify our disconnectedness – “I have things to do.” “I have responsibilities.” “There’s more opportunity for me over there.” “If I can just do this one extra thing, then I’ll be one step closer to making it.” “I’ve been hurt before, and I don’t want to be hurt again.” “They don’t really love me anyway.”

I wanted a place where we could investigate our motives together. What are the things we’re chasing and why? My hope is that Connected helps people ask these kinds of questions and be honest about the answers. Because loneliness isn’t just some emotional thing we can get over. It has huge implications for our lives.

This week, I was listening to the Diane Rehm show, and she had an entire hour on the increase of loneliness in the digital age. Stephen Marche of the Atlantic magazine began talking about the physical effects of loneliness,

“…you’re less likely to survive heart surgery. The way that … the white cells in your body transcribe DNA is different for lonely people than not lonely people. When you’re lonely, your whole body is lonely down to the very DNA in your system. I mean, I could go on. It affects the way you inflame. It affects inflammation rates. Loneliness is not a human condition. We’re not supposed to be lonely. We’re supposed to be social. Our brains are constructed to be social animals.”

But despite even this scientific data, our entire society is built around independent living. We don’t know our neighbors, we’re constantly transient, there’s an overwhelming pressure to perform. And rarely does scientific data change much about our decision making. But story invites us into something deeper than data. A good story invites us to remember and feel – to engage with characters and, ultimately, ourselves.

That’s what we hope the immense amount of work we’ve put into Connected will result in… more intimacy, a deeper commitment to truly enjoying life with those around us, more vibrant and connected communities and ultimately healthier, more INTERdependent people.

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Connected : An Interactive Experience opens at the Orlando Fringe Festival on Thursday, May 17 and has 7 performances through May 26.

You can find and buy tickets at this link.

Show Dates and Times :

• Thursday 17 May; at 7:45pm in the Green
• Saturday 19 May; at 8:30pm in the Green
• Sunday 20 May; at 11:30am in the Green
• Monday 21 May; at 5:45pm in the Green
• Tuesday 22 May; at 8:45pm in the Green
• Friday 25 May; at 10:15pm in the Green
• Saturday 26 May; at 2:45pm in the Green

Go Beyond! from whatsyourstatus.com on Vimeo.

More recently, I was sitting at a table with some friends talking about some creative work we are doing together. It’s not necessarily “church” stuff, but it definitely reaches into the depths of people’s spirits. It was the first time I had seen what Ryan was talking about happen. One of my friends at the table looked at the rest of us and said, “There really isn’t language to describe what we’re doing here. What do we call this?” It was a beautiful moment – seeing Ryan’s prophetic words come to life.

That brings me to Sunday night when I spoke on the Church’s relationship to Society and Government. It was one of the most enjoyable preparation processes leading up to a message I had encountered. And tonight, while teaching out came this phrase, “Spiritual Innovation.” It just seemed to make so much spiritual sense. So what is this idea?

In doing research for the message, I came across some fairly poignant statistics related to the state of the world we’re in. Most Christians (as I garnered from experience and an informal hand raising during the message) seem to think the world is in a process of deterioration – that things are getting worse. But, in many ways, that’s simply not the case. Take a look at these stats as reported by Peter Diamandis in this illuminating TED Talk.

These are some amazing stats. A doubled lifespan in the last 100 years. And a vast majority of modern Americans living below the poverty level have access to necessities and luxuries that the wealthiest people in the world couldn’t have imagined 100 years ago. These same Americans have access to more mobile technology than Ronald Reagan had while President just 25 years ago.

Innovation is a word we expect to use with things like healthcare and telecommunications. Those are manmade technologies that seem to make sense when we consider them in terms of increase. But Spiritual Innovation? That’s something to take some time thinking about. So I did.

First, let’s take an historical view. When Jesus had stepped into his three years of ministry, he said this of John the Baptist :

Matthew 11:11
I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

There are three levels of history here. Past, present and future. “There has not risen anyone greater” speaks of the prophets of the past. It’s to say that Abraham, the one God promised to bless in order that God might bless all of humanity through him, was not as great as John. It’s to say that Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt – the one who parted the Sea and met with God on the mountain; Joshua who led the people into the promised land; Esther, Isaiah, Daniel, David and all the saints leading up to John were not as great as he was. In fact, there was an increase in power and deed throughout the course of history that culminated in the prophet, John the Baptist.

And then Jesus in this same passage validates John’s ministry as a prophet, coming to prepare the way for the Messiah.

And finally, Jesus speaks to the future when he mentions those who are to come after John by saying that “he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than [John the Baptist].” We see this historical increase from the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist and then those who are to come after him. So, in this passage, we come to understand that those who have seen the manifestation of God’s glory, the ones who have heard his voice and received his words on tablets of stone, those of whom it is said are “after God’s own heart” were simply the beginning stages of an increase that continues on into today. This historical view is the first glimpse we get into the idea of “Spiritual Innovation,” but is there more? Yes.

While John was greater than those who had come before him, Jesus was even greater than John. Yet Jesus himself points us toward further increase in even more specific and blatant words.

John 14:12
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

As we are found in Christ, we step into an even greater and more poignant increase. Jesus, as we know, performed miracles of provision of wine and food, healing of the spirit, soul and body and even raised the dead to life. But what does he say to those who are to come after him? That we will do greater things than these.

In our current, western context, it is fashionable and simpler to reduce both of these statements made by Jesus to be something metaphysical – the preaching of the gospel, for instance. But we see in the verses following in John 14, that Jesus is specifically talking about manifestations of the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Jesus goes on to say, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” And this is exactly the case for the New Testament church. We see them stepping into this reality.

I was talking to my friend, Bobby, tonight. He’s a seminary student and is currently in a class on the book of Acts. His professor takes the view that the book should not be called the Acts of the Apostles but, rather, the Acts of the Spirit. They are studying the nuances of the work of the Holy Spirit throughout Acts – from the miraculous and obvious healings and supernatural works to the more subtle ways God arranges people to be in a certain place in a certain time for a certain task. The working, guidance and leadership of God is present all throughout the book – including when Peter quotes a prophesy from Joel in saying,

Acts 2:17-18
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.

There is an increase in the types of activity of the Holy Spirit but also an increase in the breadth of those through whom God desires to move. And surely if Peter was considering himself as living in “the last days,” so too are we – living later in history – included in this prophesy.

Often times Christians look at the book of Acts and just assume that “something was going on there that wasn’t really for me now.” But Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians once again reinforces the idea of Spiritual Innovation.

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Notice the phrase, “ever-increasing glory.” Would it ever make sense to assume that as God is in the process of transforming the church into his likeness with ever-increasing glory that the Church would ever become less powerful or have less of an ability to manifest the kingdom of heaven on earth? On the contrary. This verse, and many others, point us toward a trend of increase in the revelation of God and His kingdom on earth. To understand why, we look to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 3:10-11
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s wisdom is manifold – or multifaceted. It’s many sided and unending. So much so that there are heavenly beings that do not even know the full extent of His wisdom. And God’s intent is to reveal that manifold wisdom to the the world (both spiritual and physical) through His Church! This isn’t simply the sudden and momentary revelation of the good new of redemption through Christ. This is the ongoing manifestation of the glory and goodness of God through the Church for eternity.

So it seems there’s much scripture behind this idea of Spiritual Innovation. It’s not a new age idea of trying to carve out a new way to enlightenment. The goal is to recapture what was started in the Old Testament prophets, amplified by John the Baptist, revealed in Jesus and entrusted to His Church. It’s the promised increase in power and glory that the Church, somewhere along the way lost hold of in pursuit of something easier, more quantifiable or, perhaps, more instantly gratifying.

So back to those charts at the top. We expect technological and medical innovation. And God has used those tools to give us a glimpse of the power of innovation – that even innovation in the physical world brings about an increase of the kingdom of heaven on earth. Technological innovation has brought about longer life and a more peaceful and enjoyable one at that. But what if God’s people were responsive to His word? What if we accept our position in history as one that is meant to bring about a greater increase in the revelation of God’s power and His kingdom? Then surely the advances brought on by the technological innovations of the world would pale in comparison.

Jesus entrusted his followers with a great task when he declared

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven

in Matthew 16:19. He has handed the keys to His kingdom over to us. We now have the power to bind up death and sickness, pain and injustice. Simultaneously loosing love, joy, peace, patience and the rest of an endless list of God’s manifold wisdom into the physical and spiritual realms. I don’t know to what extent we will see these things come in power during our lifetime. Perhaps our generation is meant to restart that which has been lost by laying a heaven-on-earth foundation for future believers to build upon. But I do know that the first step is to receive our role as Spiritual Innovators – opening ourselves up as willing vessels through which God will reveal His kingdom and glory to the earth.

“The seeds of denominational division were planted during the Reformation and have been growing ever since.”

We spent the next hour and half talking about ins and outs of the statement and debating over some the nuanced theological issues that have been the causes of some denominational splits. We were feeling lofty in our ability to think and discuss the minutia of these interpretations and how they did or didn’t relate back to the main idea of the Reformation.

We made our way into the Mexican pavilion and stepped to the side – near a cart selling clay pots. There wasn’t anyone around, so it was a nice place to talk amongst ourselves. Suddenly, a woman came out of nowhere. She hadn’t heard our conversation, but she suddenly started talking about “the power of the universe” and the “great universal being.” There’s no doubt God was trying to teach us something. In the middle of our petty theological disagreement, he reminded us of our true purpose as followers of Christ. We are made to be in the world and love it like Jesus does. Suddenly we were united in our purpose, and the silly things we had been talking about were irrelevant.

I grew up in the trenches of Baptist-dom. Throughout the years, I’ve had the opportunity to travel and partner with dozens of denominations (and non-denominations) in lots of different initiatives. There are great people who love God well across all these lines. And one of the things I’ve learned is that each of these denominations hold a little piece of the character of God inside them. At times, these differences are celebrated and valued, but often, they are the source of jokes and – in some cases – dissension.

I’ve always just assumed these jokes and dissension were part of life, but over the last few months, I’ve really started pondering the concept of denominations, the local church and our interaction with fellow Christ-followers.

The History

For 15 centuries, the church was just that – THE church. There was only one church – “the holy catholic church” as the Apostle’s Creed puts it. Growing up, I just thought that “catholic” word referred to that body of people belonging to Roman Catholicism. But in this case, it’s small “c” catholic meaning “Including a wide variety of things; all-embracing.”

Now at this point, the hard-nosed truth lovers are beginning to wiggle in their seats. “Oh no… don’t you go using words like “wide variety” and “all-embracing!” That’s language of the watered-down weaklings.” I know the internal battle. In some ways, I’m describing myself, and what I’m suggesting here isn’t that we lose sight of truth. So keep holding on.

For 1500 years, the Church valued unity. There were certainly abuses of power and damaging theological diversions in the Church by the time Martin Luther came around. In many respects, a reformation was essential. But my question is this : Was what we call the Reformation really reformation? Looking back I would say no. Central to the idea of reformation is the idea of change. Instead, Luther led (what would become) a defection (whether intentionally or unintentionally). The goal here is not to evaluate the character or actions of Luther. It is to ask if the Protestant Reformation has blossomed into something quite tragic for the Church.

While there had been minor defections from the Church over the 1500 years of its existence, Martin Luther’s defection was the second major schism that created such an exodus from that initial unified body. (The first being the East–West Schism of 1054 creating the Eastern and Western/Roman Catholic divisions. And even in this division, there was only one split – as opposed to the ongoing division resulting from the Protestant Reformation.) And this Protestant Reformation was the foundation upon which the denominational church is built. As a result we have seen a continued breakdown of God’s intention for a unified Church. Splits continued to occur around decreasingly less important doctrinal interpretations – and worse.

The Present

So what implications does this have for us today? Does this really matter or should we just press forward accepting where we are as the way things are?

Let me repaint the picture stated above. The Protestant Reformation was the beginning of a mass exodus from Roman Catholicism. It was built upon the concept of protest – a protest against the selling of indulgences and the unjust treatment of laity, primarily. These were important issue and should have been addressed. But how they were addressed was the beginning of a continual expectation of division based on disagreement.

As time progressed, divisions continued. Denominational “leadership” cemented the example of organizational defection in the hearts and minds of people. And, what began as organizational sin, was soon adopted into the daily lives of congregants.

That leads us to today. Often we chuckle about church splits that have occurred over things as silly as the color of carpet in the building and reduce it to people being petty. Or we accept as normal the tendency of people to hop from one church to another hoping to be “fed.” But I am increasingly convinced that issues like these are the fruit of the seeds that have been growing out of the Protestant Defection for the last 500 years. This defection that was an epic and grave event 500 years ago is now the everyday norm of millions of Christians all over the world on a continual basis.

The Effects

So does it even matter? Absolutely yes.

As a result of the increase of denominational division, we now take refuge in bastions of cookie-cutter interpretation. We come out of our homogenous silos only to confront one another in debate at the doors of the Castle Church of Wittenberg all over again. We write scathing blog posts and magazine articles. We dismiss great implications to our own spiritual lives by categorically dismissing interpretations, experiences or even entire passages of scripture as the realm of “the calvinists” or “the pentecostals” or “the baptists.” And because we’ve done so well as surrounding ourselves with those who think and act just like us, we’re never confronted with the iron-sharpening discomfort of “different.”

Some might say, “Well, the Kingdom of God is diverse, and denominations reflect that diversity.” But there is no diversity in division. There is only diversity when those with differences exist in the same place at the same time. Does denominationalism reflect the diversity of “In Christ, there is no Greek or Jew, Slave or Free?” Does it mirror “Every tribe, tongue and nation?” God certainly values uniqueness, but we see unity as a scriptural essential for the proper and full operation of the Church.

Today, we have become so obsessed with separating ourselves over non-essential truths that we feel justified in losing sight of our mission to be Jesus to the world. And even when we align our eyes with that mission, we are less effective when we are separated than when we are together. This is why I believe that disunity – from the immensity of the Protestant Defection to the splitting of two friends – is a primary tool that Satan uses to immobilize the Body of Christ.

In a recent conversation with my friend and fellow pastor, Collin Outerbridge, about this subject, he raised the question, “Could what you’re pointing to actually be caused by the western consumer mindset instead?” Immediately we both looked at each other and asked, “WOAH! Could this actually be the root of the Western Consumer mindset?!” Of course, answering this question would take lots of anthropological study and – in the end – probably a lot of assumptions. But we do know that God has commissioned the Church to create a Kingdom culture. And in areas where the culture does not reflect the Kingdom, it’s because the Church has yet to reveal the Kingdom in it. It’s safe to say that – at the very least – the seeds of division that have blossomed into a consumer mindset in the church perpetuate that lifestyle and mindset in the culture at large.

The Solution

Even the thought of bringing a solution to this 500 year old problem seems overwhelming. But that cannot stop us from becoming a more beautiful Bride.

First, I think we have to understand what The Church is. This is something I think Martin Luther missed in his fervor. And we have to come to consensus on this before we can move forward. But from what scripture teaches, the Church is the totality of those who have accepted the salvation of Christ through his sacrifice on the cross for the redemption of sin by grace through faith. Despite our nomenclature and human divisions, God sees only one Church. So, when Martin Luther split from the catholic Church, he was not walking away from an organization. He was walking away from some who had been saved by grace through faith. He was surrendering to the future reality of a broken Body of Christ. And each time we divide, we perpetuate that brokenness.

So how do we reverse this problem?

We start with ourselves. We repent in our thinking. We mourn our sin and change our thinking. We commit to seeing those who are in Christ as our brothers and sisters in Christ – even when we disagree with their interpretations of non-salvific issues. People are not saved or unsaved because of their views on heaven, hell, abortion, homosexuality, predestination, free will or any other of the thousands of political, social and theological ideas we allow to separate us. Does this mean we stand for apostasy? Or that we don’t espouse and stand for right doctrine? Of course not. Jesus’ prayer for the unity of the Church in John 17 isn’t an excuse for laziness or false teaching. But it IS an admonition that we pursue truth and sharpening alongside one another. It is a mandate that we build One Church on the foundation of Christ alone instead of franchising christianity based on our differences.

Second, in solving this problem, we understand that truth and unity are not mutually exclusive. The Truth is Christ, and all who surrender to him are unified in him. We do not create truth, and we do not create unity. We simply remain in Christ or walk away from him.

Romans 14:1-2 is a great example of this very idea – that we are unified in Christ, and we mustn’t divide on petty issues. “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.” Does this mean that we remain in unity with those who are rebellious against God? By no means. We follow the course of church discipline as outlined by Jesus – why? So that they might once again be unified with us in him.

Third, we need to change our language. About 8 years ago, I heard Louie Giglio say, “Terminology becomes theology,” and the words “protestant” and “denomination” have become acceptable jargon in the Christian world while remaining contrary to so many biblical realities. Christians need to change our minds – no longer defining ourselves by what we are against as “protestants” but what we are for as those who represent and reveal the character and the heart of God as the Body of Christ. In the same way, we need to move from valuing division into thousands of “denominational” Christian brands and reunite by recognizing the unifying work of Christ. We must purge our vocabulary of the anti-christ words “protestant” and “denomination” and, as a result, bring an end to the unacceptable divisions we as people have come to accept as normal.

The three things above come on an individual level. But there must be broad, organizational repentance as well. In the same way we’ve seen a degradation of the Church over the last 500 years, we must engage in what might be a very long journey of reversing the process of division and once again returning to a unified, powerful, effective Church. As individuals choose to recognize that all followers of Christ are united in Him, it will inevitably change the organizational church from the inside out. As followers of Christ who desire to see his prayer for unity in the Church come to position and influence, we will see the deconstruction of walls that have been built between individual congregations within our cities. As the rest of the Church sees the power that comes from a united Church in cities and regions, there will be a wave of walls falling all over the globe and the Church reuniting once again to fulfill the great commission.

The Conclusion

God desires to be worshiped in Sprit and in Truth. Jesus commissioned us to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. Unity is not valued over truth. My point here is not that we build a culture of compromise. What I am addressing are the methodologies and expectations we have for ourselves as the Church.

Jesus prayed in John 17

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one”

I think Jesus prayed this because he knows who we are as people. He knows that we have a tendency toward what makes us comfortable, that we like to be around people that are just like us and that we don’t like to be challenged. But look at the picture that scripture paints for us of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is full of people that are really different from one another. They look different, they talk different, the care about different things, they think differently. But in Christ, they are all healed, they are all valued and they are all one.

Thursday, news broke of a YouTube video of four Marines urinating on the bodies of several dead Taliban soldiers. As a result, there was a firestorm of politicians condemning the actions of the US Marines. The video, and the resulting political response dominated the news. As a result, I posted the following comment online :

“I find it strange how urinating on someone (which is awful) is interpreted as being worse than killing them.”

with the intention of bringing light to the inequitable response of politicians to two drastically different scenarios.

Scenario 1 : Individuals are killed, and the public response is, “Eh. It’s to be expected.”

Scenario 2 : Individuals are urinated on (and they don’t even know it), and the response is, “This is an outrage. How could these people be dishonored in such a way. The perpetrators will be prosecuted to the full measure of the law.”

I suppose the context of war somehow makes these responses make sense – for some. But this is the parallel I was imagining all day long. “BREAKING NEWS… THIS JUST IN… Dateline, Orlando. An unknown elementary school student urinated on Bobby – the school bully – on the playground today. After the attack, Bobby’s clothes were covered in urine. His mother was quite upset. School officials are reviewing the grainy playground surveillance video to find out who the perpetrator is. They assure us that the offender will be prosecuted to the full measure of the law. In other news, Bobby was shot and killed along with 14,000 other children on the playground. We’ll break in with any news about that video as soon as any information is released.”

Why such a stern response to an action that – by all accounts – seems less severe than what happens everyday in war? Is it possible that this outrage and shock should point to the deeper tragedy of war itself?

I have a thousand thoughts on this subject – some of them even in contradiction with one another in my own mind. But, I’ve had lots of conversations with my friend – and former Marine – Doug Jackson on his experiences in combat. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to invite him to post as a guest here on my blog. Here’s Doug.

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Like Cole, I too have a thousand thoughts on this subject. Yes, a video of Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters is disgusting and troubling. But maybe we’re missing the point if we aren’t using those same adjectives to describe war itself.

I too was shocked when I heard the story, but unlike most, it wasn’t because of WHAT I was hearing but instead the way in which it was being delivered. I mean, is Brian Williams and the rest of America really that appalled? It’s become convenient for us to compartmentalize this “conflict” and for the news to talk about a strong “effort” or “surge of troops” in a hostile region to “turn the tide” or “win hearts and minds.” But what that really means is that young men must leave their homes and loved ones, they must be thoroughly psychologically indoctrinated, desensitized to killing while dehumanizing their enemy, etc. These same young men must then squeeze a trigger and shoot bullets at another human being, until these bullets make impact, destroying enough bodily tissue so that a heart stops beating and a person’s life ends. Once someone has been made an expert at this, is it really a stretch to imagine them disrespecting a lifeless corpse after they’ve taken the life it once carried?

Throughout these wars (Iraq and Afghanistan), there have been a number of regrettable incidents, incidents where things didn’t go as planned, where soldiers have intentionally killed innocent Iraqi or Afghan civilians, where detainees have been abused and tortured, where Marines and soldiers have killed themselves while deployed. And the administration has always rushed to apologize for, condemn, and explain the incident, while prosecuting and brining those involved to justice meanwhile failing to admit their own role in enabling that person to commit those acts. A professor of psychology at West Point and Retired Lt. Colonel in the Army, Dave Grossman, wrote a book called “On Killing, the psychological cost of learning to kill in war and society.” After reading it several times, it’s clear how easy a man can eventually lose himself, once trained to kill and if exposed to enough combat; therefore nothing should come as a surprise.

We’ve (Americans) been asking for the impossible and under the illusion that it’s somehow within our grasp. We’ve put a huge burden on so few, with less than 1% of all Americans having served in Iraq or Afghanistan (going on 11yrs) with multiple deployments as the norm. Half of all Congress sit comfortably at home, unaffected by the consequences of their own policies. Yet they react with shock and are quick to condemn and prosecute those who’ve clearly lost their humanity and made mistakes while implementing the policies dictated to them.

This sniper team that urinated on the dead Taliban fighters made a big mistake. And regarding the bigger question, well, I’m still asking myself if killing is ever justified, even in war. At the very least, all the military training points to the idea that the act of killing stands in strong opposition to our nature, to how we were created.

I realize many of you are enraged by this story, shocked, or maybe indifferent, unfortunatly it probably won’t last beyond this week. Like the war in Iraq that officially ended less than a month ago (Dec 15th), after thousands of American’s killed, tens of thousands wounded, and roughly a trillion dollars spent. It’s nowhere to be found on the news or in our conversations. The biggest tragedy is our distaste for war never lasts.

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Doug was stationed at Camp Lejeune (where the accused Marines are stationed). He was a Marine from 2006-2010 and Iraq War Vet.
Today, Doug has turned his attention and energy to shooting with a camera. You can see some of this work on Iris and Ember.

Taken with instagram