What Shall the Christian Do?

What shall the Christian do, in the face of the strict demands of Jesus, and their echo in Paul? Must he not refuse to bear arms, or to do other things that would suggest his approval of war?

Since this is such a crucial problem for Christians today, and since there is not one "party line" on the issue, let us look at a statement of the case for Christian pacifism, and then at a statement of the case for the Christian use of force. We shall then conclude with some safeguards which must be borne in mind by advocates of either position.

A Case for Christian Pacifism
The case for Christian pacifism can be stated in some such terms as these: War is utterly destructive of human life and human values, and it can serve no good end. This is particularly true of modern war, as it will be waged with atomic and hydrogen bombs. War is also the complete antithesis of the spirit of Jesus. It is inconceivable that Jesus would sanction war. He talked about loving our enemies, not killing them. Jesus would never shoot another man, or drop bombs on defenseless women and children. Therefore the Christian must follow his Master in this matter, no matter what the consequences. If the consequences are rejection, punishment, persecution, or imprisonment, the Christian must be willing to pay the price in order to witness to the way of love as opposed to the way of violence. The Christian can only act in the faith that if he does God's will, God will accept and make use of this witness in his own way, no matter how "foolish" the witness may appear to men. Ultimate loyalty must be given to Christ and his way-and if Christ's way comes into conflict with the way of a nation, there is no question whom the Christian must serve. He must serve Christ.

All Christians must respect the main substance of the pacifist position even if they do not personally agree with it. Whatever else such a witness may accomplish, it can always remind others that there is a higher way than violence that calls for men's allegiance -- a way that the pacifist believes in so firmly that he is willing to pay any personal price to maintain it.

Some pacifists will modify the argument at one point, by insisting that pacifism will "work." If we refuse to bear arms against the enemy, they say, the enemy will not harm us but will be transformed and conquered by our example of love, so that the war will cease right there. Since there is "that of God" in every man, we should appeal to "that of God" in the enemy and so change him.

That there is "that of God" in every man is a part of Christian faith. But there is the other part of the truth, which reminds us that the image of God in man has been distorted, so that man is influenced by self-interest as well as by the power of love.