The Problem

  It is assumed within the American context that killing and fighting back is justified. The Revolutionary War, Civil War, and American Indian War all show the warring and killing tendencies of our nation. War is a intrinsic part of our past history and continues to be one way in which we sustain our greatness in the present. It is not something that we question or typically enter into a discussion over because it is commonly held that war can and is justified. To be fair, simply because something is a common belief doesn’t necessarily mean it is wrong, but I do believe that it is our American upbringing that makes it difficult to stand outside of our American worldview and test certain American “givens” with God’s Word. This has been a difficulty for the church throughout the ages. That is, it has been hard for the church to stand up to great social, political, and local evils because those very evils were so accepted within society.

    For example, churchgoers and the church leaders had a large hand in promoting the evils of the Apartheid system in South Africa from 1948-1990. A system that condoned the clearly murderous and racist tendencies of the state that left thousands of South African’s dead or impoverished. Large portions of the America church during the American civil rights movement didn’t support King Jr’s teaching or support his social action. Martin Luther King Jr. had to write a letter from prison to fellow ministers in order to justify his cause. Many pastors and Christians were fine with the segregation laws and preached against change. William Wilberforce was a Christian man standing up to the slave trade in the late 18^th and early 19^th century in Great Britain. Many British Christians didn’t see this as evil at the time. Richard Wurmbrand, a pastor of the underground church in Romania wrote about the church’s involvement in Communism during Russian occupation. Many of the local pastors doubled as spies for Russia and commonly sold out their congregation when the people supported the underground church. The great majority of church leaders were in bed with the Communists, at the expense of hundreds of Christians. 

   With all of these examples in mind, it is clear in looking back over history that the church has either been involved in the promotion of evil or guilty of promoting evil through the sin of omission. The sobering question that every Christian has to ask themselves is—What are different blind spots the church suffers from today? What will the church in 50yrs say about how Christians are living now? It is easy to look back over history at these different problems in the church and be frustrated at the ways in which the church went down the wrong path. We are arrogant as Christians to think that we have so fully arrived in our understanding of God that we don’t have a hard time perfectly seeing what God wants us to do in light of such great evils around us. 

   It is my contention that very many Christians believe that America’s warring is just not because we have wrestled with the Biblical teachings but rather because it is what we are taught from our youth. Now, simply because it has been taught to us from youth doesn’t make it wrong but if it is in contradiction with what God’s will is for His people—then it is fully wrong. This is my belief, still yet to be defended. This leads me to what must become a priority within the discussion for everyone involved.

    When discussing war, violence, justice, injustice, and the nature of evil the arguments can quickly turn practical, philosophical, experience based, or even emotionally based. Although there is a place for our emotional response, our experience, and philosophy in the discussion—if this is what guides this discussion then we fall victim to the enlightenment mentality. This mentality teaches that if we just think about it enough and search in the depths of man’s reason long enough, we can find the solution to the issue or problem at hand. This mentality has never worked and never will. Although we are a quickly developing world with enough food to feed every person on the planet, thousands die every week of starvation, the world is absolutely full of discord (both at home and abroad), and war is ever present. One of the main reasons all of these unwanted effects remain with us in the 21^st century is because humanity bought into the lie of the enlightenment, thinking we can answer life’s greatest questions apart from God. We must look for God in all areas of study and are called to look to God in His Word. The Bible is the compass by which we are able to construct a proper worldview. There are many types of arguments one can use in any discussion but Biblical arguments and the proper interpretation of His Word will lead us into truth. After all, we are trying to get at what God wants his people to do in light of war, injustice, and evil. So regardless of what I or anyone else thinks, we must look to God’s Word first, and let the proper interpretation of the scriptures persuade us.