They refuse to be buried. That is the bottom line for the dead soldiers in “the second year of the war that is to begin tomorrow night.” Irwin Shaw’s play, Bury the Dead, explores what happens to the officers and men of a burial detail when three soldiers killed in action rise up and refuse to be buried. The date of this particular war doesn’t matter, hence its odd setting in time. The purpose of the war doesn’t matter either, so it is never mentioned. What does matter is what happens to these men—and its effect on the generals who run the war, the media that report it, and the businessmen and ordinary folk who hear about the impossible possibility that has occurred on the field of battle.

I am reminded of a line from the movie, Patton, when the general is addressing his troops before a battle. He says, “You don’t win a war by dying for your country; you win a war by making some other poor dumb @%X?#!/ die for his country.” Shaw’s play offers a searing, haunting and ludicrous portrayal of what might happen if soldiers refused to die “for their country.” The unspoken question the play asks is: “What are you willing to die for?”

Bury the Dead is paired with another play, The Atom and Eve, in Vanguard Theatre’s spring production, Two for Tonight. Written by our own Bob Landis, Atom explores the possibility of universal nuclear disarmament to be initiated by the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. The question is: “Will such a scenario bring more or less security to the world?” The answer hinges on how security is defined.

One of the play’s characters offers this reflection: “The very concept of security is relational, not individual. Whether on a personal or international level, one’s security is inevitably bound up with the security of others.” Sounds a lot like Jesus: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” “Love your enemies.” Or Paul: “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Whether intended or not, these plays probe the depths of Christian faith by asking, “In what or in whom does our security lie?” May I encourage you to take the opportunity to see these plays, and to invite friends and neighbors into the discussion of the most significant question in human life.