We hear stories of persecuted Christians around the world. They’re troubling to me, as I’m sure they are to you. It’s awful to think of people dying for their religious beliefs.
It’s puzzling to me, however, when I discuss war with other Christians and bring up the subject of Christians killing other Christians because they belong to another nation; “That’s just what happens,” I’m told.
Sorry. I’m as troubled by the one as I am by the other. I don’t believe in Christians being killed for their faith. I don’t believe in Christians killing for their faith. And I don’t believe in Christians doing for a nation of this world what’s wrong to do for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Not only do these things bother me but the fact that the entire teaching on this subject among churches of Christ, at least in my area, has changed since WWII.
Until then, almost if not every congregation in this area held that a Christian could not kill for any reason including war. Even when I had to register during the Vietnam War, every man in the congregation signed my petition for objector status, even though about half no longer objected. Several years ago, I dropped out of preaching and returned a few years later. Even though the last congregation I had preached for in the 70’s had been almost completely objectors, when I returned in the mid 90’s, I learned the hard way that few, if any, such congregations still existed in the Southeast. I mentioned the subject in passing and was asked to leave. The next congregation tolerated my beliefs, but few agreed with them. Even after retiring except for fill-ins, I still wish I could find a congregation that teaches what I believe the Bible teaches but have to settle for one that merely tolerates them.
I appreciate your position based upon your conscience. It is good. But I still wrestle with this, and here is why: You wrote: “I don’t believe in Christians killing for their faith.” Absolutely. 100% agree. The Gospel is spread through the preached word, not the sword. In that cause; rather than kill, be killed. God has decreed that His Kingdom spread through suffering. This is clear.
Then you wrote: “And I don’t believe in Christians doing for a nation of this world what’s wrong to do for the Kingdom of Heaven.” And this is what I still wrestle with. What if it isn’t “for a nation” but “for a good”. There is a difference between killing to spread a religion, killing just for nations sake, and killing to defend the helpless and oppose what is an obvious evil. Based on conscience, I can respect if a follower of Jesus would become an objector in, for example, WWII. However, to decry a follower of Jesus for fighting against Naziism (an easy example, which would entail killing Nazis) is difficult to do. “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
For me it comes down to the heart and conscience of an individual. It is totally possible to kill out of love for other human beings, and not hatred. As a last resort, one could kill a violent offender not out of hatred of that offender but out of love for the one s/he is offending. In all these things, God’s grace is sufficient.
I get and agree with a point that is underlying this: that we are not to equate fighting for one’s country as fighting for a faith. But I do not believe even in war (as per WWII), one would only be “fighting for one’s country.” It is completely good and right, I believe, to destroy evil so obvious. And I say that knowing full well “evil so obvious” might be subjective and often times confused by national loyalty.
Like I said, I still wrestle with this; but that is where I am. As a Christ-follower in the reality of this world, it can be right and just to kill. But I would never confuse national loyalty with what I would see as something in right standing with the Kingdom of God (such as, defending the oppressed).
Considering all these things: maranatha.
Jr,
I have high respect for men and women who have served in the military for noble reasons. They are some of the finest people on earth. I wish that more of them had received from the church at least a cautionary word about the existence of another path, but I in no way disrespect those who chose to serve.
That being said, I think we have to recognize that when one joins the military, he/she is placing his confidence in humans. More than that, they are pledging to follow the lordship (pledging allegiance) of a nation of this world, a kingdom of this world if you will.
The world’s kingdoms know how to use believers. They know how to play off of their faith and use it for the purposes of those kingdoms. Hitler’s armies marched into battle with “God With Us” engraved on their belt buckles. Franco’s forces fought for “God and Spain.” Just as Satan has deceived the nations, so they deceive us into working for their purposes, telling us that we are fighting for justice.
With the perspective of history, we see that sometimes we actually were on the side of what is right. Other times, we were merely deceived.
Grace and peace,
Tim