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Gearing Up

Several times now, I've talked about Christianity in combat terms. I've referred to Christians as warriors in an army, or PCs in an adventuring party. But no warrior ever reports to the front line empty-handed, and no adventurer ever leaves home with an empty pack. Rather, each carefully prepares his or her gear for the journey and trial ahead. The proper equipment is essential. A wizard without his spellbook, or a thief without her lockpicks, is rightly anxious. Without these objects, their options and abilities are drastically reduced. But what gear do Christians have? How can we take an army without arms seriously? How are we supposed to function as warriors when we have no weapons? If this really is the campaign to end all campaigns, shouldn't we be equipped for it?

We will be. If we sign on for this campaign, we will be better armed than any first level character would ever be allowed to be. Perhaps you don't believe me, and I don't blame you. You don't have to take my word for it. Read this, and judge for yourself. "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

That is Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 11 though 17. Yes, that's straight out of the Bible. Feel free to look it up yourself- I promise it's really there. God does have a very challenging campaign lined up for us, and He has promised to outfit us for it, with the best of equipment. Experienced players know, though, that even the best of equipment is worthless in the hands of a character who doesn't understand it. A character who doesn't realize that his walking stick is actually a wizard's staff will never derive any benefit from the powerful spells stored in it. A character who knows the nature of the staff, but not how to effectively use it, is little better off. In order to make good use of this armor, we have to understand it- its placement, purposes, benefits, and drawbacks.

First, there is the belt of truth. At the time when Ephesians was written, in the first century, standard armor in the Roman Empire consisted of large, overlapping scales of metal riveted or laced together. This was loose-fitting, and a belt was used to hold the armor tight to the body. The belt was also where a soldier hung his sword and scabbard. Thus it not only secured the armor, but supported the weapons as well. If truth, then, is to secure and support the rest of our equipment, we had better have it on tightly. A life built on falsehoods is precarious. Where there is no honesty, there can be no trust, no wisdom, and no love. Truth is the strongest foundation anything else can rest on, but it is not without risk. Speaking the truth can be dangerous and painful. Sometimes just knowing the truth is trouble and pain enough. You could be safe and drop a few white lies. You could be silent and mislead everyone, yourself included. You could leave your belt a few notches loose- but then don't be surprised if you rush into battle and everything falls apart.

The "breastplate" of righteousness is, in my opinion, not the best choice of translation, because you would think a breastplate would only cover your chest and stomach. The original Greek word used by Paul here is thoraz, which was a piece of armor in two halves that hinged at the shoulders and covered the wearer to the knees, front and back. It was the main piece of body armor and protected the vital organs. Of course, being large and metal, it was also quite heavy. Anyone who games knows this. Most RPGs have rules that limit the agility and dexterity of armored characters. But if you've ever actually worn armor, at a Renaissance fair or a Society for Creative Anachronism event, you probably know that the worst thing about it isn't the weight- it's the heat. A coat of armor can be constructed so that the weight is distributed evenly across the body, lessening the drag on the shoulders, but ventilation is much more difficult to achieve, because of course any gap in the metal is an invitation for your enemy to stab you. I have seen strong men who could probably pick me up and throw me (and I am not a small woman) drop from dehydration and heat stroke after a few minutes of exertion in chain mail under the summer sun. I've tried it myself and it feels like fighting in a very small oven. Swordplay in a metal coat in July is no picnic. Neither is doing what is right and just when it doesn't coincide with what is popular and expedient. Acting righteously can get you mocked, insulted, grounded, shunned, threatened, assaulted, flunked, fired, jailed, and yes, even in a democratic nation in the twenty-first century, it can sometimes get you killed. Make no mistake- if you don this armor, things will get uncomfortably warm. You may be glad of the protection when blows fall, but the question is, can you take the heat?

Next, we are to have our feet fitted with readiness. Before you can do any fighting, you have to make your way to the battlefield. An unshod soldier won't last long on campaign. One day's march over rough terrain can easily shred bare feet, taking a fighter out of action as well as any enemy-inflicted wound. Nor will just any shoes do. Imagine trying to run or do battle in flip-flops or platform heels! Also, notice that Paul doesn't just say that we are being given shoes to wear, but that we are to be "fitted" with them. Having shoes of the proper size is just as important as having shoes of the proper type. Other articles of clothing are more forgiving. You can wear jeans that are a little too big or a shirt that is a little too small and not suffer any harm for it, but if you walk very far in poorly fitted shoes you'll regret it. Too small and they will pinch. Too large and they will slip. Either way, they'll cause you to stumble, and in a fight, a stumble can be fatal. We have to be prepared to move, whether to dodge a blow or to set out on a journey. You may be put on the spot for your beliefs in unlikely places- a party, an airport, a ball game, or even your own home. Fumble, and you may be outmaneuvered before you know what's happened. We have to be in readiness at all times, because we never know when or where we may encounter opposition. Keep your shoelaces tied, or you might trip yourself and save your enemy the trouble.

Then, we are offered the shield of faith as a defense against "the flaming arrows of the evil one." Missile weapons like arrows or spears concentrate all the force behind them into a very small point, enabling them to puncture even plate metal if they hit at the right angle. The evil one is no amateur strategist, nor is he interested in a fair fight. He is well aware that the most efficient and least risky way to kill armored warriors is with a hail of arrows from a distance, and he has no compunctions about doing so. He will barrage us with insinuations, excuses, and distractions. They may look small and harmless compared to a full frontal assault, but they can be deadly if they strike in the right place. Our best chance, then, is to keep the arrows from striking us. The shield was innovated in ancient times as a kind of portable wall to meet and counter arrows and spears, the idea of course being that any missiles would stick in it and not in its bearer. Faith, then, acts in a similar fashion, catching troubles and deceptions that would otherwise wound us. A person without faith, trust, or confidence in something is easily confused, easily frightened, and easily swayed. Someone who is exposed to arrows will quickly give ground before them. A fighter with cover is more difficult to dislodge. It is imperative, though, to realize that a shield is not a passive piece of armor. In order for it to work, you have to hold it up in front of you. By the same token, in order for faith to be an effective defense, you must keep it before you at all times. A shield stowed in your pack won't block an arrow aimed at your heart, and a faith that isn't supported won't keep you from being pierced by half-truths and trickery. Faith that fails in adversity isn't worth having, because that's when you need it most. Sometimes it may seem cumbersome to carry, but as a defense against underhanded attacks, it is invaluable.

The helmet of salvation is the last piece of defensive equipment named, but certainly not the least. Unfortunately, many people regard both it, and more mundane helmets, as superfluous. Accidents and falls can be avoided as long as you're careful. Should someone try to bash you in the skull, he will usually leave himself open in the process of reaching up. And if all else fails, you can always duck. The problem with all these strategies, though, is that you have to see the fall or the blow coming, and be in a position to react, in order for them to be of any use. True, one should hope that most of the time a warrior would be able to anticipate and react, but warrior or not, everyone has lapses. Everyone makes mistakes, and what happens then? Some people think of a helmet as a kind of safety net, and it is- but not just for children and clumsy people. It is our insurance against bad luck and foul play, and if you're tempted to forgo it, consider this. If your enemy catches you a hard blow to the side, you'll have some nasty bruises, and possibly some broken ribs. You'll be in pain, and you'll probably need medical attention when the battle is over, but for the time being you can get back up and continue fighting. The same blow to the head, however, will almost surely knock you unconscious, and then you are, to put it bluntly, screwed. You will be at your enemy's mercy, of which there is none. He will hit you when you're down, and you will be helpless and, shortly, dead. Just as you would want to take steps to guard against physical brain damage and death, you should take just as much care, if not more, in preventing spiritual demise. Salvation through Christ is a tricky concept. I can't fully explain it here, but I will in a future article. Suffice it for now to say that it is our defense against what in D&D are called "critical hits" - blows that cause double or more the damage of an average attack, that can cripple or kill. Christ won't let us be laid our helpless before our adversaries, if we take Him to ourselves. It is a defense each of us needs, because one day that stroke you can't block will fall. And if you aren't fully armored, it may be the last thing you see.

Finally, there is the sword of the word of God. A sword is a weapon that requires skill as well as strength to use. Anyone can swing a mace or a hammer and deliver a successful hit. With these, connecting with the target is easy, and force is all that mattes. A sword, on the other hand, is a more precise instrument. Unless you strike with the blade at the proper angle, your effort will be wasted. A slightly-askew hammer blow will still crush, but a slightly-askew sword stroke may only deliver the equivalent of a papercut. Once it is learned, though, the sword proves a much more versatile weapon. With a mace, your only option is to bludgeon your opponent. A blade, on the other hand, can slash, stab, hack, and, if you're good with it, block and parry. It can be effective in almost any situation, if properly understood and properly used. The word of God, the Bible, works much the same way. It has to be thoroughly learned before it can be very effective, but once you've been trained in it, it will prove more powerful than it at first appeared. Nor is it simply a tool of brute force. Like a well-crafted blade, scripture can be used subtly as well as broadly, responding to both mental strength and dexterity. Maybe you find the idea of using words as weapons silly, but there is truth in the old adage about the pen being mightier than the sword. Remember, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood," so steel will not avail us. In an RPG, the only way to fight paper-and-dice monsters is with paper-and-dice weapons. Likewise, in the Christian campaign, the only way to fight spiritual monsters is with spiritual weapons. Unfortunately, these weapons are available to evil as well. A sword is only as good as the hands that hold it. It can defend the helpless, but it can also slaughter them. Scripture, like a physical weapon, can be abused. The harm it can cause if twisted, though, does not make it a poor weapon, but rather proves how powerful it really is in the hands of those who are used to its weight.

Indeed, this is the case with all equipment, physical, spiritual, or paper-and-dice. If you want to become adept at something, you must practice. The armor and weapons will feel awkward at first, so much so that you may be tempted to remove them and store them away, to be used only in times of dire war. If you do, though, they will continue to feel awkward, every time you put them on. Time alone will not accustom you to the gear. Active effort and training is necessary, and the more often, the better. The best way to get used to the weight of armor is to wear it day after day, until it starts to feel normal. The surest method of adjusting to the heft of a weapon is to practice with it again and again until it becomes almost an extension of yourself. The more you do something, the better, quicker, and more easily you will be able to do it. Have no fear that the equipment won't be able to stand up to constant use. This is the spiritual equivalent of major magical armor and weaponry, and it will last you a lifetime and then some. In fact, it is even more reliable than D&D gear, because it cannot be stolen, cursed, or neutralize by an anti-magic field. There is only one anti-God field, and if you've equipped these items, you won't be going there when you die. I know it sounds too good to be true. I know no normal GM would ever allow equipment this powerful and snag-proof in his game. But I also know, as I have said, that God is no normal GM. He will offer the best in His arsenal to even the greenest apprentice. All we have to do is accept it and use it.