Another war, another letter from Christian war hawk Richard Land. You may recall his 2002 open letter to President Bush stating his “Bible-believing” scholarly imprimatur – grounded in scriptural authority. Sanctioning unilateral war against Iraq “fell well within the time-honored criteria of just-war theory.” The letter, co-signed by a bevy of right-wing, neo-fundamentalist leaders, granted the Bush government a theological dispensation to inflict divine punishment. “The question is not if God is on our side, but if we are on God’s side,” Richard Land was quoted as saying about the Iraq invasion. “Then, with a wink of the eye, Land added, ‘But I think God is on our side in this one.’”[i] Gott Mit Uns!
But as firstly envisioned within Catholic public theology, Just War was the last resort. Not a shallow checklist before launch; not a divine set of minimums to bless waging it. Evangelical misuse of Just War theory conceals its double-speak behind lofty philosophical presuppositions. Influential pastor Jack Hibbs speaks for many evangelicals when he declares it is unchristian to demand that Israel’s response to the attacks from Hamas be “proportional.” To our shame, we really don’t mean what we say.
Any war becomes entangled in a moral morass once the tit-for-tat shooting starts. By then, its too late to play by Marquess of Queensberry rules. Especially concerning the inevitably targeted civilians and noncombatant casualties. Even from those whose motives are spiritually clean, where going to war could not possibly have been anything else but pure. As any military commander can tell you, even the best of plans go out the window when combat begins. Truth, as we are often reminded, is the first casualty. Some 500 people died in the October 17th aerial attack that hit al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. Each side blames the other. Whether by mistake (like the Mukaradeeb wedding massacre), or deliberately (like My Lai) innocent people are just as dead, whether Just War – or just a war.
Theologian Walter Wink had this to say: “ Declaring a war ‘just’ is simply a ruse to rid ourselves of guilt… If we have killed, it is a sin, and only God can forgive us, not a propaganda apparatus that declares our dirty wars “just.” In fomenting war and political objectives, Christians have lost our orientation by doing the will of the demonic enemy within ourselves.” As Walt Kelly’s Pogo says, “We have met the enemy, and he is us”.
But we are seeking answers to the wrong question. We need to ask how to achieve the shalom of Just Peace, rather than tidying up messes caused by all our presumptive “just” wars. Even King David was barred by God from building the Temple because he “shed so much blood on the earth before Me”. (1 Chronicles 22:8). Despite doing what he thought was the Lord’s will, he was far from sinless in the process. We, proud and rebellious people that we are, often find ourselves in the same need for confession and forgiveness.
Sin. None of us are immune from its deceitful and predictable end in death. Not individuals, not nations – Jesus said there would be wars and rumors of war. But he also blessed the peacemakers. They will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9). And yet, the naysayers dismiss Just Peace as “simply inappropriate to the realm of political life… At the risk of oversimplification, their argument is that the condition of perfect peace and justice denoted by the term shalom can be brought about today and through human action”.
Bible nay-sayers are war-mongers who search for scriptural “nails” on which to hang a war, contradicting what the Bible intends. Christians are those who promote God’s peace.. To become peacemakers, we must begin with ourselves. We are commissioned to teach the nations “to obey everything I have commanded you”. We are to pray “Thy will be done”, not ours. We are commissioned to inject the empires of politics with the new order of shalom inaugurated by the One of Peace. The power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) enables us to live out Jesus’ teachings on love and compassion, and achieve what otherwise seems humanly impossible.
What can poor little me do???? Many individual small ways add up as we live out His mission of love .During my weekly grocery shop this week, my clerk was a displaced Ukrainian. The woman behind me in line wore a hijab. I made it a point to say I was praying heart-broken prayers for each. Peace, said Mother Theresa, begins with a smile..That’s a start. Shalom begins with you and I:
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
Let There Be Peace on Earth
The peace that was meant to be
… With God as our Father
Brothers all are we
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.
… Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
From Under The Rubble 