Yeah, Right, Whatever

I had no idea what "spiritual warfare" was before I started attending evangelical churches. In Catholicism, spiritual warfare is pretty much left to the Jesuits. So... it took me a little while to get used to the idea. For those of you unfamiliar with it, here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

According to some beliefs, spiritual warfare is the interaction of persons with the angelic and demonic realms in positive or negative ways (e.g. exorcism). Spiritual warfare is a prominent feature in some pentecostal and charismatic churches. Spiritual conflict (less than "war") exists thoughout Christianity (e.g.prayer).

The concept of spiritual warfare is based on the understanding that Satan and demons are real beings whose primary mission is to thwart God's purposes on earth, specifically to prevent non-believers from placing faith in Christ and to prevent Christians from being effective disciples of Jesus . The Scriptural basis of spritual warfare is found in Christ's commissioning of the disciples to cast out demons in the gospels and the Apostle Paul's exhortation to don the armor of God in the Epistle to the Ephesians. St. Paul tells us there that our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with the principalities and powers (fallen angels).

What does this have to do with anything? Well, there's a church in Rocester, NY, that's taking spiritual warfare to a whole new level.

You have probably never seen an army missile used in a church service or a pastor dressed in fatigues, but that is exactly what you'll find Sundays at New Born Fellowship Christian Center in Rochester, where church leaders have decided to conduct a new program called Spiritual Warfare.

...Pastor Meeks said, "We take our liberty for granted. A price was paid. So we want to assist them spiritually in prayer."...The program focuses on prayer for American soldiers and for city teenagers who are fighting temptions of drugs and gangs.

OK... so it might sound a little cheesy. But... if it's energizing his congregation and encouraging them to pray for those who need it, I say more power to him.

Sometimes we need a reminder to help us focus on God and prayer. Sometimes all we need is a little nudge, and sometimes we need a missile in church. Whatever works, I guess.