Forward, Christian Soldier

(on an ordinary day)

I'm proud to be a Christian

Walkin' down the street

Today I'm going to share the Gospel

With everyone I meet

It's my first month in the city

And I've been a little lonely

My fiancé's still back home at school

He's my one and only

So I'm saving up my pennies

Waiting for the day

When my promise ring will turn to gold

And he'll carry me away

We're going to have a lot of babies

The way the Bible says

I'll be a stay-at-home mom

The way that God intends

I think I'm going to homeschool

It's really best that way

The public schools just teach bad morals

And the kids can't even pray

I won't let my kids be lied to

The way they lied to me

They taught we came from monkeys

And homosexuality

Thank the Lord for our pastor

He always taught me true

Even in the city

I know just what to do

There are some people standing on the corner

Just about my age!

I think that I'll go try them first

And spread the Good News that way.

There's a redhead with some fliers

She smiles when she sees me

"Do you have a minute?

You can help us feed the hungry."

She starts talking about Africa

And starving babies in Iraq

Something about sanctions

And kids falling through the cracks

"Are, you, like, a Christian mission?"

I ask with some surprise

She looks a little startled

The boy behind her rolls his eyes

"Well, I wouldn't call it that," she said.

"Although many of us pray,

but with all these children dying

I think there's more to do today."

"How many have you saved?" I asked.

"But what about their souls?"

She starts telling me some numbers

Like a liberal at the polls

About how a single little heifer

Can make a family strong

Make them independent

Help them get along

"But that really doesn't matter."

She stares at me in shock,

"Look, it's nice to feed the hungry,

but that's not what life's about."

I think I see my chance now!

I hurry to make her see

"Only belief in Jesus saves!

It's about eternity!"

The boy stepped up and said to me

"Look, I've heard this all before

If eternity's what counts,

Pain on earth should be ignored?

We should sit here feeling lucky

We were born in the right place

And thank the Lord above

That we were also the right race?"

"That isn't what I said," I snapped

"But the truth is plain to see

Those people are condemned to Hell,

Because they don't believe."

"I don't really think that matters,"

that redhead girl puts forth,

"Under these conditions,

they're living hell on Earth.

They die of malnutrition,

The babies waste away

From simple dysentery

It's happening today."

"You can't even imagine Hell,"

I snapped at her, irked.

"It's all darkness, pain and fire,

Much worse than pain on Earth."

"Why should they suffer for no reason?

Either here or there

If we could help to change that-

Don't you think that God cares?"

"Of course He cares," I said to her,

"He cares about their souls.

And you're so busy doing 'good deeds'

You should be worried about your own."

"Excuse me," the boy says

as the redhead turns away,

"Look, sweetheart, just let her go,

There's nothing more to say."

"We all deserve to go to Hell,"

I explained again.

"I just meant good deeds won't save you

and that their pain won't save them."

"Your God's a selfish bastard," he says

as the redhead frowns and sighs

I'm so hurt, I want to scream

Save Jesus from his lies.

"Love, you should know better,"

the redhead girl is saying.

"You'll only make her think the worst;

let her get back to her praying."

She turns to me and briefly nods,

"Well, thank you for your time,"

But there's no way I'm leaving now

Letting Satan win and tell more lies!

"Jesus died to save you

How can you not believe?"

"I never said I didn't," she says sharply

"Sorry, but could you leave?"

"I have a right to be here!" I tell her

She rolls her eyes and says, "You do.

But since you think we're Hell-bound

I don't see why you'd want to.

And there are an awful lot of people here

Who might even want to help

To me this is important

And to my friend as well.

See, I believe in Jesus,

And the stories that he tells,

To help each other out of love

And not just fear of hell.

My friend isn't a Christian

And I love him just the same

He loves his neighbors more than

Do most who make that claim.

I'm sorry if children dying

Doesn't matter much to you

To have wasted both our time in telling

How much more that we could do."

"You've got it wrong," I told her.

"If you did, the truth you'd tell,

It'll be on your conscience

When your friend there goes to Hell."

She smiles sadly, shakes her head

And I sadly walked away

They didn't want to hear the truth

There was nothing more to say.

I saw them still there later

When I was walked back that night

With two other boys, their arms entwined

Right under the streetlight.

They looked tired and contented,

And I could only shake my head

"I let her get away with Satan's lies

I won't do that again."

I'm sure that she would tell those boys

That their love is a-okay

Just like she doesn't care enough

To make the hungry pray

And she says that she's a Christian,

And that's the worst lie of all

Well, someday she'll learn the truth

Pride goes before a fall.