The Iraq War
The Iraq war is a great evil, for a just war, rather than being an offensive, preemptive, open-ended, “shock and awe” campaign, must have a just cause, be in proportion to the gravity of the situation, have obtainable objectives, and only be undertaken as a last resort. If there was ever a war that violated every one of these principles it is the Iraq war.
But the problem is not just that waging this war is against every Christian “just war” principle that has ever been formulated. Conducting the war is contrary to the whole spirit of the New Testament. Fighting the war is in opposition to the practice of the early church. Participants in the war violate the express teaching of the sixth commandment: “Thou shalt not kill.” Supporters of the war violate the first commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Although the Bible likens Christians to soldiers, and the Christian life to a battle, the Christian’s weapons are not carnal and his battle is a spiritual one. The Christian is admonished to “put on the whole armor of God,” not a military uniform. His only weapon is “the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God,” not an M16.
