Gertrude: “Hey, Joadson. Whoa! Looks like you joined the Army. The uniform fits well.”

Joadson: “Thanks. Sure did.”

Gerturde: “I thought you were going to seminary, go into missions work. Didn’t you want to work with Muslims? Was it Muslims?”

Joadson: “Uhh. Yeah. Yeah. Muslims. No, I still want to get into missions; be a missionary, you know. I really feel like God’s taking me that direction. But, right now, I believe he wants me to do this. With the world the way it is, all the war going on, I need to do my part. I need to help out. I want to support this country, you know.”

Gertrude: “Oh. Do you know where you’re going yet?”

Joadson: “Plus I’ll get to learn some Arabic while I’m there. Oh! Sorry. Yeah, I’m going to Afghanistan.”

Gertrude: “Afghanistan? We will probably still be there for a while, right? Well, I guess you will still be working with Muslims, though, right?

Joadson: “That’s right. In a way, I am going to the mission field.”

Gertrude: “Kind of funny how things work out, eh?”

Joadson: “Yeah. Kind of funny.”

Gertrude: “You’ll be a soldier, then, right? What do you think about that?”

Joadson: “What do you mean?”

Gertrude: “Well, the last time I saw you, you were going to be a missionary among the Muslims. Now, you’ll be among Muslims but with orders that might result in you killing some of them.”

Joadson: “I know what you’re saying.”

Gertrude: “Do you? Let me ask you something: are you willing to die for the US?”

Joadson: “Yes, I am. It’s scary, but I’m willing to sacrifice myself so we can stay free. Any soldier has to be willing to do that. But, we have to fight for freedom. We need to be safe.”

Gertrude: “And, are you willing to die for Jesus.”

Joadson: “Of course. I love Jesus. If someone’s got a gun to my head, saying, ‘Convert or die,’ I will hold on to Jesus. You know that.”

Gertrude: “Are you willing to kill Muslims for the US?”

Joadson: “Well, yes. I don’t want to. And I’ll try not to. But if I have to defend myself, if they don’t put their weapons down, I’ll do what I have to to live. If I kill some of them, it’s okay. It’s justified. And, yes, I do think Jesus is okay with that. He said, ‘Love your neighbor,’ and I need to make sure I’m loving my family, friends, and the folks in my community. I have to defend them. Wouldn’t be too loving if I didn’t, right? If I just let the terrorists run us all over?”

Gertrude: “So, are you willing to kill Muslims for Jesus?”

Joadson: “No! No way. I mean, Jesus isn’t going to ask me to kill Muslims. He won’t ask me to kill anyone.”

Gertrude: “Oh. I’m getting confused now. You said you would kill Muslims for the US. But not for Jesus? Who do you take orders from?”

Joadson: “Well, you have to understand something. My main allegiance is to Jesus. I love God and will do what he wants me to do. But, under that, he made me an American, and I have my duty to take care of my country. My allegiance to the country is secondary. I will do what I’m told to do in the Army unless it goes against God. If it breaks one of God’s commandments, or . . . what did you always say, ‘Violates the teachings of Jesus,’ . . . then I can’t do it. I have to obey God. I will obey God.”

Gertrude: “But, am I right in thinking that you believe Jesus will never ask you to kill someone, but would be okay if you happened to kill someone, like during a military mission?”

Joadson: “Well, yeah. It’s in the act of defense.”

Gertrude: “Don’t you think you’re being torn in two? Trying to serve two masters?”

Joadson: “No. Not really. I serve Jesus first, and the country second. I’ll do what my country needs me to do, unless it goes against God and the Bible.”

Gertrude: “Alright, then, how many Muslims will you reach for Jesus while you’re in the US military in Afghanistan?”

Joadson: “Whoa. That was a quick jump.”

Gertrude: “Not really. I’ve been ready to ask you that since we first started talking. So, how many?”

Joadson: “I don’t know.”

Gertrude: “Come on. Just give me a number. An estimate. I’m not writing anything down here.”

Joadson: “I don’t know. Hopefully some, I think. I mean, I’ll try. I just think I’ll be either in my camp or on orders to search for militants in the villages.”

Gertrude: “Come on, Joadsy! Give us a number.”

Joadson: “Alright. Well, how about 2. I’ve heard a lot about it being tough to really break through in Muslim populations. It can take years and years of just being there, ministering, loving people, working with them, before you see fruits. But, let’s go with 2.”

Gertrude: “I’ve heard that also. That you can be working in the community for years before you see anything happen.”

Joadson: “Totally. When I was prepping to go to seminary, talking with missionaries working in different Middle Eastern countries, that’s what they kept saying. I was getting ready for the long haul.”

Gertrude: “Okay, then. 2 during your stint in Afghanistan while in the military. Now, how many will you reach–again, just throw a wild estimate out there–if you became a missionary in Afghanistan?”

Joadson: “Hmm.”

Gertrude: “Let’s say you were there 8 or 10 years.”

Joadson: “Okay. Let’s say 10.”

Gertrude: “Nice.”

Joadson: “A big family or something.”

Gertrude: “As a missionary, how many Muslims would you kill?”

Joadson: “None! Are you crazy?”

Gertrude: “In the Army, in Afghanistan, how many Muslims will you kill?”

Joadson: “That’s not fair! It’s not the same.”

Gertrude: “Not the same? Same as what?”

Joadson: “It’s war. It’s the military. We have missions. We have to be safe. We have to defend ourselves. We have to fight for our country to be free. We have to keep America safe.”

Gertrude: “Is that more important than the 10 Muslims you could have saved?”

Joadson: “Look: I know what I have to do.”

Gertrude: “What’s that?”

Joadson: “My duty.”

Gertrude: “Like I asked before, who do you take your orders from?”