The Peace War

On a less personal note, here's something I've been pondering. Through a plethora of means, I have had resurrected for me a topic of discussion which I've pondered off and on for years, that of Christian non-violence and "pacifism."

It seems to me that the problem with this discussion is how completely unwilling people are to have a view more nuanced than "violence is evil" or "violence is fine." Most evangelicals are unable to dialogue about the issue because with a knee-jerk predictability they plead extreme situations. By saying "well, if someone was raping my wife and daughter I could defend them with violence," they then presume that war, self-defense, and lethal force are all perfectly permissible in almost every situation. Meanwhile, advocated of peace tend to make the entire issue political, about war and law enforcement, and often are prone to cause divisions in Christ's body which are antithetical to their position.

Here are a few of my thoughts on the topic, some aimed at each side, as I process through it all:

1. Peace is good. This seems to me to be obvious, but I'm shocked at how often it gets missed. In an argument about what is permissible, many Christians totally miss the question of what is beneficial. We should all, regardless of our moral convictions, desire peace between people. We should never delight in war or division or violence.

2. We are to me makers of peace. Stemming out of the first topic, we are to seek to make peace in the world. "Blessed are the peacemakers." (Matthew 5) " Turn away from evil and do good;seek peace and pursue it." (Psalm 34) This is part of the calling all Christians share to be a redemptive influence in creation. I've heard it put this way: as children of the kingdom of heaven, we are to seek to manifest that kingdom which will one day come in fullness in the world now, as best as we are able. Thus, we feed the starving and care for the sick because one day there will be no more hunger and disease. In the same way, when all things are made new all wars and divisions will cease. Thus we ought to, in obedience to Scripture, seek peace in the world.

The key question this raises is: how do we fight for this peace? As I wrestle with this, I am more and more inclined to think that the answer many conservative Americans give - through superior firepower - is not biblical. Hear me out; I'll address what I would consider a possible biblical place for violence in a moment. However, the reason we use violence is not to promote peace. "For all who take the sword will perish by the sword." (Matthew 26) This is going to sound radical, but the truth of Scripture is that God gives peace as we obey Him, not as we fight for it ourselves. Think about Israel. They are promised peace not because they take up arms and fight, but because they are obedient to the Lord (Leviticus 26 is one example). "When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Proverbs 16). This means that, for the Christian, we are promised peace when we "do not resist the one who is evil" (Matthew 5); when we "love our enemies and do good to those who hate us" (Luke 6). Let this sink in: violence begets violence. Peace is given as a result of the commands of God. God calls us to surrender our rights and repay evildoers with good. This means that the way to be peacemakers is not with tanks, but with self-sacrificial love.

3. There is a biblical basis for violence. A good example of this is in Genesis 14: Lot is taken prisoner, Abraham raises a raiding party and attacks his captors, Lot is rescued, Melchizedek blesses Abraham. This and numerous other examples seem to show that there is a place for violence at times for the people of God. However, this violence is not to secure peace. That, as already discussed, is given by God as a result of obedience to Him. Instead, its purpose in Scripture seems primarily to be in defending others. This means that, while perhaps not a biblical mandate, we do have to allow room for Christians to have convictions for the use of violence in similar situations. However, this is the only time it is permissible, and even then we ought to seek to use other means if possible. However, this is important, because many Christians caught up in the non-violence movement are too quick to say clearly what isn't clear from Scripture. The people of God should love and pursue peace. The people of God seemed at times to be permitted to use violence. Let us leave it at that and, withing the parameters Scripture does give, allow some room for conscience and personal conviction.

4. The primary way Scripture addresses peace is in the body of Christ. Christians should definately desire peace politically in the world. However, it would be a huge error of interpretation to read many New Testament texts as primarily pointing towards this. Instead, their first concern is that we have peace with our brothers and sisters in the church (Romans 14, 2 Corinthians 13, Ephesians 2, Hebrews 12, etc.). This should be a high calling to all, but particularly to those in the Christian Pacifism camp who tend to look down on and ridicule other believers with different, perhaps even wrong, convictions. We must not speak about loving peace in the world until we have gone to the brothers we have offended and been reconciled with them.

This also means that we must seek to be united with our brothers around the world. Our first allegiance should not be between America and Arab, but between those who love Christ in both nations and those that don't. We must strive for peace with all, but particularly within the body. "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Eph 2:19). We should never view our nations' enemies as our own, lest we end up in doing so hating those who share with us as members of Christ's bride.


Obviously, I'm still processing a lot. Any thoughts would be welcome. However, I would exhort us of one thing: to live by what Scripture clearly teaches. To truly seek to love peace, whatever precisely that looks like. "Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!" (Psalm 120)