I recently came across this interesting group through some YouTube videos which I found highly instructive. Curious to learn more, I visited their internet pages. Here is how they describe themselves:
Operation Reconquista is a movement of Bible-believing Christians in Mainline Protestant denominations who recognize that our denominations have drifted away from the historic Christian faith. We are fighting to restore our churches to the true faith and revive them, because we do not want the great institutions built for God's glory to be used against His Kingdom. The word "Reconquista" simply means to "retake". The battle metaphor is NOT calling for violence or calling for a fight against anyone in our denomination, but a call to spiritual warfare against demonic forces that have infiltrated our churches.
Operation Reconquista is a movement of Bible-believing Christians in Mainline Protestant denominations who recognize that our denominations have drifted away from the historic Christian faith. We are fighting to restore our churches to the true faith and revive them, because we do not want the great institutions built for God's glory to be used against His Kingdom. The word "Reconquista" simply means to "retake". The battle metaphor is NOT calling for violence or calling for a fight against anyone in our denomination, but a call to spiritual warfare against demonic forces that have infiltrated our churches.
Most commendable! I whole-heartedly support a return by self-proclaimed Christians to the historic Christian faith.
On one of their internet pages, Operation Reconquista addresses 95 Theses to the Presbyterian Church USA. I found nothing objectionable among these 95 Theses, and was gladdened to see they fully follow the 3 Ecumenical Creeds and the 5 Solas.
However. . .
When reading Thesis 66, which states the Church must honor the sanctity and inherent worth of all human life, my spirit was disturbed. While all of the other 94 were immediately clear, the vaguity of this Thesis certainly gave me pause. I sent an email seeking clarification, specifically if this honoring of life included adjuring Christians from supporting war. I quite speedily received the following reply:
Just War Theory is something the Church has universally held to since Augustine. This thesis is meant to say that abortion is murder and must be condemned by the Church.
Just War Theory is something the Church has universally held to since Augustine. This thesis is meant to say that abortion is murder and must be condemned by the Church.
God bless Operation Reconquista, I wish them much success in their church restoration project.
That said, it is disheartening to once again find a self-proclaimed Christian group who condone war (which is mysteriously sanctified by man's judgement of *just*). Outside of doctrines regarding the Lord Jesus Christ, the sanctity and inherent worth of life is of primary importance. Yet here even the restorationists drift from the historic Christian faith.
The truly historic Christian faith (the faith prior to the calamitous time of Constantine) clearly condemned war. Not a single surviving document from the first three centuries of Church history permits Christians to kill (or to even join the military).
It's almost impossible to find self-proclaimed Christians in the 21st century who renounce all killing (abortion, capital punishment, war, etc.), even though all advertise themselves as *pro-life.*
In this regard, we must sadly conclude that in matter of the sanctity and inherent worth of life, Operation Reconquista reflect the kingdoms of the world (just as the Church largely has since the time of Constantine), and not the Kingdom of God.
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