Another war has begun, and many Christians are asking themselves, “How are we to regard this?” First and foremost, we are a people who strive for, seek, and do everything within our power to accomplish peaceful resolutions. Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is peace. St. Paul writes to the Romans, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Peace is what we constantly seek in all situations; we vote for it, we march for it, we may even suffer for it. Christians are to be the voice of peace in the world. Full stop.
“Ok, sure,” you may be thinking, “But what happens when peace isn’t possible, when war is already out there? How do we respond?” We act as the conscience of the nation, a voice of the spirit calling people to peace and justice amidst the tragedy of war.
As people of God in the Lutheran tradition, the Augsburg Confession teaches us how to think of civic affairs.
Article XVI of the Augsburg Confession reads:
“Concerning civic affairs they teach that lawful civil ordinances are good works of God and that Christians are permitted to hold civil office, to work in law courts, to decide matters by imperial and other existing laws, to impose just punishments, to wage just war, to serve as soldiers, to make legal contracts, to hold property, to take an oath when required by magistrates, to take a wife, to be given in marriage.”
Did you all catch that? …”to wage just wars, to serve as soldiers.”
What does it mean to wage just wars? There are two parts to consider—the first is Jus ad bellum (Justice of War) and the second is Jus in bello (Justice in War).
1. Jus ad bellum (Justice of War) is the criteria we use for deciding whether the waging of a war is justified.
2. Jus in bello (Justice in War) is the criteria we use on how war should be conducted.
Jus ad bellum (Justice of War)
- Just cause: Defense against an unjust invader or humanitarian intervention to stop grave abuses of human rights.
- Declared and waged by a legitimate authority.
- Last resort: Other possible means of stopping the conflict have been exhausted and failed.
- Right intention: One’s objectives must be just. Annihilation of an enemy is not a legitimate goal. Demanding unconditional surrender violates the enemy’s basic right not to be coerced into slavery.
- Proportionality: The objectives sought must outweigh the destruction likely to result from war.
Jus in bello (Justice in War)
- Right intention: Soldiers should not regard enemies as subhuman or lacking basic rights.
- Noncombatant immunity: Civilians may not be directly attacked. Captured soldiers may not be executed or tortured. All noncombatants should be treated humanely and with dignity.
- Proportionality: Attacks on legitimate military targets should minimize harms to civilians. Tactics and weapons should permit a stable peace after the war, not incite long-term hatred. This criterion also rules out tactics that undervalue the lives of one’s own soldiers, such as “human wave” attacks in WWI trench warfare. 1 Thank you to Dr. David Perry from whom I gleaned this info https://www.elca.org/JLE/Articles/873
Peace is ultimately what we strive for as followers of Jesus, but when that is not possible, there are principles we can call for in deciding to go to war and how nations should conduct that war.
Peace,
Rev
FOOTNOTES
- 1Thank you to Dr. David Perry from whom I gleaned this info https://www.elca.org/JLE/Articles/873