Recently, a friend invited me to a House Church meeting. I love connecting with other small groups so I was excited to visit. After a nice meal, one of the attendees began to talk about Germany during the Second World War. He asked a question about how the German church could have done things differently to suppress the rise of the Nazi regime.
He began to read Romans 13 and after a long “revelation” concluded that we are only to obey “Godly” authority. So if we (or whoever) determines that authority isn’t “Godly” we have justification to rebel and fight back. I sensed this argument was meant to enlighten the saints in case the “wrong” politician got elected this November. Although difficult to fully comprehend, Romans 13 seems pretty straightforward. Should we take the slap and turn our cheek or do we slap back? Are we to be pacifists or should we rebel?
Romans 13:1-7 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
So when did pacifism die in Christian theology? Perhaps it could be attributed to Saint Augustine (354-430) and his introduction of Just War theory. I have included it below.
“Jus ad bellum
1. Wars must be fought only on legitimate authority. This criterion aimed to limit conflicts by small-scale barons, captains and princelings, and is often treated as the sine qua non of Just War Theory.
2. The cause must be just. The war must be fought, for example, in order to resist aggression, protect the innocent, or to support the rights of some oppressed group. There must be significant reasons which are weighty enough to overthrow the prima facie duty that we should not kill or injure others.
3. The war must have right intention. It must advance the good and avoid evil, have clear aims and be open to negotiation; it must not be for revenge or for the sake of killing and there should be no ulterior motive. It must be waged without love of violence, or cruelty; and regret or remorse should be the proper attitude. This is shaped by the pursuit of a just cause. Since peace should be the object of war, killing is a means to that end. This condition also holds for jus in bello.
4. It must be a last resort, all other attempts having failed or being unavailable.
5. There must be a reasonable hope of justice, or a reasonable chance of success, in order to prevent pointless wars. If there is no such hope, then it would not just be imprudent, but there would be no good grounds to override the prima facie obligation to not harm others if none of the just ends can be realised, and thus going to war would be immoral.
Jus in bello
6. There must be discrimination. Non-combatants should not be directly or intentionally attacked, although it is recognised that there may be accidental casualties.
7. There must be proportion; that is, there must be a balance between the good achieved versus the harm done. This condition takes into account the effects on all human beings, not just those on one side, and it is the effects on humans rather than other physical damage which have priority. This condition also applies to jus ad bellum, in order to prevent going to war over minor disputes.”
Can war ever be just for Christ followers? Saint Augustine’s theory gave rise and justification to a militant church. I wonder what Jesus thought about all that killing in His name. Unfortunately, eventually it also gave justification for the church to kill true Christ followers who the church deemed heretics. I guess it’s fair to say be careful what you wish for.
Can Christians survive political turmoil? Should we be stocking up on ammunition? Will our call for rebellion against authority cause a greater persecution of true Christ followers? A great man once said, “Those who live by the sword die by the sword”. It’s important to examine our hearts to see if violence too easily reveals itself. It’s also important to read what Jesus said about violence and what He said about our enemies. We should also examine how the true church conducted itself before Constantine, Saint Augustine and others twisted scripture. Lots to ponder and lots to pray about.
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2 replies on “Death of Pacifism”
Your article didn’t upset me – try harder!
My personal view on this is simple enough. I must not do anything to hurt or harm others, I’m called to love others, even my enemy. On the other hand I’m also called not to judge others, even when they fight wars.
But whatever my views ahead of time, what would I do if someone attacked my wife or my child? I don’t think I can even answer my own question! I don’t know what I’d do in those circumstances – perhaps put myself in harm’s way. I doubt that I’d just stand and watch!
Great response, thank you, I agree. Yes when I engaged the speaker that exact question came up about someone coming into the house to do harm to me and my family.