I once spoke on the sixth commandment—You shall not murder—in which I briefly touched on the tension between Christian pacificism (Walter Wink’s third way) and “just war” theories.
John Howard Yoder is one of the best to read on the former, and Augustine as an early proponent of the latter. C. S. Lewis’ Why I Am Not a Pacifist essay from The Weight of Glory is a quick, head-tilting read as well. Regardless your slant, an introspective heart-check is important to understand why one leans either way, to make sure we aren’t driven by fear, or self-preservation, or self-righteousness, or retribution.
For followers of Jesus, ultimately our citizenship is in the Kingdom of God before any nationalistic adherence. Jesus can never be aligned to a country or a cause—that’s what the freedom fighters of the first century, the Zealots, wanted of Him. But they missed the Big Picture: He is the Cause, the cure for the human condition. In our current context, despite being Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, or whatever, we are all messed up with a one-way ticket to Gehenna unless intercepted by the grace and love of God. My politics will not save me; I desperately need Jesus.
The Sermon on the Mount implies that the business of war is associated with human governments, not the Kingdom of God. When Jesus was interrogated by the Roman government, He said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my followers would be fighting for me...”. The Kingdom cannot be fought for on a flesh-and-blood level. The case for pacifism can best be made here: any persecution for the Kingdom’s sake is met with a martyr’s mindset.
At the same time, Paul assumes we have a responsibility to human governments in a bent world. He writes:
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” ROMANS 13:1–5 (TNIV)
Incidentally, this was John Wesley’s case against the American Revolutionary War.
The degree of involvement is what’s argued. The pacifist asks: should I even pay a portion of taxes that support a military?
Paul’s passage is tough to swallow for a guy like me, a counter-culture product of the 1960’s. I was a vociferous anti-Nixon protestor, complete with black armbands and all. Moreover, it seemed unconscionable to me to send eighteen-year-olds to Vietnam who couldn’t vote until turning twenty-one. To me, the whole system was broken, with war-hawks at the wheel.
But this is where it gets tricky: despite what I would consider a strong “justice”-streak in me, I had other demons I was wrestling with, and in my twenties I was introduced to Christians who began to shake not so much my world view but the secret places of my heart. It is one thing to argue politics or morality, but another when a seven-million watt searchlight exposes your soul.
I was undone.
All this rambling simply means that at times I don’t trust my own heart in how I settle what some consider peripheral theological issues. It’s not always as black-and-white from text-to-text as I’d hope. And sometimes we have to admit that we’re looking through a glass darkly.
Leaders, walk humbly through these thickets.
One thing I do know: Jesus changes everything. And I’m still working that out.
Dave Workman | The Elemental Group
Every healthy organization is marked by four essential traits: Integrity, Passion, Servanthood, and Imagination. With a practitioner perspective, author Dave Workman offers common sense guidance and tools to maximize leadership. Filled with insight, humor, and reflective exercises, this is an indispensable exploration of these four universal values. Check out Elemental Leaders: Four Essentials Every Leader Needs...and Every Church Must Have.
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