By Hylton Gudmanz
Bonfire night (5 November) celebrates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot, when a certain Guy Fawkes and his cronies tried to overthrow the UK government in 1605. The conspirators had hoped to get rid of King James and install a Catholic monarch. And the triumph of law over insurrection is celebrated annually with fireworks.
In truth, war in the name of faith is seldom about faith. It’s often an ideological or territorial dispute obscured by a religious frame. For example, the conflict in Northern Ireland is at its heart not about being “Protestant” or “Catholic.” Rather, it is about being a loyalist (wanting to remain in the United Kingdom) or nationalist (pro-independence). Few of the leaders from either camp would have had a reputation of constantly seeking God’s perspective in prayer and from the Bible. Fewer still would also have been active leaders in their local churches, known as being under Biblical authority as they serve the community of faith. In “Palestine”, claims to the land are inextricably linked to faith, with God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis front and centre, while borders created in 1948 or 1967 dominate conversation. When the land has been “consecrated to God” on both sides, territory is not easily surrendered. Since land dedicated to Allah in Islam is forever Allah’s. Likewise, holy places in Judaism remain holy places, sacred spaces that are not easily relinquished or allowed to be ‘managed’ by people from other faiths. So the Temple Mount remains contentious, and when President Trump moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, it was a political statement.
The Current State
The prevalence of wars should be no surprise to us. Jesus warned us that “in the last days there will be wars and rumours of wars” (Matt 24:6-13). Some battles are responses to aggression, such as the 7th October coordinated attack on Israel. Other battles are motivated by perceived loss of authority or access to resources. The Crimean annexure of 2014 and expanding NATO borders all influenced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, propaganda and deception is often involved on both sides of a conflict (just like there is before any boxing match). The choice to invade Israel over Simchat Torah, a celebration of reading the Scriptures, speaks volumes about Hamas and its allies. Reading the Hamas Charter (1988) leaves no grey area concerning their vision: the obliteration of Israel, in favour of an Islamic theocracy through jihad. They were formed as a response to a PLO that was felt to be too “secular”.
Many arguments stem from a belief that we are right. . Many of the issues faced are multi-faceted, complex challenges that require humility, accountability, perseverance, negotiation, compromise, forgiveness and restitution. A local South African example is the tragedy at Marikana (2012), where we need to consider the context of the police (SAPS and MP’s), miners, unions, security guards, company management and Cabinet Ministers if we want to understand what happened and prevent similar occurrences. God does not love one people group more than others. The Chosen Nation is now the Tribe of Jesus – from all nations of the world. The church is God’s chosen; his temple built with living stones (1 Pet. 2:5). God’s heart is for all nations. He wants all to be saved. And he is not indifferent – he cares. But he will not remove all consequences of sin, or of national policy.
When we consider war, we need to know the context, the catalyst and the consequences. The catalyst may have been the insurgency in early October, but there is a long history in the region, and on many ways a ‘perfect storm’ of underestimation of the enemy, political instability (Netanyahu’s stated policy of arming Hamas to counter-balance Hezbollah), distracted or redeployed soldiers (weakened defence) and over-reliance on technology.
The Consequences of War
When we consider the consequences of war, no side is guiltless: music festivals and hospitals are not military targets. Atrocities are committed – this choice of words being reserved for extreme acts (a “fiery sight”), like the word “excruciating” is derived from the pain of crucifixion. When we examine the effects of war, they are extensive: physical injuries – often life-altering – and psychological trauma (e.g. PTSD) dominate the media. Yet social (loss of family and friends, political upheaval) and economic (disruption of work, education, infrastructure damage) disruption is also extensive. This is not even including the loss of knowledge and progress via succession in organisations. None of this is good! Collateral damage – the human cost of war – is massive and incalculable. War is not beautiful. It is not creative, but destructive. Think of a building like La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona – constructed in parts since 1882, due to be completed by 2026. One bomb and it’s gone.
In truth, the only people who win at war are the arms suppliers. Even winning nations lose arable land, housing and other buildings and reparations cost the losers for decades thereafter. The sooner a solution can be found the better. Unfortunately, we often need to feel significant pain before we acknowledge defeat. I know I have often had to learn lessons the hard way – bumping my head or burning my hand. Russia at present is not likely to give in easily. Israel is much better equipped for war than Hamas, even if it is well armed. The Gazans are one step away from being waterless and foodless, so it’s a dire consequence imposed. Iran is known to prioritise religious and military spending over education, commerce and welfare, and as the supporter of the opposition groups, a protracted war is likely and will do much harm.
The Bigger Picture
In Genesis 1 v 31, God declared his creation good. He made us in his own image. To God, each life is valuable (Ps 145;9, Luke 12, Matt 5). He wants everyone to respond and choose whom they will serve, without coercion. God even encourages us to treat our animals well (Prov 12:10).
There is a time for war (Eccl. 3:7-8), and God certainly directed Israel’s leaders in their battles, as recorded in the Old Testament. Yet war is not His design. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace, and peace is a fruit of the Spirit, who lives in us to empower us to live God’s way. God doesn’t need to fight, he is Sovereign. Human nature – fed by greed and selfish ambition – does not accomplish God’s purposes. Rather, it thwarts them, and war is an example of this. The Bible’s teachings (in context) demonstrate how different God’s ways are from ours. God is Sovereign and not subject to human problems (Is. 55:8). He is holy (differentiated, complete, inviolate), always loving and good, as the Father of Light (James 1:17). He is all powerful (Job 42:2; Is 45:7-9) and holds all things together, shaping them according to his good purpose (Col. 1:16-17). God does not need war, nor does he want war. He wants our hearts and minds to be focused on him (Rom 12:2; Eph. 1:18) and be undivided in loyalty (Ps. 86) as we advance his kingdom through love and sharing the good news that God has made a way for us to know him, by grace. Jesus was often questioned critically and responded with a question of his own, not a sword. He understood the context of the the challenger’s worldview and could address the heart of the problem, without being defensive (as he listened to his Father for insights). Even when beaten and mistreated as an innocent, he did not lash out.
The forces of evil (principalities and powers) are real (Eph 6:12) and the unseen, but greater, warfare is against them. In that realm, we are encouraged to fight – to resist (1 Pet. 5:9). Our minds are often the battleground. To be clear, God can destroy our enemies with a word right now, but he is also a God of justice, and they have legitimate permission to exist for a season. God is God, and he is not “struggling” against the devil. He disarmed these forces at the cross and triumphed over them (Col. 2:15). If we are in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), we share in this victory and have overcome the world (1 John 5:4). We may not feel that that is true, yet we are more than conquerors through the One who loved us (Rom. 8:37). In the New Covenant (faith-life after Jesus’s death and resurrection), God never asks us to take up arms to defend our faith. In fact, Jesus even dissuades his disciples from hurting others and advises us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27)! In Islam, fighting is encouraged against the faithless/ infidels (e.g. Surah 2:191, 2:216 and 9:5). Of the 41 occurrences of the word jihad in the Q’uran, “the vast majority are in the context of passionate effort to live with purity and patience, spreading justice and mercy (Mostfa, 2021)”. That’s why Islamist groups are not good representatives of Islam, in as much as the Crusaders and Spanish Inquisition were not good representatives of the Christian Scriptures.
The Bible clearly states that Jesus came to set captives free (Luke 4:18), not take people captive. He also gives us abundant life when we accept his gift of salvation. His way is not to kill and destroy (John 10). War often redefines national borders, and the borders of God’s kingdom keep advancing, too, with the aim of including as many people over the ages as will choose love, light, life and truth over hate, darkness, death and deception. The Kingdom boundaries are in pleasant places (Ps. 16), and we can even feast safely in the presence of our enemies (Ps 23).
Responding as Christians
There is no easy answer to complex challenges. If we have trade relationships with other nations, we cannot easily dissolve them. World War I happened because alliances needed to stick together it gets even more complicated. If our allies go to war, we have to commit resources in support of them, even if we would prefer not to. Consider WW1, when England., France and Russia stood together against Germany, Austro-Hungary and Italy: King George V and Tsar Nicholas (his cousin) has to oppose German Emperor Wilhelm (another cousin). Awkward! There are a few things we can always do, however:
- Speak up for the voiceless (Prov 31:8). Matt 25 encourages us to care for widows and orphans amongst us, and Lev 19:33 includes the foreigners in our community. We may lobby on their behalf to change our nation’s trajectory. We can volunteer, care practically and support through prayer, a powerful weapon against the unseen enemies. Praying for those in authority is closely linked to living peaceful and quiet lives (1 Tim. 2:2).
- Trust God’s Justice. The Bible encourages loving our enemies and rather being disadvantaged than reacting negatively (turning the other cheek). Anger is not our way – we take it all to the Lord. And he will do the vengeance (Rom. 12:19-21)
- Be good soldiers of Jesus who look to the example of Jesus and aim to “please our commanding officer” and not get involved in “civilian affairs” (2 Tim. 2:1). God can turn even the losses of war into salvation (Rom. 8:28). Just like the terrible first year of COVID, distress brings us together as a community and forces us to focus on our true values, priorities and relationships. We can put on God’s armour and guard our hearts, as we wage war on our knees and with our love.
- Keep hope alive, while confronting the reality around us. We need to be ready with a reason for the hope we have when others are hopeless (1 Pet. 3:15). The kingdom of God has eternal foundations that do not respond to human decisions. Even in the harshest of situations, where persecution and certain death await us, we have hope and can look forward to our permanent home in heaven, where God has prepared a place for us (Heb 11:13-16). This world is not our home. We are already refugees of heaven – aliens and strangers here. It’s easy to lose sight of that when we spend so much time operating within a worldly system and can even fall in love with this place (a Spiritual Stockholm Syndrome).
There is no easy solution to complex challenges. Yet the Lord encourages us to ask him for help if we lack wisdom (James 1:5), and the current circumstances certainly warrant it. We can also encourage each other and stand together, as we make a difference within our sphere of influence.