Participation in War

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’  “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.”  (Mat 5:38-39)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (Mat 5:43-45)

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but ^[u]leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom 12:19-20)

“We who formerly used to murder one another do not only now refrain from making war upon our enemies, but also, that we may not lie nor deceive our examiners, willingly die confessing Christ.” Vol 1 pg. 176 Justin Martyr AD 165

”Our prayers defeat all demons who stir up war…Accordingly, in this way, we are much more helpful to the kings than those who go into the field to fight for them.”  Vol 4 pg 667 Origen AD 248

“A soldier of the civil authority must be taught not to kill men and to refuse to do so if he is commanded, and to refuse to take an oath.  If he is unwilling to comply, he must be rejected for baptism.  A military commander or civic magistrate who wears the purple must resign or be rejected.  If an applicant or a believer seeks to become a soldier, he must be rejected, for he has despised God.”  Apostolic Trad. Pg 16  Hippolytus AD 200

History shows that while Jesus’ church was faithful to His teachings on unconditional non-violence, the Western world experienced the longest recorded time of peace the world had ever seen; the “Pax Romana”:

This period is considered to have lasted from 27 BC, when Augustus Caesar declared an end to the great Roman civil wars of the first century, until either AD 180 , when emperor Marcus Aurelius died, or the death of his son, Commodus, in AD 192 . It was a time in which Roman commerce thrived, unhampered by pirates or marauding enemy troops. It was not always peaceful; rebellions frequently appeared, but were quelled…Indeed, one might argue that Rome was constantly involved in some conflict or another during the “Pax Romana.” However, the interior provinces remained largely untouched by warfare, thus giving the empire the semblance of peace. Wikpedia

God blessed the world when the church faithfully obeyed Jesus’ teachings on non-violence.  Yet, as the church slowly abandoned Jesus’ teachings during the third century and finally abandoned the idea of unconditional non-violence altogether (Council of Nicea and acceptance of Augustine’s Just War theory), the Western world plunged back into perpetual warfare (often between professedly Christian nations).

One of the main problems with the Constantinian Hybrid was how to reconcile Jesus’ commands and His Kingdom’s example for the first 300 years with the Roman Empire’s need for a powerful military force to maintain its Empire.  Initially, there were enough pagans in the Empire to sustain the military needs, but within about 100 years, the numbers of pagans in the Roman Empire decreased dramatically and the number of professing Christians increased exponentially.  The solution, of course, was Augustine’s Just War theory (circa 410 AD).  Augustine’s Just War theory is still Roman Catholic and Lutheran doctrine today:

1. Last Resort: A just war can only be waged after all peaceful options are considered. The use of force can only be used as a last resort. 2. Legitimate Authority: A just war is waged by a legitimate authority. A war cannot be waged by individuals or groups that do not constitute the legitimate government. 3. Just Cause: A just war needs to be in response to a wrong suffered. Self-defense against an attack always constitutes a just war; however, the war needs to be fought with the objective to correct the inflicted wound. 4. Probability of Success” In order for a war to be just, there must be a rational possibility of success. A nation cannot enter into a war with a hopeless cause. 5. Right Intention The primary objective of a just war is to re-establish peace. In particular, the peace after the war should excede the peace that would have succeeded without the use of force. The aim of the use of force must be justice.

Of course nothing in Augustine’s Just War theory remotely resembles anything Jesus or the Apostles taught.  Jesus said love your enemies.  If struck on the right cheek turn also the left.  Treat your neighbor as yourself.  Never take revenge. None of the Apostles, with the exception of Peter’s cutting off of the high priest’s servant’s ear, for which he received a stern rebuke from the Lord, ever used force.

Yet, the lure to the 4^th century Christians to go backward to homogeneityin exchange for the conversion of the entire Roman Empire, was too great a temptation.  Rather than maintain the composite Kingdom Jesus demanded, they agreed to allow the unbaptized Emperor Constantine to host the Council of Nicea and resolve major church disagreements.  Soon Constantine was building churches all over the Empire, often over the exact place pagan temples once stood.  Bishops were added to the Empire’s payroll.  All of this was in contrast to Christ’s example. “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me’” Mat 4:9.  Jesus response of course was “Go away Satan…”  Butthe 4^th century Christians, worn down by centuries of persecution and believing that God was finally hearing their prayers to convert the entire Roman world to Christ, accepted Emperor Constantine’s offer of Roman support in exchange for compromising on some of Jesus’ commands like unconditional non-violence. And so the proverbial knee was bent.  Both the Roman Catholic and the later Lutheran Hybrids follow Augustine’s Just War theory as doctrine to this day and reject Jesus’ commands to love your enemies and treat your neighbor as yourself.   For Luther, too, the desire for a homogeneous German society, albeit free of the papacy, was too great a temptation.