Love your enemy? These days? Possible perhaps, but not likely. In fact, we would prefer not to. Especially when we see those television images of the jetliners barreling into the Twin Towers for the thousandth time, when we see the occasional videos of Islamic extremists calling for our eradication, when we see quietly weeping families at the graveside of their young son or daughter killed by terrorists. It is hard to find anything resembling love in our hearts for such barbarians as would do such things.

But now we pick up our Bibles and are confronted by the words of Jesus: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:27-28). Nuts! Truth is, we would rather have permission to bomb the e…