War and Peace
- bordenmscott
- Mar 2, 2022
- 7 min read
Christians and Global Conflict
From about the time I hit double-digits in age my favourite book genre became the “techno-thriller”. With my interest in airplanes of every kind and my extensive collection of green plastic army men and die-cast tanks, warships, and bombers it was an easy transition into the worlds of Tom Clancy, Dale Brown, Larry Bond and other authors my librarian father knew well and was willing to read to me before bed until I started chewing through them on my own.
These were stories of international conflicts and the politicians, military officers, spies, diplomats, and high-tech weaponry that resolved those conflicts. I wore out my paperback copy of Red Storm Rising which centers on an all-out attack on Europe by the Soviet Union, filled with battles on land, sea, and in the air. I’ve read a military thriller Dale Brown wrote decades ago where the plot was focused on a Russian invasion of Ukraine, largely at the whim of a borderline-deranged Russian President.
The world has largely managed to avoid the kinds of large-scale conflicts I read about for entertainment. With a few exceptions it seemed that our interconnected world with its international economic and diplomatic institutions might have become a place where a larger and more powerful nation wouldn’t just muster a huge army on the border of its smaller and weaker neighbour and then march in because their leader felt like doing so.
The senselessness of it all is stunning. Russia’s attempts to come up with some valid reason for this invasion have been so laughable that even their biggest supporters and champions in the West have almost all stopped trying to defend it. Russian conscripts and Ukrainian civilians alike are dying, it seems, for reason that matter almost exclusively to Vladimir Putin.
Because of my interest in weapons and warfare from childhood I often think about what the right Christian response to war and warfare ought to be, and I have yet to fully settle the question in my own mind.
The earliest Christians seem, by and large, to have rejected violence and war as a result of their newfound faith in Jesus. They took seriously the example of Jesus, who refused to fight back against His own unjust treatment or seek earthly power of any kind. When Jesus' disciples tried to defend Him he told them “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52).
The expanding early Church was a concern for Roman government officials because Christians wouldn’t serve in Rome’s legions. There is a rich history of Christian pacifism that carries on to this day, largely through the Mennonite and Anabaptist traditions.
That war is evil is clear to me. But, with deep discomfort, I still see it as a necessary evil at times. I believe warfare is something Christians can participate in under the authority of earthly governments that God has entrusted with resisting and punishing evil (see Romans 13 as a start). Soldiers, interestingly, are presented very favourably in the New Testament, with a clear emphasis on them acting with integrity, and never a suggestion that they should find a different vocation.
To be willing to lay down your own life rather than use violence or allow it to be used on your behalf is courageously Christ-like. But to let evil acts to go unopposed throughout the world seems, to me, to invite harm on a huge number of vulnerable people - people made in the image of God and worth protecting from senseless violence. The holocaust and Rwandan genocide, two conflicts Canada participated in, strike me as some of the better examples of times when military intervention was right and just.
I am glad to see Canada join so many other nations in taking rapid and meaningful action against Russia since it invaded Ukraine, from economic sanctions to providing weapons to Ukrainians to bolstering our NATO allies with our own military contingents. I hope to see even more. If the world fails to respond strongly to what Russia is doing I fear we will see more of this from authoritarian nations in the near future. Whether any of these steps is enough to prevent Russia from seizing much of Ukraine, and possibly leveling swaths of their major cities in the process, remains to be seen.
I only have the ability to do a few things about all of this. Besides pondering, which I’ve just done for you to read, there is prayer, and I do pray for the courage of Ukraine’s defenders, safety for those fleeing or sheltering from Russian assault, and for the work of aid agencies and some of our European Baptist cousins who are ministering to refugees and displaced peoples. I also pray that there would be courageous Russians who find a way to depose President Putin and bring far greater liberty to the Russian people. Our family sent a modest donation to Canadian Baptist Ministries to support their emergency relief work. Beyond this, I can only lament and try to remain focused on those things I can change closer to home. And I carry on in hope, because I have a Savior who will bring an end to war.
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Zechariah 9:9-10
Devotional:
War is not God’s desire, and it will pass away when God’s Kingdom is fully realized.
I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.
Hosea 2:17-20
Christianity Today recently highlighted some songs of worship from Ukraine (full article here) including this “Spiritual Anthem” with video from across Ukraine.
Translated to English, the lyrics are:
Lord, oh the Great and Almighty, Protect our beloved Ukraine, Bless her with freedom and light Of your holy rays.
With learning and knowledge enlighten Us, your children small, In love pure and everlasting Let us, oh Lord, grow.
We pray, oh Lord Almighty, Protect our beloved Ukraine, Grant our people and country All your kindness and grace.
Bless us with freedom, bless us with wisdom, Guide into kind world, Bless us, oh Lord, with good fortune For ever and evermore.
Prayer for Peace
We are moulded, each one of us, in the image of God, and within our souls there is a fingerprint none can erase. We pray for those who have no regard for anyone but self, who put no value on human life. For nations and individuals who abuse and kill. We are not called to be judge or jury, but we are called to be agents of change, and if the butterfly that flaps its wings should be our attitude to others then so be it, Lord, and may the hurricane this generates somewhere within the world reach into the hearts and souls of those for whom we pray, and reveal to them how precious are those for whom they have no love, and how precious are they who now bring tears to the eyes of God.
- John Birch
The Causes Close To Our Hearts
The situation in the Ukraine grabs the headlines, and for us in Canada it can be easier to understand because it is happening in a country that looks more like ours. But many other things are happening at the same time to matter deeply to people invested in loving and helping others. The military of Myanmar is waging a campaign of terror against its own citizens. The Taliban are performing a purge in Kabul (just as my down-the-street neighbours are seeking to help a large family escape from Afghanistan). There are too many situations to keep track of or invest ourselves in - nobody can carry the burden of all the need and injustice in the world.
But many people connect with one or two causes that become dear to them. God can lead us in different directions in order to bless a wide variety of people and places. If you have a particular connection or cause close to your heart and want tell me about it to highlight in a future Overflow you are welcome to reach out to me. It can be an encouragement to us all to hear of good work being done in our neighbourhood or across the world, and may even capture the interest of those who would like to support that work if they are not already focused on a cause of their own.
Today I'm highlighting a ministry near and dear to our own Marion Hutchinson. Saving Arms International is a Christian charity based in Uganda that works with underprivileged children, with projects in ghetto areas and poor communities and villages. They reach out to poor and homeless children and run several nursery, primary, and vocational schools. You can see more on their website.
Here are some more pictures of one of their school programs.
And below is a video of their work in action:
When we are open to God we can be surprised what He will place on our hearts. If you want to learn more about how Marion become connected with SAI or want to know how you could offer some support to this ministry that has moved her you are invited to reach out to her and learn some of that story.
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