If you have managed to pull yourself away from your classes, intramurals and Sing Song practice lately, you may have noticed that the United States is about to enter into a war with Iraq.

And so the question begins floating around churches: “Should Christians fight?” and “Is it OK with God if we kill in the name of our country?”

Time is spent debating these issues, which, while legitimate for a while, should not become our focus.

Consider this: Christians are and will continue fighting. This is what they have been trained to do; it is their job. Probably very few are ecstatic about the thought of killing another human; conversely, this usually leaves mental and emotional scars that can never be erased.

The church must respond. Instead of alienating Christians at war, we must encourage those who have made an obligation in the name of our country to fight in our place. Without them, America might not be the superpower it is today.

The power of prayer should not be underestimated in this situation. Pray for our troops in general. Pray for the Christians in battle. While you’re at it, pray that Sadaam is knocked out of power, so that war wouldn’t be necessary.

Maybe none of this really matters to you. It should. Four of your fellow students have been called off reserve and into active duty. Jason Arnold, Lindsey Gunter, Derrick Hamilton and John Williams aren’t worried about Sing Song right now. They don’t care about tests that are happening this week.

Instead, they are dealing with mud, guns, a foreign country and the possibility of having to end a human life. We cannot neglect them in a time like this.

So feel free to toss around the “Should Christians fight?” question with your friends during a late-night theological discussion.

But when the morning sun rises, with it comes reality. And with reality the realization that your friends are fighting and the knowledge that you must do something in their defense. So do it.