Thursday, September 6, 2007
![Sojourners’ Jim Wallis, darling of the Evangelical Left, is launching his own “surge,” an anti-war march on Washington D. C. as a Christian protest to the present military surge in Iraq. He states (note his letter below this article) that prayer — not war — is the “power … to soften the hardest of hearts and open the way to peace and reconciliation.” Wallis criticizes President Bush’s prosecution of the war on theological grounds:
But while the Bush administration has frequently abused the language of scripture to justify this disastrous war, a growing number of Christians from across the theological and political spectrum are coming together to oppose it.
But since Wallis offers no examples of Bush’s “abuse” of Biblical language, we have no way of verifying his charges. On the other hand, we might inquire whether Bush’s “abuse” of Biblical language is superior to Wallis’ lack of Biblical appeal whatsoever on the topic of war. To be sure, Wallis cites Mark 9 and Philippians 4 on the necessity of prayer, but he does not indicate how these statements have bearing on the validity or invalidity of the Iraq war.
War and the Bible
Conversely, we think of Israel’s wars of extermination (“total wars”) recorded in the Old Testament (read the book of Joshua). No Christian asserts that these wars against the pagan Canaanites serve as the paradigm for nations today, as though nations influenced by Christian truth may exterminate combatants and non-combatants of their enemies, as God sometimes commanded the Jews to do.
However, the fact that God did dictate war as a means of cleansing Canaan of its depraved inhabitants invalidates the notion that God is opposed to war in all cases whatsoever. The principled opposition to all war characteristic of Anabaptists like Wallis requires a radical discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments, nearly implying that the God of the Old Testament is not the God of the New Testament. Whatever position a Christian takes on the issue of war, he must acknowledge that the God of the Old Testament was not a pacifist.
Yet even relying on the New Testament alone will not validate the pacifist position. Jesus instructed two Roman soldiers who inquired of our Lord about following Him (Lk. 3:14) to be content with their wages and avoid employing their powerful position for extortion. Jesus did not tell them that the military is an illegitimate calling; He encouraged the soldiers to keep at their task and not physically abandon the military to follow Him.
More significantly, in Romans 13 we read Paul’s summary of the role of the state (and an evil Roman state it was!). Its chief role (v. 4) is punishing evildoers and protecting the innocent (not, mind you, equalizing incomes and furnishing womb-to-tomb financial security). Nonetheless, protecting innocent citizens from molestation is a valid role of the state, and this role cannot be limited to domestic molestation; the state may — must — also protect its citizens from molestation by aliens or foreign enemies.
Christian just war theory (grounded, we might notice, mostly in natural law and not Biblical law) has a long history. Christians endorsing this traditional view may understandably oppose Bush’s rationale for the Iraq war.
What we cannot do is simply cite two verses exhorting prayer and expect that thinking Christians will naturally assume that Bush’s rationale for war is contra-Christian.
To be fair to Wallis, his was an e-mail update and did not profess to offer even a summary of a Biblical opposition to war, as this present article professes to offer a summary of Biblical warrant for war in some cases.
Yet the breezy dismissal of the Christian case for war — even preemptive war — seems to have become rife on the Christian Left and among many of the “Emergents” like Brian McLaren, with pacifism or opposition to the Iraq war assumed to be the Christian position.
It is not.
And any writer that skirts the hard work of Biblical investigation and wraps himself in the robes of self-righteousness on this issue, as though the “peaceful” position is the Christian position, deserves scrutiny by believers who refuse to be pacified [!] by facile answers.
Dear P. Andrew,
Jesus said to them, "This kind can come out only through prayer." (Mark 9:29)
Let Congress know you're praying for them to end the war in Iraq.
Next week, Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, will report to Congress on the troop "surge," in which the Bush administration has escalated the war in Iraq by sending an additional 20,000 American combat troops.
As people of faith, we believe in the power of prayer to soften the hardest of hearts and open the way to peace and reconciliation. So, as General Petraeus testifies, we're planning to match his surge with one of our own–20,000 prayers for Congress to bring an end to this war.
Click here to share your prayer with Congress–let them know that you're praying for their courage and wisdom to end this war.
We are at a critical moment, as the House and Senate decide on our nation's continued involvement in Iraq amidst a frenzy of swirling accusations and partisan rhetoric.
But while the Bush administration has frequently abused the language of scripture to justify this disastrous war, a growing number of Christians from across the theological and political spectrum are coming together to oppose it.
And our nation's political leaders are listening–in fact, we've spoken to several members of Congress who are considering reading a selection of your prayers for peace into the Congressional Record.
Like many of you, I've opposed this war from the start, and together we've raised a prophetic voice against it–marching in the streets, writing letters, and much more.
We'll continue to do all of that, but I believe it will also take faith to end this war. It will take prayer to end it. It will take a revolution of love to end it, because this endless war in Iraq is based ultimately on fear, and the Bible tells us that only perfect love will cast out fear.
Will you be a part of this surge of prayer for peace? Click here to let your Senators and Representative know that you're praying for them.
In times such as these, we ought to remember the words of the Apostle Paul:
Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Blessings,
Jim Wallis and the rest of the team at Sojourners/Call to Renewal
P.S. To reach 20,000 prayers by next week, we'll need your help. Can you share this message with 10 of your friends, family, and congregation members, asking them to join us in this campaign?](7A3E5922-8FE8-47FA-BDC7-07064E114226_files/shapeimage_2.png)
