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Biblical guidelines for justifying war February 2, 2003
David G. Owen
As the United States moves closer to war against Iraq, I would like to review some of the ways that people of faith have long wrestled with the question of when war is morally acceptable. Is it always appropriate to sing, as we did in World War II, "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition"? Many Christians through the ages have wrestled with this issue by pondering the kind of person Jesus was. His ethic was one of love and forgiveness; he told Peter to put his sword away rather than defend him in the Garden of Gethsemane; Jesus taught his followers they should overcome evil with good. In a parable in Luke, Jesus asked people to consider the cost of their decision, just as a wise king would weigh the potential costs before going to war. We seem to be taking this advice in the tense conflict of words with North Korea, because a war there could result in a terrible price to be paid by South Korea, Japan and our 37,000 soldiers in South Korea. In all the New Testament, Jesus said almost nothing about when war is appropriate. The Old Testament offers explicit guidance. Old Testament scholar George Mendenhall points out that the early Israelites justified war only when it was to defend their home territory. Second, no individual or group was to profit from it. No booty could be taken and carried back to camp. This was to rule out profit as a motive for going to war. Moreover, the victory was seen as belonging to God so that no leader would go to war for political gain. These principles were a way to restrain the Israelites from becoming a danger to innocent others. Just as important, these principles sought to protect the Israelites themselves, the potential foot soldiers, from the greed, ambition, restlessness or moral confusion of leaders. A third important principle was that, to be holy, the war must be fought by those who were willing to fight because they believed in the justness of the cause. When ancient Israel declared war, it was assumed that a leader, as well as his children, friends and brothers, would be in the thick of the battle. King Saul was killed in combat. But times have changed. Today, I don't know of any country in the world where those who call for the wars actually fight them. Some people talk tough and strategize but send others to put their bodies in harm's way. The early Christian St. Augustine first developed "Principles of a Just War." Let me briefly mention four of those seven principles. First, a war is just only if it is being fought to redress a wrong that has been suffered. Self-defense against an armed attack is always considered a just cause. Second, the violence of the response must be proportional to the injury suffered. This goes back to the Old Testament guideline "an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth." That sounds brutal to our modern ears but in fact was one of Israel's great gifts to humankind. Ethically, it was a great leap forward. Before that, if you had poked out my tooth, I would have felt justified in killing you and your mother. If you raped my sister, I would have felt justified in burning down your village and killing as many as I could in your tribe. Third, the weapons used in war must distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never a permissible target in a just war, and every effort must be made to avoid killing them. In the 20th century, two of every five people killed in war were civilians. Clearly, this is an indictment of terrorism, which is largely a war against civilians. Fourth, a war is not just unless all nonviolent means have been exhausted and the war is waged as a last resort. Some Christians believe that war is never appropriate. Most Christians believe there are times when war is the last resort and becomes morally necessary. The Judeo-Christian tradition through the ages has given us guidelines for when a war is morally right. We would do well to apply those principles now. David G. Owen is pastor at North United Methodist Church in
Indianapolis.
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