I’m going to shift terms a bit. Since the term “pacifism” brings up many different images in people’s minds, I’m going to focus for now on non-participation, that is, Christians abstaining from military service. I’ll try and lay out some of the reasoning in today’s post, then work on the individual ideas over the next few days.

First, and foremost for me, is the subject of citizenship. That’s a major topic on this blog, one that some grow tired of. I don’t tire of speaking about it, because I see so much confusion around me on the topic. The saying: “The Bible says that we should be good citizens” rarely goes unchallenged. (I agree that the Bible says we should be good citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, but that’s rarely what the person making such a statement is talking about). I believe that when discussing the idea of citizenship, the saying: “No man can serve two masters” fully applies. As a citizen of the Kingdom of Christ, I can’t afford to become entangled in the affairs of another kingdom.

The second topic that comes into play is that of the powers behind the nations of this world. We too often buy into a Western point of view, a sort of dualism that separates the physical and the spiritual. That’s not a biblical world view. Though God uses and limits the kingdoms of this world, they are under Satan’s rule. I’m fully aware of how that sounds to Western ears; I’m asking us to try and see things from a different world view, what I think is a more biblical world view. In the Bible we see a direct relation between spiritual powers and the nations of this world.

The third topic has to do with Jesus’ specific teachings which place limits on the use of force. Obviously this is included in the first point, for if we are members of Christ’s Kingdom, His teachings about how to live in that Kingdom apply to us. While He did not come to contradict the Law, He did come to redefine much of it. His words “You have heard it said… but I say…” were part of a re-envisioning the Law. Where vengeance was once part of the code, forgiveness has replaced it. Where there was once a defining of “neighbor” and “enemy,” Christ applies love across all lines. Where the limit was once the taking of life, now Christ even forbids anger and hatred. I’ll even include here what Paul says about leaving all revenge to God. (And the teaching of Revelation, as discussed last week)

A practical consideration has to do with the deceit and trickery that surrounds modern government and modern warfare. Somehow we seem to be so aware of this element when it comes to matters of domestic policy, yet are willfully blind to it in military matters. Attempts to peek behind the curtain are labeled “bashing America” or being unsupportive of our troops.

That should be enough to start the discussion. I’ll probably add more as the discussion goes. But those general areas should be enough to get us started.