I wound up leafing through Archibald Alexander’s Practical Truths last week and came across a short article titled, “Evils of War.” I find it sad that words like these seem to be seldom heard today among conservative and reformed Christian leaders in the midst of war.
His opening sentance is, “No man in his senses can believe that it is a right thing for men to destroy each others’ lives.” He goes on to exaplin that there is a justification for war, but only when it is of “dire necessity.” If the government did not have the right to defend and protect itself and others, “the violent would have every thing in their own hands, and the virtuous and peaceable would be the prey of the wicked.” You see, I hear a lot of “just war” talk from Christians, and like Alexander I often agree in principle. But what I do not hear is the warning of the evil of war and the great responsibility a man and a country bears when going to war.
Toward the end of this article his words seem appropriate for us today.
The writer expresses no opinion respecting the necessity of the war in which our country is engaged, (1847.) He is no politician, and does not pretend to understand the reasons on which our government acts in the present contest; but of one thing he is fully persuaded, that war is a fearful calamity and a heavy judgment from God on any nation, whether it be entered on for sufficient or insufficient reasons. And as it is much easier to draw the sword than to return it to its scabbard, we may find much trouble and inconvenience before we can bring this contest to a safe and honorable conclusion. As far as we know, our government is solicitous to obtain peace, but our enemies seem not likely to concur in these pacific views.
In these circumstances, the Christian people of this land should unite in earnest prayer that God would remove from our country the pressure of this heavy judgment. God may have seen that we needed chastisement, and therefore permitted this fierce contest to take place, by which so many precious lives have been lost to their country and to their families.
Archibald Alexander was a Reformed theologian, educator, pastor who was eventually called as professor at what is now called Princeton Theological Seminary. His portrait still hangs in the library. This guy is worth a read. Thoughts on Family Worship is a great work and should be in every family’s library.
I am the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship; husband to Jen; Dad to Katherine, Elias, Madeline, and Kilian. If you're in town you can probably find me in the local coffee house or running through the neighborhoods.
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Not trying to point fingers(because if I was smart enough and famous enough I probably would have written similar sentiments back in 2003), but it is interesting to read Southern’s magazine on the eve of the war in Iraq. Link
The attitude of the mag(and my attitude at the time) seems to be “only a bunch of liberal hippies would oppose this war.” (oh and Pat Buchanan too.) Confidence oozes off of the pages. Hopefully next time I’ll think twice before whole-heartedly supporting a war. and even if do come to support it, hopefully I’ll do so with more humility. I know that sounds a bit like “maybe next time”
Yeah, I have found that vibe as well. I think the war in Iraq is more complicated than people want to admit, but I’ll say this: Whatever our position is, most of us need to change our attitude. We have to begin with a wariness of war, and a discomfort concerning the murder that will take place. In general I have not heard much of that. And like you said, we should approach this with more humility. That was the word that came to my mind as I read Alexander. He had a humble attitude.
I like the line “The writer expresses no opinion respecting the necessity of the war in which our country is engaged.” Sometimes the sentiment behind the phrase “all truth is God’s truth” transfers into ‘therefore I must try to know everything and offer an informed opinion from a Christian Worldview.’ The difficulty comes in being an expert in all things. It simply can’t be done. Combine the desire to be informed with the desire to have the coolest/most up to date blog and it’s easy to say some stupid/regrettable things.(speaking from personal experience, not referring to anyone else)
I am a few days late in noticing this post, so please forgive me for my tardiness. On the subject of war in general (regardless of it being just or not just) I too have an opinion – like this should come as a surprise to you…
Let me first preface my statement by saying that the motivations for a nation to go to war are many; whether they be wars of expansion and colonialism, wars of grandeur and gallantry, wars of gain and greed, wars of miscalculation and stupidity, wars of revenge and indignation or wars of self defense and protection (of which preemption might fall under). But these motivations are never singular. As a bit of a history buff specializing on conflicts, I have found that the factors that lead a nation to arms has always been a combination of the above mentioned factors. What may begin as a ‘just and righteous war’ fought to defend a nation from outside powers and influences may morph into something quite different by the time hostilities end. (Case in point: The Napoleonic Wars.) Wars fought to avenge an evil act (not exactly the moral high ground) might change into a war that serves to benefit all of humanity by freeing it from an oppressive tyrant (Case in point: The US entry into WWII).
The simplistic nature of man and his insistence of labeling everything ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘just’ or unjust’ is, in my opinion, just his attempt to justify his behavior in the eyes of God. I am reminded of the words imprinted on the belt buckles of every German soldier of WWII – “Gott mitt Uns” – God is with us. This was far more than decoration, the Germans believed this to be true, and used this concept as a license or permission slip to commit many of the most heinous acts that one nation can inflict on another.
In this sense, I am in whole-hearted agreement with Rev. Archibald Alexander. Rarely if ever do nations who walk down the path to war truly understand the many factors that have lead them down this path nor do they appreciate that while (for a nation who considers itself engaged in a just war) most of the factors that have lead them to this place are good, moral or just, there will always be an element of evil malevolence (a.k.a. sin) in the act of war.
Finally, from a more personal perspective, it has always been said that war changes a person. This statement is not just a cliché that sounds good during a 30 second sound bite on CNN. It is a very true statement. I served in the military for most of my adult life, entering into service with the US Army at 17 years of age, full of conviction and patriotism, intent on defense of this nation. Fifteen years later, I was called on to war against our nation’s enemy. I do not doubt that the war that I participated in was just or necessary, but the rationale of the war does not absolve me of the guilt that I feel when I recall the lives that I have taken. Perhaps this is the way God intended it to be. Remember the words of Gen. Robert E. Lee – “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.”
JL
Jeff,
Great words and insight. Seriously, it’s time to start you own blog man!
I concur. Jeff, it’s time to start bloggin’!!
As the student says to the Master…”Teach Me”.
JL
Jeff,
When I started a blog I went to Blogger.com and set something up – it’s free and the designs are pretty cool. Check it out. I’ll send you an email.
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