Post by Daniel on Jun 23, 2015 11:44:36 GMT -5
Canadian theologian: "It is simply impossible to derive pacifism as a Christian doctrine from the Bible"
Marissa Semkiw
Rebel Media
May 27, 2015
On Monday, CBC spoke to Kathy Moorhead Thiessen of Christian Peacemaker Teams, who says Canada "could take a different approach" to fighting ISIS -- one that emphasizes diplomacy over military intervention.
Moorhead Thiessen told the CBC that her pacifism is linked to her faith as a Mennonite Christian.
But is pacifism really a biblical, Christian value?
I asked Rev. Dr. Joseph Boot. He's a theologian, the founding pastor of Westminster Chapel in Toronto and the founder of the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity (EICC).
Here's our conversation:
How does Christian morality justify Canada’s war against ISIS?
There is no question that war and violence are a consequence of sin in history. If there were no evil and injustice in the heart of man, there would be no conflict and hence, no war. It is also true that war has been typically seen in Christian theology as a last resort, not the first recourse to conflict situations. Certainly diplomatic solutions should be pursued wherever possible to prevent bloodshed.
Without getting into the details of the conflict raging in Iraq and Syria, those who believe ISIS are interested in compromise and diplomatic solutions manifest only their ignorance of the ideology, which motivates these fighters.
As desirable as a cessation of conflict is, men who remove the heads of Christian children in front of their parents if they refuse to convert to Islam and slaughter their own people in the name of God, are not interested in sitting around a table with Christian “peacemakers” to drink coffee and discuss peaceful settlements... that is a fool’s errand.
True peacemaking in Christianity is not synonymous with peacekeeping.
A group of Christian peacemakers in Iraq are urging Canada’s federal government to take a pacifistic approach to the war – one that urges diplomatic solutions over the use of force. Does Christianity teach pacifism?
That would depend on whether the Bible is considered the authority for defining Christianity or not. There have certainly been groups in the history of the church who have held to pacifistic ideals and Christian professing nations have usually respected conscientious objectors in the instances of military conscription.
However, if the Bible is considered to be the benchmark of Christian belief it is simply impossible to get pacifism from scripture. First, God is described in the Bible as a warrior and man of war (Ex 15:3)! Second, God appears in what theologians call a theophany to Joshua, as a military captain of a heavenly host with a drawn sword in his hand prior to the destruction of Jericho (Josh 5: 13-15). God repeatedly required Israel, as an act of his justice and judgment against a perverse and cruel nation, to use military force to defeat and drive out the Canaanites. On route, through Moses, God destroyed the Egyptian Army in the Sea. Clearly, God used war and supported just wars throughout the history of Israel.
Moreover, without getting into a detailed study, from Genesis 9 onwards, God required capital punishment for murderers in Scripture, and just war has been seen by Christians as the extension of the states right to defend citizens against violence and murder. St Paul explicitly affirms the right of the state to bear the sword (Rom 13). This helps us understand why some of God’s greatest servants were warriors.
Our spiritual father Abraham, the friend of God, pursues with his “trained men” a confederacy of kings who have kidnapped his nephew Lot, and he makes war on them to rescue Lot and his family (Gen 14). David, the greatest King of Israel, the man after God’s own heart and ancestor of Jesus, was one of the greatest warriors in history.
Some will say that this is all in the Old Testament, and try to suggest that an unchanging God has changed his mind about war, but this is absurd.
The character and nature of God does not change. He fights for justice against evil and indeed the Christian life is pictured as one of conflict against a spiritual foe.
In all the interactions that Jesus, Peter, Paul and John the Baptist had with soldiers (especially centurions) in the Bible, not once are they told to repent of soldiering and to leave the military! Jesus states explicitly that had his kingdom had been of the world (i.e. the source of its authority being merely human), his followers would have fought to prevent his arrest (John 18:36). We do not spread the gospel by the sword, but earthly kingdoms will and do fight in a sin-ravaged world.
In the gospel account of Jesus telling Peter to put away his sword when he cut off the servant’s ear when they came to arrest him, the pacifists fail to notice the obvious – Peter was armed! Jesus knew the Father’s will that he suffer and be crucified, and so did not resist arrest. Yet Peter was armed and ready to use his weapon to defend Christ. Jesus had clearly not banned the disciples carrying swords for self-defense. In fact at one point he tells them to buy swords (Luke 22:35-38).
St Paul likewise had no scruples about appealing to civil authority and accepting armed escort when his life was threatened (Acts 23: 12-25). Moreover, scripture is clear that Christ will return as the faithful and righteous judge and makes war on his enemies (Rev 19:11).
In other words, it is simply impossible to derive pacifism as a Christian doctrine from the Bible. In fact the failure to resist the murder and abuse of our fellow man can be a great evil.
A commonly quoted passage in scripture is to “turn the other cheek,”...
please continue reading
www.therebel.media/canadian_theologian_it_is
Marissa Semkiw
Rebel Media
May 27, 2015
On Monday, CBC spoke to Kathy Moorhead Thiessen of Christian Peacemaker Teams, who says Canada "could take a different approach" to fighting ISIS -- one that emphasizes diplomacy over military intervention.
Moorhead Thiessen told the CBC that her pacifism is linked to her faith as a Mennonite Christian.
But is pacifism really a biblical, Christian value?
I asked Rev. Dr. Joseph Boot. He's a theologian, the founding pastor of Westminster Chapel in Toronto and the founder of the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity (EICC).
Here's our conversation:
How does Christian morality justify Canada’s war against ISIS?
There is no question that war and violence are a consequence of sin in history. If there were no evil and injustice in the heart of man, there would be no conflict and hence, no war. It is also true that war has been typically seen in Christian theology as a last resort, not the first recourse to conflict situations. Certainly diplomatic solutions should be pursued wherever possible to prevent bloodshed.
Without getting into the details of the conflict raging in Iraq and Syria, those who believe ISIS are interested in compromise and diplomatic solutions manifest only their ignorance of the ideology, which motivates these fighters.
As desirable as a cessation of conflict is, men who remove the heads of Christian children in front of their parents if they refuse to convert to Islam and slaughter their own people in the name of God, are not interested in sitting around a table with Christian “peacemakers” to drink coffee and discuss peaceful settlements... that is a fool’s errand.
True peacemaking in Christianity is not synonymous with peacekeeping.
A group of Christian peacemakers in Iraq are urging Canada’s federal government to take a pacifistic approach to the war – one that urges diplomatic solutions over the use of force. Does Christianity teach pacifism?
That would depend on whether the Bible is considered the authority for defining Christianity or not. There have certainly been groups in the history of the church who have held to pacifistic ideals and Christian professing nations have usually respected conscientious objectors in the instances of military conscription.
However, if the Bible is considered to be the benchmark of Christian belief it is simply impossible to get pacifism from scripture. First, God is described in the Bible as a warrior and man of war (Ex 15:3)! Second, God appears in what theologians call a theophany to Joshua, as a military captain of a heavenly host with a drawn sword in his hand prior to the destruction of Jericho (Josh 5: 13-15). God repeatedly required Israel, as an act of his justice and judgment against a perverse and cruel nation, to use military force to defeat and drive out the Canaanites. On route, through Moses, God destroyed the Egyptian Army in the Sea. Clearly, God used war and supported just wars throughout the history of Israel.
Moreover, without getting into a detailed study, from Genesis 9 onwards, God required capital punishment for murderers in Scripture, and just war has been seen by Christians as the extension of the states right to defend citizens against violence and murder. St Paul explicitly affirms the right of the state to bear the sword (Rom 13). This helps us understand why some of God’s greatest servants were warriors.
Our spiritual father Abraham, the friend of God, pursues with his “trained men” a confederacy of kings who have kidnapped his nephew Lot, and he makes war on them to rescue Lot and his family (Gen 14). David, the greatest King of Israel, the man after God’s own heart and ancestor of Jesus, was one of the greatest warriors in history.
Some will say that this is all in the Old Testament, and try to suggest that an unchanging God has changed his mind about war, but this is absurd.
The character and nature of God does not change. He fights for justice against evil and indeed the Christian life is pictured as one of conflict against a spiritual foe.
In all the interactions that Jesus, Peter, Paul and John the Baptist had with soldiers (especially centurions) in the Bible, not once are they told to repent of soldiering and to leave the military! Jesus states explicitly that had his kingdom had been of the world (i.e. the source of its authority being merely human), his followers would have fought to prevent his arrest (John 18:36). We do not spread the gospel by the sword, but earthly kingdoms will and do fight in a sin-ravaged world.
In the gospel account of Jesus telling Peter to put away his sword when he cut off the servant’s ear when they came to arrest him, the pacifists fail to notice the obvious – Peter was armed! Jesus knew the Father’s will that he suffer and be crucified, and so did not resist arrest. Yet Peter was armed and ready to use his weapon to defend Christ. Jesus had clearly not banned the disciples carrying swords for self-defense. In fact at one point he tells them to buy swords (Luke 22:35-38).
St Paul likewise had no scruples about appealing to civil authority and accepting armed escort when his life was threatened (Acts 23: 12-25). Moreover, scripture is clear that Christ will return as the faithful and righteous judge and makes war on his enemies (Rev 19:11).
In other words, it is simply impossible to derive pacifism as a Christian doctrine from the Bible. In fact the failure to resist the murder and abuse of our fellow man can be a great evil.
A commonly quoted passage in scripture is to “turn the other cheek,”...
please continue reading
www.therebel.media/canadian_theologian_it_is