Christian Discernment in Time of War: Some Convictions and Questions

“You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” Leon Trotsky

The following are some basic and preliminary convictions to consider and questions to ask when reflecting on a military conflict. These convictions and questions can be explored in detail in Gordon L, Heath, Christians, the State, and War: An Ancient Tradition for the Modern World (Lexington/Fortress, 2022). The following blog series is also a helpful place to begin thinking about wars both now and in the future: https://www.gordonlheath.com/war-now-and-the-future. 

The issues related to military conflict can be exceedingly complex and require reading a wide variety of sources (from both sides of the conflict). Besides the powerful pull of national identity that stokes emotions but clouds the issues, the widespread use of propaganda (on both sides) makes it very hard to know what is really going on. As Hiram Johnson quipped, “The first casualty, when war comes, is truth.” That being the case, Christians are still required to make ethical judgments (even if tentative and fluid) – thus the following guide to discernment on the matter. Note that some questions will be easy to answer, others hard, and some even impossible to answer with any degree of certainty. And due to the fog of war, you may have to end up changing your opinion on matters if new information comes to light. In the meantime, however, you must think and act to the best of your knowledge.
 
Conviction: The state has been ordained by God to use the sword for justice
 

• What are the formal theological declarations of your tradition that make a statement on the state’s legitimate use of the sword?
• Is this a conflict between recognized states?
• Is this a conflict between recognized governments? 
• Has there been a formal declaration of war?
• What kind of war is it (classic military confrontation, guerrilla, proxy, civil, space, cyber, etc)?
• Is the conflict UN sanctioned? Has UN Article 51 been referenced?
• Do you have alliance requirements that need to be met?

 
Conviction: Jesus is Lord, not Caesar
 

• What are the formal theological declarations of your tradition that make a statement on the primacy of obedience to Jesus over against obedience to the state?

• While national identities are important, have you reminded yourself that your primary loyalty – even in the heat-of-the-moment of war – is to Jesus?
• Have you rejected calls from the government (and even clergy) for blind and unconditional loyalty to the state?
• No Christian can participate in or support an unjust use of the sword, despite what one’s government or commanding officer says. The criteria usually associated with the just war tradition helps us determine what actually is a just use of the state’s sword. There are two categories; just cause and just means.
  • Is the cause just?
    • What are the arguments marshalled by both sides for the war, and which side’s argument is most compelling? And why?
  • Are the means used to fight the war just?
    • This often evolves as the war develops – for wars tend to become more savage as time progresses.

 
Conviction: All Human Life is Valuable
 

• What are the formal theological declarations of your tradition that make a statement on the value of human life?

• How is the enemy being demonized and dehumanized by the military, media, mob, and politicians?
• How are captured enemy soldiers being treated?
• How are your own soldiers being treated by your own government?
• How are non-combatants (on both sides) being protected?
• How is new technology dehumanizing targets and/or users?

 
Conviction: Creation is Fallen, But Not Forever
 

• What are the formal theological declarations of your tradition that make a statement on the role of the state to suppress evil, the impact of sin on the world, and the hopes associated with Christ’s return?
• Are there utopian visions motivating the war effort (eg. a “war to end all wars”)?
• Is Christian eschatology related to ushering in a “New Jerusalem” being used to motivate fighting?
• How is the “now and not yet” of the Kingdom of God on display?
• Have you reminded yourself of the depth and extent of the fall, and the degrees to which humans will do harm to one another?
• Are your expectations of peace tempered by the reality of the fall?
• Are your disappointments and fears tempered by the hope of Christ’s return and the end of war?

 
Conviction: Christians Must Engage the State Regarding Its Use of the Sword
 

• What are the formal theological declarations of your tradition that make a statement on the role of the church to engage the state on issues of justice?

• John H. Yoder stated “[T]he Christian church knows why the state exists—knows, in fact, better than the state itself—and that this understanding provides both the justification for her speaking and the standards which she will apply in evaluating the way in which the authorities exercise their function.” If that is the case (and I think it is), in what ways can you and the churches remind the state of its proper use of the sword?

• How are the churches alleviating the suffering of those impacted by the war, and how can you get involved in those ministries?
• In what ways can you work for peace and justice is areas of war or unrest – and also motivate the state to support such initiatives?
• Are you what Oliver O’Donovan calls a “deliberating public”? O’Donovan’s comments on this point are worth quoting at length: “The opinionated public constitutes a positive obstacle to deliberation about the praxis of judgment. It does the opposite of what citizens of a state at war ought to do, which is to deliberate with their government and army, so providing a sounding-board for the serious exercise of judgment on alternative courses of action. A deliberating public would move forward with its military and political representatives from situation to situation, treating each next decision as different from the last one, listening to reasons with an open mind and asking demanding questions about the explanations offered, bearing in mind that there is much it cannot know, but also that there is much they cannot know either. A deliberating public would keep the scope of judgment open at each step, not foreclosing future history with a stonking battery of Yes or No let fire on Day Minus One. A deliberating public would elicit a more conscientious performance from its representatives, political and military. And a deliberating public would observe much more sharply if the point were reached at which those representatives stepped outside the praxis of judgment and reverted to the lawless extravagances of antagonistic confrontation. The worst crimes in war tend to be committed later in its course, when patience and discipline have worn thin. But by the time the leaders of the nations are driven to resort to the worst excesses of wickedness, the public has so exhausted its rhetorical resources that it is liable to let the fact pass without judgment.” Oliver O’Donovan, The Just War Revisited (CUP, 2003), 17-18.

 
A Matter of Conscience
 
The above five convictions should be embraced by Christians of all traditions. However, what Christians have not agreed upon is whether they can serve as soldiers. If you are a Christian, and your conscience allows you to be a soldier, do the following:
 

• Clarify why your Christian conscience allows you to serve as a soldier. 
• Keep in mind the purpose of being a soldier.
• Remind yourself that a Christian soldier must adamantly say “no” to any unjust use of the sword (eg. fight in a war of conquest, execute prisoners, rape citizens, etc.).