Christians, War, and Violence: Introduction

 “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” Leon Trotsky
 
Sadly, those words of Trotsky apply today as much as in his day. Whether we identify with the just war tradition, or the pacifist tradition, or some other tradition, there is no escaping the fact that the world is a violent place and that such violence all too often intersects with our lives.[1]

The modern world is a dreadfully violent place. Estimates of deaths caused by war in the twentieth century range between 100-200 million; the wide range is partly due to how one counts, but also due to the fact that genocides and civilian deaths are difficult to document.[2] No matter how you count it, it was the bloodiest century in human history in terms of sheer numbers of war-related casualties.[3] Hopefully the twenty-first century does not break that infamous record, but there is no guarantee it will not. Currently there are dozens of global conflicts, with others looming on the horizon.
 
Just how are Christians to think about such threats to life and limb?

• First, recognize that this is nothing new. Christians of every era have had to face war and its consequences. From the sack of Rome (410) to the fall of Constantinople (1453) to the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings (2001) disasters have shocked, saddened, frightened, and infuriated Christians. Invasions of Muslims, Magyars, and Mongols have shattered empires, enslaved millions, and desecrated thousands of churches and holy sites. Christians have added to the list of the world's woes with their own sad history of imperial conquests, the enslaving of millions, and genocides. 
• Second, recognize that war and violent conflict is not going away – until Jesus returns. The fallen world is a horribly violent place, a planet where the Roman god Mars seems to be perpetually visiting, if not moved in for the duration. Invading and subjugating, raping and pillaging, and maiming and killing are all disturbing realities of the human condition. Some are fortunate to escape the worst Mars has to offer, but others live short and miserable lives as a result of the human propensity to go to war. And this sinful propensity will not go away, until Jesus returns.
• Third, in light of the above two points, recognize that decisions need to be made. Hiding in the closet or running to the hills will not help, wishing the world were different is useless, praying for a human-built utopia on earth is futile, and retreating into passivity will not make you safe, for war and violence will eventually find you, your loved ones, and/or your neighbors. Decisions need to be made.

 
This blog series entitled “Christians, War, and Violence: Reflections on Possible Futures” is intended to provide information to help make informed decisions on vexing issues. My emphasis on informed decisions is based on the pathetic record of how Christians have often come to their decisions. Sadly, what passes for much (most?) of Christian commentary is spent trying to find where this or that event can be found in the book of Revelation, counting years from the book of Daniel to make sense of dates today, identifying why this or that leader is the anti-Christ, or uncovering why what is really going on is some grand conspiracy of Jesuits, Templars, Illuminati, Masons, or some other supposedly shadowy and nefarious organization. Vacuous, shallow, uninformed, and ultimately detrimental, such commentary is not helpful in making decisions that have a significant bearing on the real world. 
 
And as much as I value reading the Bible (I am, after all, a Christian), it is obvious that the Bible does not have a verse for every issue we face. For instance, no Bible verse addresses the use of land mines – should they be used? If so, what kinds and where and when? Are cluster bombs a legitimate weapon? Should lasers be used to blind soldiers? What about unmanned drones and artificial intelligence – should drones be allowed to make decisions on the battlefield? Are China’s boundary claims in the South China Sea just? Is NATO’s eastward advance in Europe wise? The list goes on. My point is simply to say that thinking about issues of war and violence require more than finding a Bible verse to settle the issue. 
 
That said, undergirding a distinctly Christian reflection on these matters requires a robust biblical and theological grounding that brings to bear the rich resources of the faith on vexing issues, or what I call “possible futures.”
 
The subtitle refers to “possible futures” – and my aim is to identify trends and trajectories, and stress the need to be aware of what may be just over the horizon. Here are some of the main categories of issues to be addressed:

• Fake News: Media, War, and Violence
• The Future of the Just War Tradition
• The Rise and Decline of Great Powers
• Hot and Cold War: Climate Change
• The Decline(?) of International Organizations
• The Evolution of Warfare & Technology
• Post-colonialism, Land Claims, Migrations, and “Blood and Soil”
• The Rise and Fall of Christendoms
• Theological Innovations
• Communities on the Brink

Within each heading are a number of issues, and in forthcoming blogs they will be outlined in more detail. It needs to be noted that there will be things that I identify as “possible futures” that are troubling (and maybe even deemed offensive by some), but my identifying them does not in any way mean I necessarily support them. In such cases I am simply saying that – present trend(s) continued – that thing may occur. (In other words, "don't shoot the messenger".)
 
The next blog entitled “Fake News: Media, War, and Violence” starts our journey by considering how we can sift through the noise of media to know what is going on in the world. 
 
And remember, since war is “interested in you” it is time for you to be interested in war.
 


[1] I am not going to argue whether or not a Christian can be a soldier – I recognize that as a matter of Christian conscience, and will leave it at that. I have written a book on that subject, and it should be out in a few years if you really want to know what I think on the matter.

[2] http://necrometrics.com/all20c.htm

[3] Ian Morris argues that despite the rise of horrific numbers of deaths in the world wars, the actual deaths per thousand has progressively decreased since the Stone Age. See Ian Morris, War! What Is It Good For? Conflict and the Progress of Civilization from Primate to Robots (New York: Picador, 2014), 7-15.