Such an approach to scripture is dubious. Further, this kind of reasoning would lead us to conclude that Jesus approved of bosses who paid their workers inequitably because he spoke of one in a parable (Matt. 3:3), he was expressing approval of thieves. Jesus seems to recognize that war and violence are sometimes justified.īy this sort of reasoning, when Jesus is recorded as saying, “I will come as a thief in the night,” (Rev. Jesus also said, “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe” (Lk. For instance, he said, “Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?” (Lk. Jesus speaks of war and the use of violence in his parables and he does not make a point of condemning such behavior. Rather, to do so is to follow in his nonviolent steps. Working for peace and refusing to fight in wars in no way contradicts what Jesus says in this passage. He makes a descriptive statement, not a prescriptive one.
He certainly doesn’t suggest that war either should exist or that it is sanctioned by him. He said, “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed this must take place, but the end is still to come” (Mark 13:7, also Matt. Jesus said that there must be “war and rumors of war.” Antiwar advocates are working for something that Jesus said would never exist before the Second Coming.Īctually Jesus didn’t say there would always be wars. Following each of them is a short response that indicates why the argument fails to make the intended case. Below in bold type are brief statements of some of the more common “biblical” justifications for the Christian’s participation in war. Some of the arguments that have frequently been offered in defense of Christians on the battlefield go back to the fourth century to Ambrose and Augustine. A Brief Examination of “Biblical” Justifications for WarĪttempts to provide biblical warrants for Christian participation in warfare have long been offered by those who reject Christ-centered nonviolence.
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