War and Peace

Introduction:

Buried inside the pages of any history book, one will find record of wars. Also, in these pages of the history books, efforts for peace are written in testifying that the world wanted peace. War and peace stand opposing each other as irreconcilable forces. Both war and peace have significantly impacted mankind.

Inside the pages of the Old Testament of the bible there are records of wars. But the bible also teaches that Christians are to "live in peace one another" in 1 Thessalonians 5:13. If the bible is the ethical guide for Christians, how do Christians reconcile the apparent conflicting view of war and peace. Should Christians go to war or should Christians stay away from wars at any cost?

It is the purpose of this paper to address the Christian views of war and peace through studying the relevant scriptural passages and through examining the church's historical view on war and peace, from both the just war and the pacifism perspectives.

Biblical Foundations / The Just War Perspective

How can we as Christians respond to the issue of war and peace. Is it ever morally right to go to war? How does the Bible address this issue? God intends that we recognize the value of human life. Genesis 1:27 stated that “God created man in his own image,” and we are not to shed blood for life is in the blood (Gen 9:4-6). Our life belongs to God alone because He alone is the Creator, and only He has the right and the power to take life. Nevertheless, since sin entered the human race through Adam and Eve, war and physical death continues to be a direct consequence of the Fall. In fact, James says that the causes of war, fighting, and quarrels among people come from within ourselves (4:1). One also cannot ignore the fact that the Old Testament narratives illustrate vividly instances of war, and some even commanded by God. From Joshua and the judges to David, we read about their many conquests and battles. Is God of the Old Testament a belligerent God? We believe the people of God, the Israelites, were in a unique position to hear the direct command of God to enter into war on His behalf. We certainly do not think that we are in the same situation today. In light of the New Testament, our battle now is spiritual not physical. Paul says “for though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world” (2 Cor. 10:3-4). The “sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” (Eph 6:17) should be our ultimate weapon. Moreover, Jesus’ and Paul’s ethical teachings on this issue provide us a framework upon which we can construct a biblical ethic. On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus admonishes his followers “Do not resist one who is evil…if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him other also…Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matthew 5:38-48). Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, also had a similar teaching, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil…If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live a peace with everyone…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21). “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). The Bible clearly commanded us to be peacemakers (Matt. 5:9).

The Bible, however, does not forbade all wars, just unjust war. It does not teach total nonresistance. There are situations, we believer, that require a person to defend for themselves or their love ones that necessitate the use of force. The Bible shows that Abraham led a military expedition to rescue his nephew Lot. (Gen. 14:13-16). John the Baptist did not suggest that entering the kingdom requires soldiers to leave the army (Luke 3:14). Jesus did not remain passive in the face of evil. The cleansing of the temple is one example.(John 2:13-22)

Church History with war and peace:

After the completion of the New Testament canon in about 90 A.D., Christians of the second, third and fourth centuries struggled with the difficult question of military service. At this time military service required a religious vow to the Roman emperor. At best soldiers who refused this vow were released from service, but more typically soldiers who would not pledge loyalty to the emperor as god were executed. Under these circumstances, it was natural that a 2nd Century Church father named Hippolytus would forbid volunteering for military service. Other church fathers such as Tertullian and Lactantius went a step beyond this and forbad participation in war altogether. It is not entirely clear how much opposition to military service was based on refusal to take up arms and how much based on a refusal to worship the emperor.

The following is an account in Foxes Book of Martyrs:

“Eustachius, a brave and successful Roman commander, was by the emperor ordered to join in an idolatrous sacrifice to celebrate some of his own victories; but his faith (being a Christian in his heart) was so much greater than his vanity, that he nobly refused it. Enraged at the denial, the ungrateful emperor forgot the service of this skilful commander, and ordered him and his whole family to be martyred.”
(The third persecution under Trajan)

In the fifth century, Emperor Constantine saw a vision of the cross with the words “Conquer in this Sign”. The emperor was baptized Christian on his deathbed and Christianity became the state religion of Rome. In the newly Christianized empire, military service was no longer questioned as an honorable pursuit.

A century or so later St. Augustine became the preeminent interpreter of scripture. He was the first in a long line of thinkers to put forth a just war position. He concluded that the only just aim of war is to restore a just peace. The great doctor of the Roman Church was Thomas Aquinas. In this massive Summa Theologica, Aquinas concluded that it is not always sinful to wage war. His three criteria for a just war were:

  1. War must be declared by legitimate authority   2. A just cause is required to pursue a war.   3. War must be for the advancement of good and the avoidance of evil.

His position still remains the official position of the Roman Catholic Church. The teachings of Aquinas were refined and elaborated upon by later Catholic thinkers such as Vitoria and Suarez. A few Catholic sub-groups did hold pacifist positions. The Waldenses flourished during the 12th century, but because of their refusal to fight, their land was taken and their sect disappeared.

The Reformation broke with most Catholic traditions, but reformation leaders such as Martin Luther and John Calvin maintained the just war position as articulated by earlier thinkers. The one branch that turned decidedly pacifist was the Swiss Brethren. Their descendent denominations (Mennonites, Amish and Quakers ) have advocated peace positions through the past four centuries.

Recent and contemporary peace activists are too many to name. Among the most famous were Leo Tolstoy and Mohandas Gandhi.

Definitions:

    Just War – The belief that under some circumstances a war may be justified     Pacifism – The belief that killing and war is always wrong     Nuclear Pacifism – The belief that the use of nuclear weapons is unjustified under any circumstance

Judging War -- War is always judged twice, first with reference to the reasons states have for fighting, secondly with reference to the means they adopt. The first kind of judgment is adjectival in character: we say that a particular war is just or unjust. The second is adverbial: we say that the war is being fought justly or unjustly. The first is termed “jus ad bellum” – the justice of war, and the second is “jus in bello” – justice in war. (Just and Unjust Wars by Michael Walzer)

The Just War Position

Scripture states: "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men" (Romans 12:18) As Christians we are called to be peacemakers, not war makers (Matt 5:??) However, the according to the Just War perspective, at times at times war may be the required. This perspective does not try to justify war, only to state that it may be the least of two evils; the last resort, and only as a defense against aggression. As Augustine said, "The aim of just war is the restoration of peace and a more just social order."(Davis, p214). Therefore, Paul encourages us to pray "for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a quite life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Tim 2:2). We must pray that conditions will not deteriorate to the point that war is necessary. We must also pray for our leaders that they will be of sound mind and not give to wrong motives; that they will make sober judgments to avoid or minimize evil. Clearly war is an evil thing that should be avoided if at all possible. As Arthur Holmes stated in reference to this perspective, "To call war anything less than evil would be self-deception. The Christian conscience has throughout history recognized the tragic character of war. The issue that tears the Christian conscience is not whether war is good, but whether it is in all cases avoidable."

In the traditional Just War tradition there are seven criteria that must be met before a war is entered into. The first five are conditions for going to war (jus ad bellum). While the last two are conditions for justice in war.

They are as follows:

A just cause - only a provoked, defensive war is acceptable. Military exploit is never justified.
A just intention - motivations must be free from pursuit of economic gain, revenge, ideological supremacy. There also must be reason to believe that more good than evil will come from the battle.
Last Resort - Other means such as diplomacy and economic pressure must have been exhausted.
Formal declaration - It is never acceptable that war is declared by a individual or a group, only by a sovereign nation
Objectives are limited - Once peace is obtainable, hostilities should cease. It is not justified to go beyond the minimum.
The last two are the criteria for war (jus in bello). Once war has been engaged what are the rules that govern how the battle is fought. These are:
Proportionate means - the weapons and tactics used are the minimum required to repel the aggression, to deter future attacks, and to secure lasting peace (Demy WWW)
Non combatant immunity - the war is to be fought by participants in the militaries. Every effort should be made to minimize civilian casualties. Direct and intentional attacks on not military personal and effects is strictly forbidden (Davis p.215)

This theory serves three important functions. First, it seeks to reduce the numbers of wars and devastation caused by each one. Second, it provides a common moral framework for discussion and cultural engagement. Third, it provides moral guidance by which they may judge their motives and means.

There are basically three types of war: the defensive war, the preventive war, and the Crusade. The defense war is the only war that is clearly justifiable. If a sovereign nation is being attacked from without by another nation, that attacked nation is justified in bearing arms to defend itself. The preventive war is similar to the defensive war in may situations. If there is clear evidence that the nation will be eminently attacked and that the other criteria for a just war are met then it may be considered very similarly to a defensive war. A crusade is much more difficult to justify. Typically a crusade is thought of as a religious war, but in its more general for it is any war where the purpose of war is to set right a past act or to re-conquer a historically lost part of the sovereign nation (War: Four Christian Views)

An important question that Christians must ask is: How can the use of deadly force in war be reconciled with God's command to love our enemies? In scripture there is the paradox of God's love (John 3:16 for example) and yet wrathful (2 Thes. 1:5-10 for example). God's love is balanced in scripture by His love. Without this balance, a sentimental and humanistic view of God. We must also remember that there is going to be eternal judgment in the after life. There are times when restraining an evil aggressor may be the most loving thing to do if it minimizes the evil they can do and therefore minimizes God's wrath upon them at the final judgment. Another consideration is that we are called to defend the weak. "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the right of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked" (Ps 82:3-4). If our country is invaded, though it requires killing our enemies, we are fulfilling the requirements of God by defending the cause of the needy.

In recent US history, there are a number of examples of where US leaders have demonstrated their submission to the Just War position. During the conflict over Kosovo in 1999 for example, it was repeatedly mentioned in the press that the military was attempting to bomb only militarily relevant targets (noncombatant immunity). In fact the US lost considerable credibility when a bus full of civilians was mistakenly destroyed and a radio station of questionable military allegiance was targeted and destroyed. The influence of the proportionate criteria was demonstrated by the way that military action was slow at first and then increased as Milosovic hardened his stance and refused to pull out of Kosovo. As a display of the discrimination criteria, President Bush did not target Saddam Hussein during or after the Iraq war on the grounds that, though Hussein is the leader of the country, he is a civilian and not directly part of the military.

The Pacifist Position

Pacifism is defined as the belief that killing and war are wrong. There are four types of pacifist positions: Universal Pacifism, Christian Pacifism, Private Pacifism, and Antiwar Pacifism. Universal Pacifism says that killing or violence is always wrong. Philosophers such as Albert Schweitzer, Mahatma Gandhi, and Leo Tolstoy are advocates for universal pacifism. Christian pacifism makes a distinction between Christians and non-Christians. In the Christian pacifist opinion Christians are never allowed to be violent. Non-Christians, however, may be justified in specific circumstances. Herman Hoyt is an advocate for this position. Private pacifism is the least common view held by pacifists. It states that personal violence is always wrong. A nation can be justified in war, though. Augustine held to this position. Antiwar pacifism explains that personal violence is justified in self defense, but war can never be morally justified.

Christians and non-Christians can hold a pacifist view when it comes to war. There are several non-biblical reasons for holding a pacifist perspective. One belief is that life is sacred. Many people believe that because life is sacred it should not be taken in war. Some pacifists believe that the immorality of killing makes war immoral. Others, like Immanuel Kant, discuss the immoral exemplar argument. This argument states that people should live as an example to others. Fighting and killing in a war does not set a good example for mankind. Gandhi believed the condition of the soul is effected by violence. He said that violence pollutes the soul, while kindness purifies it.

Nuclear war is an issue for everyone in the world to consider. Nuclear war is always a possibility, although most people I am sure do not want it. Nuclear pacifists believe that nuclear weapons are instruments of mass destruction that do not belong in war. Disarmament would decrease the possibility of war. Unilateral disarmament would be in the best interest of the disarming nation. Money used for these weapons could be used to help society. Possessing a nuclear bomb encourages others to have one, too. It violates the rights of other nations. Deterrence is an immoral reason to have nuclear weapons.

Christians that hold a pacifist perspective base it on the Bible. Their first basis for their viewpoint is the ethical teachings of Jesus. Divine revelation culminates with Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Therefore, our attitude as Christians should come from Jesus Christ. In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says, “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” He commends and blesses the peace makers. In Matthew 26:52 Jesus tells his disciple to “Put away your sword. Those who use the sword will be killed by the sword.” And in Luke 6:27-36 Jesus commands His people to love their enemies and show compassion towards them. Romans 12:17,21 say that Christians should never pay back evil for evil. They should act in an honorable way and conquer evil by doing good. Romans 13:10 says, “Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements.” Another example of Jesus’ ethical teachings is the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells His people to be the salt and light of the earth, an example for all to see. He again states the we should love our enemies and not take revenge on them. “Do unto others what you would like them to do for you.” Matthew 7:12.

Citizenship in the kingdom of God is another important concept for Christians to remember. Christians are to be loyal first to Christ and His kingdom. God ordains power and He is above all else. Christ’s church is a global community. There are Christians around the world that we are to serve and love. Finally Christian pacifists can look to the cross to see Jesus’ example of suffering as a victim of injustice. He did not respond with anger or hatred. He responded to His persecutors in love.

Conclusion

Through out history the nations of the world have been at wars with each other. At the end of World War II, the United Nations was established to aim at establishing peace and mitigating wars among the nations of the world. Despite the efforts of the Untied Nations to promote peace, there are wars today where hundreds are being killed. In Jeremiah 6:14 it says "Peace, peace, But there is no peace." It is true that there is no lasting peace in this world. The Middle East peace negotiation has been taking place for years; peace still eludes that region of the world. The book of Revelation shows that everlasting peace will come only when God establishes the New Jerusalem on new earth. If Christians are called to war: What will you do? Actually, there is no easy answer to this question.

There are certain things Christians can do to promote peace. In Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." where Christians are called to be Peacemakers. As peacemakers, Christians need to be proactively in seeking peace in promoting the equality and welfare of all mankind. This work starts with the closest community, your neighbors, around you in relationship building. The church, as the body of Christains, needs to promote peace in its city and extending the peacemaking efforts to the national and global level (Buttry, p.173).

SOURCES:

Appleby, Scott R. “How Christians went to war.” U.S. Catholic (May 1999).
Buttry, Daniel L. Christian Peacemaking From Heritage to Hope. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1994.
Clouse, Robert G., ed. WAR: Four Christian Views. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981.
Davis, John Jefferson. Evangelical Ethics. New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 1993.
Feinberg, John S. Ethics For a Brave New World. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993.
Long, Edward LeRoy, Jr. PEACE THINKING IN A WARRING WORLD. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1983.
Yoder, John. Politics of Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: William Eerdmans, 1995
Walzer, Michael. JUST AND UNJUST WAR. New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers, 1977.

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