The major thing in the news over the last few weeks has been all this business over Saddam Hussein and the allegations that he is stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. Every day another part of the drama is played out—George Bush or Colin Powell or Hans Blix or any one of a number of world leaders and diplomats make their accusations. An Iraqi leader or diplomat replies, saying that the allegations are false. Other world leaders start to make noises…and others remain silent.
I think we’re all getting used to the cycle.
There has been a lot of criticism of the Australian government because we have allied ourselves so closely with the US. We are one of three nations who has sent troops to the Middle East in readiness for an attack upon Iraq.
In all of this, God is getting mentioned an awful lot. Saddam Hussein repeatedly calls upon Allah, the god of Islam, to strike down his enemies. In a similar fashion, George Bush makes a big thing about how God will be on the side of the Americans and their allies.
It is a confusing time for Australians, for a whole number of reasons.
First, does America have any business fighting this war?
Second, should Australia be involved in the war?
And third, what does God have to say about it?
Several people have asked me to comment about these things this morning. This isn’t easy. This is a highly sensitive issue, and it is expected that a whole range of opinions will be found in the congregation. I can really offer only one perspective. Similarly, I don’t want to fall into the trap of preaching party politics. Suffice it to say, I am not here to push any one political line. I am here to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. I am here to call people to repentance and to show them how to turn to God. If political parties happen to agree with me, I’m happy. If any party disagrees with me on any point, I’m equally happy. It is their right to do so. I merely wish to comment on the rightness and wrongness of various aspects of this conflict.
And also let me say that I do not expect to come up with a fix to all of the world’s problems in 15 minutes. If I do, I’ve done something rather extraordinary!
So briefly, here’s what I intend to do. First, I’m going to describe some of the conditions in which war may be a moral solution to a problem. I will very briefly look at whether or not the war in Iraq as it is shaping up fits into this description. Then I will finish by looking at how we should respond as Christians and as a church.
**What is a just war?**
This question has plagued us since the first time somebody picked up a tree branch and clobbered somebody over the head. When is it right to bear arms against another nation? And when we do, under what circumstances should the war be fought? Over the centuries of debate Christians have come up with several approaches. One of the more obvious ones is total pacifism. In other words, it is never right to bear arms against another person.
Now pacifism is not as easy an option as some would like to make out. It is the option which says that when somebody strikes your cheek, you turn the other one. Although it might seem at first to be an easy way to get out of conscription, it can be a difficult and dangerous path to take. Many pacifists have taken roles in dangerous but non-combative roles in the Armed Forces such as stretcher bearers and medics. Remember Hawkeye on MASH? He wasn’t a Christian (as far as I know) but he was a pacifist who refused to bear arms, even in the face of obvious danger. But he would regularly risk his life for the sake of his patients, regardless of whose side they were on.
Pacifism isn’t necessarily the best option, however. Is it right to sit back and watch one nation invade another? Was it right to sit back and watch Germany try to extinguish the Jewish race? Another Christian approach to war (developed by Thomas Aquinas) is a set of five statements called ‘Just War Theory.’ Now these aren’t to be found in the Bible, but they are based largely on Biblical principles. Let me show you what they are:
†the cause must be just;
†that authority must have the right intention (e.g., not to expand territory or power);
†war must be declared by the legitimate authority;
†the war must have a reasonable chance of succeeding,
†the means of waging war must be in proportion to the goal of the war.
(Thanks to Pierre W. Whalon at anglicansonline.org/resources/essays/whalon/justwar.html)
Now the last two have more to do with how you fight the war, and it is the first three that we’re really concerned with this morning. As I say, these points shouldn’t be taken as a Biblical mandate. However, they are the best the church has been able to come up with.
Is an attack on Iraq justified?
Under the first point, I wonder. Is it right to attack another nation because they might have weapons of mass destruction? The first Gulf War was justified because the intention was to liberate the nation of Kuwait. Once that had been done, the war was over. But to attack another nation because they might have particular weapons is a different story.
The second point takes this question further. Even if Iraq were shown to have these weapons, is that the real reason for the aggression shown by America? Why is it that America is pursuing diplomatic solutions to the crisis in North Korea? Why isn’t America preparing to wage war against Pakistan, India, or others of a host of nations known to have weapons of mass destruction? Is it the oil? I hope it isn’t, but if it is it certainly wouldn’t qualify as correct intention.
Similarly, America has made a lot of the human rights abuses perpetrated by Saddam. In and of themselves these might be construed as a good reason for an attack. Let’s get rid of the evil dictator! Let’s defend the suffering Iraqis! But can we do this by dropping bombs on them? And let’s face it, far worse have been perpetrated by other nations friendly to America’s interests — Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and so on. And closer to home, why is Australia sending troops to Iraq when we have worse on our front doorstep? What about the Solomon Islands? Why did it take so long to get to East Timor? And the northern parts of Indonesia?
These are all questions we have the duty, as citizens of a democracy, to consider. As Christians, we have a few more questions to ask. If war is waged, how should we respond?
**A Christian Response**
One thing we mustn’t do in this situation is listen to all the talk about God. Of course, we must listen *to* God. But a lot is being said *about* him that is pure hogwash.
It is very easy for people to get up and say ‘God’ over and over, louder and louder. That doesn’t mean that he is on their side. The Crusaders marched in the name of Jesus Christ, but that didn’t make their wars right. People regularly riot in Ireland in the name of God. That doesn’t mean that throwing stones at children on the way to school is right. Saying ‘God bless America’ over and over doesn’t make this a Christian war.
This war isn’t about religion. Saddam may say ‘Allah, Allah, Allah.’ But that doesn’t mean that he has the support of the Islamic religion. I have known quite a few Muslims in my time. Some have been from the Middle East, some have been from Asia. Some have been from Africa, and some are Anglo Saxons from Australia. And none of them would support Saddam Hussein.
So what does God have to say? I’ve said a lot already, but very little from the Scripture. Yet I have spent a lot of time researching this question. The Bible has little to say directly about war, but there is a lot of war in the Old Testament. God seems to plan wars and take delight in winning them. This needs some explanation.
First, most of the Old Testament revolves around the nation of Israel. Israel was set up as a theocracy—it wasn’t intended that the nation would have a king, but would have God, speaking through his prophets. The nation demanded a king, which God eventually agreed to so long as he was still given the final say in the running of the nation. Now notice this—when the nation turned to God, they were strong. When the nation turned away from God, they were weak. Not just the king, but the nation.
God led the nation in wars against other nations. When God was involved, they would win convincingly. This is a hard thing—why does God, who seems so peaceful in the New Testament, take so much pleasure in war in the Old? I don’t believe he did.
The writings of the prophets show this. One example — by no means the only one — is the prophet Jonah. Jonah, like any good Hebrew wanted the nation of Nineveh destroyed. They were of the wrong race, of the wrong religion. God told him to go and preach against Nineveh. As we all know, Jonah ran the other way, only to be grudgingly returned to Nineveh courtesy of a passing fish. So he preached about the wrath of God. The King of Nineveh, however, realised that God might be merciful, and he commanded the nation to repent, which they did. And so, the doom announced by Jonah didn’t come. Why not? Jonah knew the reason — God prefers repentance to punishment. He is quick to forgive, and slow to anger. If another nation wanted to follow him, then so be it. No destruction for them! They were his children, just like the Jews were.
Right through the Old Testament we see that God is in favour of life. In creation God made an abundance of living things, but seems to have left death off the list! Much of the Law given to the Jews is given in order to protect life. When we get to the New Testament this becomes even clearer.. In fact, Jesus calls himself, ‘The life.’ Jesus came so that the world wouldn’t perish, but have eternal life. Or, as he says elsewhere, he came to bring life in all it’s abundance. It is the thief (Satan) who comes to destroy. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus dies, Jesus grieved. And he grieves when anyone dies. And he grieves most of all when someone dies at the hands of another human. [These thoughts are from Andrew Chan, in a sermon on John 10:10 at SermonCentral.com)
God also realises war is here to stay. He tells us not to be alarmed when we hear about war. These things will happen.
So what should be the motive for a Christian in a time of war? How should we act?
Paul tells us that the motive for anything we do should be love. In other words, if we engage in war, it must be out of love. For this reason, I suggest it is reasonable to go to war in defence of another nation or other people. That is a demonstration of love. Jesus said that laying ones life down for another is the greatest act of love we can show.
Jesus also calls us to love our enemies. So again I renew a call I’ve made before — let’s pray for them. If we do go to war against Iraq, for whatever reason, let’s fight it on our knees. Pray for the salvation of Saddam, his generals, and his nation. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Saddam was saved! What sort of witness to the power of God would that be!? Do you believe God can do it? I do. I have to. Because I know that if God can’t save Saddam, he can’t save me.
There are already many Christians in Iraq. Pray for their witness. Pray for their safety. And remember that you will be spending eternity with them, so pray for nothing that may make that uncomfortable!
Also, pray for our leaders. There is no point complaining about our leaders if we’re not going to complain to God about them, and ask him to guide them properly, regardless of their faith.
And let’s pray for our nation. Our Constitution says that we will never officially be a Christian nation, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t turn to God. Pray that we will. And pray that we will be victorious in this issue, but according to the plan of God.
