I picked up my phone this morning to see an email notification with the subject: “Security Alert: Worldwide Caution”—a message from the US State Department for citizens abroad. This was how I learned about the “launch of U.S. combat operations in Iran.” After reading the email, I opened up the news to see the headline about American and Israeli strikes on Iran and the (at that point unconfirmed) killing of the Ayatollah.

As my daughter picked out and put on church clothes across the room, I read about the 140+ (and counting) civilian casualties—including the girls’ elementary school where dozens of children had been killed, with bodies still being pulled out of the rubble. Parents had just dropped their little girls at school and headed off to work, with no idea they would be coming back to find rubble, bloodied backpacks, and tattered schoolbooks.^[1] I turned away from my own little girl, who just started pre-K this year. I couldn’t hold back the tears.

I have let a lot of current events happen without adding my voice to the online cacophony, but I cannot let this go by in silence. Abel’s blood cries out from the ground; Rachel weeps for her children. The people of God have always been called to be a prophetic voice to those in power—especially on behalf of the vulnerable in the face of violence and oppression. I hope pulpits across the country spoke out against this monstrous slaughter of innocent life. But I can’t say I’m optimistic. Too many, I imagine, didn’t want to “get political”—or are already outspoken in their support of the current administration and everything it does.

But there is no excuse or justification that can make this right. So this school had the bad luck of being next to a major naval base. No strategic gain or victory is worth the cost of the blood of children. This is evil. This is hell on earth.

This is just the latest in a long and growing list of inhumane injustices and acts of violence by this White House against the vulnerable and particularly the foreigner. But civilian deaths in military operations abroad are not a sin unique to this presidency. Every administration in my lifetime has had innocent blood on its hands. This continues to be an acceptable price for both sides—which is why the Church must never get too cozy with any political party.

As I wrap this up my kids are playing in the street with another little Indian boy from the neighborhood, laughing, throwing balls, and riding little scooter-car things down the hill. Meanwhile dozens of families in Iran are still reeling from the loss of a child, or another loved one, in an unprovoked war that has senselessly and indiscriminately taken hundreds of civilian lives in just the opening salvo. The body count at this school alone is now 153.

My Iranian friend came to mind today. We went to the same international church for several years, both as expats. He was there for religious asylum and trying to get a visa to the West for university, while his parents were still back in Iran. It’s been a few years since we were last in touch, but with our countries now going to war, he came to mind and I wondered how he was doing. So I sent him a message. I haven’t heard back from him yet, but I hope his family is OK.

I cannot imagine the grief and pain of those living through this, and only more grief is yet to come. In the oncoming firehose of news and battle lines, regime changes or scrambles for power, let us not forget the price paid by the normal people who just wanted to live their lives like the rest of us.