The present conflict between America and Iran has been portrayed in some quarters as a ‘Holy War’ and that troubles me greatly. Why?
I believe we should do all we can politically to remove brutal dictators and regimes, but this should never be at the expense of the innocent people they themselves are oppressing.
Jesus chose to love and associate with the poor and vulnerable citizens of his day, those who are often in the line of fire and usually least able to protect themselves when bombs start falling from the sky. Collateral damage must never be taken for granted as an inevitable consequence of conflict.
I believe it’s right to seek to eradicate evil in all its forms but there’s a right and wrong way to do this. Peace that lasts is rarely achieved through the use of violence. Jesus himself said that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. He also said peacemakers would be seen as the ‘children of God’. Granted different people seek to make peace in different ways but when military actions deviate from internationally agreed rules of engagement they should never be seen as the actions of ‘God’s children’ but denounced as war crimes regardless of whether the perpetrators are our friends or foes.
I believe it is right to defend oneself from attack but any action should be proportional to the threat and the ‘need for defence’ should never be wrongly used as an excuse for attacking others. In taking this approach, I am following theologians down through the ages who have argued that waging war can be justified in certain limited circumstances but recognise this could be seen as overstepping the lead of Jesus who taught us to turn the other cheek and to go the extra mile in the face of oppressors.
So, no! I don’t personally see Jesus being in favour of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ and shudder at the thought of non-Christians seeing this as accurately representing God or Christian thinking.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You came into this world to more reveal to us the things and the thinking of God. We recognise that when it comes to armed conflict there can be debateable areas but we pray that you will guide us and our world leaders by your Spirit, that we may wherever possible follow your example of peace and non-violence. Amen.