Healthy Liberal Christianity Looks at War and Peace

Perhaps the most ignored passages in the Bible are those that deal with questions of war and peace. (Well, those that deal with poverty and wealth are right up there, too. Is it possible that they are related?)

I am particularly disturbed by those elements of Christianity that imply or state right out that God wants the “good” people to go to war against the “bad” people. As I see it, so much of scripture makes it clear that creation (yes, all of creation) is an expression of the Divine and therefore entitled to care. Sadly, too much violent language has found its way into Christian worship and liturgy, so if people don’t think clearly about it, they might get the idea that Christianity sanctions war. So much for loving your enemy!

Here is my opinion: In order to justify war (any war), “our side” must believe that the other side is evil, or perhaps just inhuman. It is only by removing the humanity from the enemy that any of us can justify the terrible things that people do to each other in a war. And once we vilify the other side, it is much more difficult for us to take a humble look at our own shortcomings. From any rational perspective, the amount of suffering and destruction in any war is unthinkable. At least it would be if we were not able to make the enemy into the embodiment of evil.

I think war should always be the absolute last resort, and should only be utilized when every other possible approach to solving the conflict has been exhausted. In short, war should always be seen as a failure! We should never glory in it, even when we come to the point where we see no other possible response. Furthermore, we should never engage in a war at all unless we are willing to include in the cost of the war the restoration of the people on the other side as well as the restoration of our own soldiers and their families. And the restoration is not only material. To subject anyone, soldier or civilian, friend or enemy, to the horrors of war without helping them through the inevitable Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is nothing short of cruel.

At the end of the war, whether one side can make a political claim to victory or not, there are never any real winners. Let me correct myself. Actually, one group always does benefit – at least financially – and that is the industry that makes and sells war equipment. But it galls me to think that these people profit from the industry of death and destruction.

Howard Zinn offers another way for us to see our role as a world super power. What if, instead of promoting the United States as a military super power, we became a humanitarian super power instead? What if, instead of committing massive resources to training people in the art of war, we trained people in the art of diplomacy and reconciliation? When I think of the massive cost of waging war, I wonder what the world would look like if we dedicated our resources to improving living conditions in all countries. It seems to me that the humanitarian approach could increase our influence in the world. But the political realities make that approach nearly impossible. Imagine how great the outcry in this country would have been if the President had committed 300 billion dollars to humanitarian causes in the Middle East rather than going to war. While there was considerable protest against the war, I fear that there would have been a much greater protest against this level of expenditure to improve people’s lives.

This is a huge issue, but I want to remain within the scope of this blog. So, I ask you at the very least to consider taking Jesus’ words seriously – as a potential practical approach to foreign relations: Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.”

This is not a naïve sentiment. It has the potential to transform the planet. Still, the industrial world has a long history of exploitation of the poor and disenfranchised throughout the world, so some of those people may be understandably angry at us and might resort to acts of violence towards us. It takes great courage and political will to interrupt the cycle of violence. But it is not impossible.

The central question, however, is whether we will let violence set the tone for our actions or whether we will develop a more mature and less reactive ethic of peace and reconciliation.

What do you think?

Wayne Gustafson

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here.”
The United Church___of Christ