Following Christ in a Time of War
Dear ones,
War, and the horrific threats that have followed, have caused feelings of anger, fear, confusion, frustration and more. I write this during a temporary ceasefire that we can only pray will hold. In times like these, it is critical to turn to God and to each other for comfort and hope.
In 1995, the ELCA affirmed a Social Statement For Peace in God’s World. I find these words as fresh today as when they were written. I commend them and the study guide to you now as we find ourselves in a nation at war. I pray that they might be a helpful resource for you and your community of faith to reflect on what is happening from a Godly, biblical and theologically sound perspective.
What follows are excerpts from that document and speeches I have given at Moral Monday events in front of the White House. I give them all to you for reflection, study and prayer and in hopes that you too might act on your vocation as a peacemaker. One way to do that is to attend one of four more gatherings at noon on Mondays (sign up here). Another is to follow the work of our ELCA Advocacy Office in Washington, D.C.
We denounce
the belief that we find ultimate security in weapons and warfare.
We denounce
elevating our nation to the role of God; this is idolatry.
We denounce
the belief that peace is only possible by bombing.
We affirm
peacemaking as our highest calling.
We affirm
the prince of peace who rejected violence and overcame evil with good.
We affirm
the right for all nations to live and prosper together
“Wars represent a horrendous failure of politics. The evil of war is especially evident in the number of children and other noncombatants who suffer and die.” We must refrain from destroying sources of fresh drinking water, power plants and infrastructure that sustain civilian populations. These targets increase the suffering of people already in distress and they violate international law.
“We lament that the Church has blessed crusades and wars in the name of Jesus Christ” and we ask our government to refrain from doing the same. “Any decision for war must be a mournful one” based on principles that met that justify the unfortunate use of violence and destruction. Chief among these needs to be clarity about the war’s aims.
We can do these things alongside supporting our military and praying for them and their families who are serving our nation. We are deeply grateful for them, especially now. We are not so naive to consider humans sometimes know no better way than to use violence to protect themselves.
But let us not be fooled into believing that war alone can achieve the cause of peace. MLK said, “With violence you can murder a murderer, but you can not murder murder.” War alone will not end hate but only fuel a cycle that will come back even stronger unless it is interrupted by a different way, like the Marshall Plan did after WWII.
Jesus offers another way for our sin-sick, war-weary, violence-prone world that is bent toward mutual destruction. Violence prescribed by the state as and called holy must meet Jesus who compelled all of those hearing his words to drop their stones and walk away; who told Peter to put away his sword; who said his Father could send legions of angels to destroy the earth but his mission and ours is to redeem it.
In Christ, we have been given a different understanding and a better way. Love restores relationships, turns former enemies into friends and makes human community work.
We follow the prince of peace, not the God of war. As Christians, our vocation is as peace makers and we believe that Christ will bring a final peace for humanity. The lion will lie down with the lamb and we will know war no more. Until that day comes, we will not stop working for reconciliation among the nations.
Whatever happens next, no one can predict. But come what may, you can trust in God. You are not alone. The church, this synod, and the Spirit of the Living God goes with you. May that Spirit continue to guide and guard your heart in Christ Jesus our Lord.
+Bishop Phil Hirsch