Though some argue that Just War Theory (JWT) can be traced back to ancient Egypt, I’m interested in how Christians have reasoned over the ethics of war. Among the earliest theologians to set about the business of thinking through if war can be justified and justly fought was Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan. His most esteemed student, Saint Augustine continued in the same vein.
The church has argued since those early days that war may be justly entered if all the following conditions are met:
1. The war must be defensive in nature. Instigating a war is unjust.
2. It must be led by a legitimate authority.
3. It must be motivated by a right intention.
4. Its ultimate goal must be the establishment of peace.
Once in a war, a nation seeking to engage in just war must remember these principles:
1. It must acknowledge the distinction between enemy combatants and civilians.
2. It must acknowledge hors de combat. Here it is forbidden to intentionally fire on those parachuting out of a fallen aircraft or sailors who have been shipwrecked.
3. It must not impose any unnecessary suffering.
4. Its response to being attack must be proportionate.
These principles, tested by time, seek to stake out that moral ground between pacifism and militarism. Pacifism is the view that it is never right to fight in any war under any circumstance. While there are Christians, and even whole denominations who take this position, it runs afoul of God’s commands to Israel. While Israel had a unique relationship with the living God, “All participation in war is sinful” goes too far by condemning what God commanded.
Militarism is the opposite error. Here men are prone to cheer on war in any circumstance where it might be imagined that a nation’s interests might be served. It is the wartime equivalent of that jingoistic fervor expressed in that odious saying, “My country, right or wrong, my country.”
The challenge is that we are all tempted to depart that safe middle ground of just war, for our own personal reasons. I don’t want to get shot at, and can’t blame anyone else who feels the same. But if my country is overrun by hordes of marauding Saxons, my duty is to take up arms to protect my family and my neighbor.
I don’t either blame those who distrust foreign nations that are unfriendly. Nor those who want what an unfriendly foreign nation has. But we don’t send our sons and our neighbors’ sons to die for “strategic interests.” Perhaps the only thing more tragic than being overrun by our enemies is killing and being killed for nothing greater than geo-political maneuvering.
The application of JWT is what keeps us in that safe zone. It keeps us from being swallowed up by some aggressive empire. And keeps us from swallowing up other nations as an aggressive empire. Whatever nuances living in a nuclear age may bring, the JWT transcends them.
Christians of all people must come to both understand and champion JWT. For it is little more that the application of God’s law to the direst of circumstances. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
Hi RC! Nice article! Thanks! However, I disagree slightly with point number 1. “Wars may only be fought defensively”. Sometimes, as my HS football coaches would say, “the best defense is a good offense”… so sometimes offenses are necessary to have a good defense. Kind of a small, silly point, but I just wanted to comment on it.
In a contest, like football, that makes perfect sense. When offense, as in the context of war, means starting to shoot people that haven’t started shooting at you, then you have left just war. It may make it easier to win, but it doesn’t make it just. Glad though that you’re reading, and taking the time to comment. Thank you and God bless you.
I agree with Ben Bryant’s comment above. Do you want to have war on American soil with women, children, and elderly people being killed by a foreign adversary. Stopping them from building nukes abroad protects Americans at home. I’ll bet you think that WWII was fought on foreign soil. Actually, we had German U-boats attacking American civilians in the Gulf an along the east coast. One U-boat made it a considerable distance up the Mississippi River. I have not verified this, but I have heard stories of German sailors coming on shore to buy food and other supplies. I volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol and have worked closely with our Louisiana Wing historian to honor the Civil Air Patrol volunteers who died while patrolling and bombing German U-boats. Civilians were being torpedoed in their boats and left to drown. Civil Air Patrol planes would radio in to bring rescuers to help them.
I have several family members in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Civil Air Patrol, etc…one who spent many years in war zones. They are not the same when they come back. Do we want our families to suffer the experience of living through combat? Take the fight to our enemies and stop them before they can get to our families and our homeland.
Rebecca- My piece doesn’t address current circumstances. It instead deals with what the church has always taught about just war. My views on World War II are that it fit perfectly within the rubric of just war because of Pearl Harbor, and Germany’s declaration of war against us. The trouble with the position you are taking is that it actually creates more death, destruction and breaking of people. The only circumstances where that cost is worth it is when we are actually defending our country. As we as an empire exist now, we do indeed take the fight to our enemies, invading countries that have not attacked us. Hope that helps, and as always, thank you for taking the time and effort to share your perspective. God bless you.