Shanna Duck "Let a search be made in the royal archives..." Ezra 5:17 NIV

Judging from what I see on TV, living in this modern “day and age” certainly hasn’t stopped ruthless drug lords and dictators from torturing, starving, bombing, and out-right massacring “innocent” civilians and entire people-groups, including women and children.

If we think that because we live in 2014 rather than 1914 or 1014 somehow we as humans are “more advanced” morally, then we’re believing a secular lie. All we have to do is look at Syria, the modern slave-trade in Africa, and the often irrationally-violent actions of the drug-cartels just south of our border. For all the humanistic propaganda glorying in man’s supposed moral evolution, the human heart is STILL desperately wicked and it often shows itself when there is no law to hold it within bounds. "Absolute power still corrupts absolutely" is still as true today with the “Dear Leader” of North Korea as it was with Pol Pot, or Stalin, or Vlad Dracula, or (fill in the blank with your favorite dictator). 

Unless we live in an ivory tower, we each have to acknowledge that there are still people in the world who take almost Satanic delight in lawlessness and in killing others in particularly horrible ways.

As for whether violence (war) itself is justified to stop worse violence (the just-war concept), Christians would differ widely on this issue, depending on how they interpret the Scriptures. Some Christians believe that God works mostly through normal means, including war, to bring around change and even enforce peace. Some would say that Christian men are even called to protect the weak, and that those authorized by the State are justified in wielding the sword (or, in our case, the automatic rifle.) Other Christians, especially from the Anabaptist and Quaker traditions, would say that there is no way that a Christian can fulfill Christ’s command to love his/her enemies AND be willing to kill them. 

(Honestly, the historical record of the Early Church is a little confusing here; apparently there WERE early Christians who were Roman soldiers, but since being in the Roman army often required pagan practices, this- as opposed to pacifistic theology- may alone may have kept many Christians out of military service.)

Our attitude toward war may also be influenced by other doctrines, sometimes ones that we believe subconsciously or have absorbed from our particular denomination: 
a) Do we believe that everything that happens in this world is a sovereign expression of God’s Perfect Will to which we should submit, and that God Himself will miraculously intervene to protect the innocent if He wishes? 
b) OR do we believe that God allows evil to test us, and that He has called us to be His hands, eyes, ears, and feet in this world to fight against lawlessness, even if it means taking up arms to do so? 

We must ask ourselves: Can we, in good conscience, sit back and watch via satellite people being slaughtered by ruthless dictators or rebel armies without making even an attempt to help them? Is this not like seeing our brother hungry and not giving him food. (Certainly we can almost always provide humanitarian aid to the oppressed and to refugees.) 

Yet we also have to acknowledge that not all wars are so clear-cut right-and-wrong, nor are they always fought from transparent and completely altruistic motives on our side. Wounded national pride, the prospect of more land, the clink of gold in large quantities, or the sound of oil drums have led to many wars. 

In the end, each individual Christian has, through prayer and study, to come to terms with what he believes is the godly way to respond to violence and aggression, whether inside his nation, against his home country, or against people abroad.

February 28 2014 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Kenneth Heck

Sad to say, but the practice of war is not condemned in the Bible. Deadly violence, beginning with Abel and Cain in Genesis, is found throughout the Bible, and particularly in the book of Revelation which deals with the prophetic future. There is even mention of war in heaven (Rev. 12:7). If Satan were to change his mind and will there would be hope for avoiding war and many other unnecessary evils. But he is implacable, so war is unavoidable in this day and age and also in the future until Satan is thrown into the lake of fire (Rev.20:10). The answer to your question is yes.

December 25 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

James Leo Kropf retired pastor

One issue that needs to be considered is that of the nature of the enemy. Is it a person, idealogy, nation, or force? Some who support war consider the enemy as "faceless", while others consider the enemy as individual people. Whether or not all those fighting for a certain cause or reason are convinced they are doing the right thing for the country or government, we cannot erase the fact that some may be innocent fighters who pray to their God that he will enable them to destroy the enemy. They only see themselves as "agents" for God. The scripture instructs us to love people, not the systems of this world. We are told in scripture in love those who hate us and despitefully use us.

Scriptures record many godly people who killed others and were blessed by God. Whether or not they were individually hated by the one who did the killing or whether they hated the cause they represented is hard for us to judge.

We are instructed to honor and obey the "king" whether or not we live within his kingdom, but I believe honor and obedience to God does "trump" the king even tho God's sovereignty controls all things. It remains therefore an issue that we must individually deal with and implore God asking Him, "what will you have me to do? Wars will be fought until the Prince of Peace declares "enough is enough" and no efforts of man will ever bring peace.

December 25 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report