QUESTIONS/ANSWERS ABOUT WAR

QUESTION #303 -- I am a Mennonite minister, but I love the Nazarenes. How do you harmonize holiness and resorting to carnal weapons in time of war?

ANSWER #303 -- Our church has never made any pronouncement upon the question of war or pacifism or laid down any rules for the conduct of its members in time of war. I cannot therefore presume to present the "Nazarene view." About the best I can do is to tell you how I fix it for myself. I believe that civil government is of God in the sense that He ordained it as an expedient to fill in between the time when Adam gave up his sovereignty of the world until the time when "the second Adam" will come the second time and resume it. I believe He did this in mercy to men to save them from the fearful confusion that would have resulted without this semblance of order. And believing this, I believe that every Christian is a citizen of two kingdoms and owes tribute to both God and Caesar. I believe this is the teaching of both the Old and New Testaments. And if this is correct, it is the Christian citizen's duty to pay his taxes and support the government in time of peace, and to defend and support the government in time of war -- even to the point of doing a full soldier's duty. The ethics here is no different from that involved should the citizen defend his home against a robber and murderer, or join in with the sheriff's posse to capture the destroyer of his neighbor's child. This is not an ideal world, and peace and safety can be had only by enforcing the sanctions of law. If the people of the world were all Christians it would be different. But wickedness among men and nations must be restrained, and this means there are likely to be clashes between the forces of lawlessness and righteousness. And yet war is always a cruel and terrible thing. Let us pray for peace. Let us pray that the rulers and leaders of nations may be so restrained and so willing to listen to reason that war may be averted. But if war comes, let us pay the debt which citizenship requires of us. I think this is the view the vast majority of Christians have held all down through the centuries. And it is a view that remains consistent in times of war and in times of peace. Those who claim the protection of government and yet withhold their support and allegiance are inconsistent; and those who plead for the privilege of serving in noncombatant relations in time of war are but dodging the issue, not solving the problem. In reality there is no middle ground between complete withdrawal from organized human society and the proper support of human society. But since one cannot literally leave the world unless he commits the sin of suicide, it seems to me that it is useless for him to place himself in a cramped and impossible relation. As to the morality involved, it is practically the same as that involved in the militant prayers of David. You know he prayed God to break the jaws of his enemies and literally obliterate them from the earth. How could a holy man do that? The answer is that he was not praying thus against his personal enemies -- these he always spared and showed favors. He was praying against the enemies of God and of His Church. Likewise the Christian must distinguish between his personal enemies whom he is commanded to love and favor, and the enemies of the state (bandits, criminals, kidnappers, and alien armies in time of war) whom he must account opponents of the powers which are ordained of God. That is how a man can be a Christian and also an officer of the law or a soldier in the army and on the battlefield.

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QUESTION #304 -- What attitude does the Church of the Nazarene take toward militarism?

ANSWER #304 -- The Church of the Nazarene, so far as I know, has never made an official expression on the subject of militarism. There was some agitation favoring such expression just before the outbreak of the World War. Dr. Haynes had several editorials in the Herald of Holiness bearing upon the subject. It was believed by some that if the church would give official expression to its opposition to war its young men could obtain exemption from military service in case of war. But experience during the World War revealed that membership in a pacifist church had little to do with it. Men who had conscientious objections to combat service were given positions in the engineering or medical branches and were, in many cases, more exposed to death than would have been the case had they gone into the regular service. And those who made conscientious objection altogether to military service on their individual responsibility fared just as well as those whose church membership made their stand necessary-none of them fared very fortunately. And really the present agitation in church circles regarding non-cooperation with the government in case of war does not commend itself very fully; for it is in most cases mixed up with a social program or with communistic philosophies in such a manner as to make one suspect that it is not really Christian after all. The program of the Church of the Nazarene is predominantly evangelistic. We believe we can make our best contribution to world peace and every other reform and world good by preaching old-time, personal salvation and praying down a heaven-sent revival upon our churches and upon the world. Like every other human ill, war is an effect and not a cause. It comes from the sinfulness and selfishness of men and of nations, and the remedy is in crowning the Prince of Peace in the hearts of men rather than in making vows regarding what we would do in case of national crises. Please God there shall be no more wars. But if war comes, then every Nazarene, as well as other people without regard to their peace-time vows, will have to do the best he can in the light of those evil days to "render unto God the things that are God's and unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's."

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QUESTION #305 -- Is there: such a scripture as "Stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood"? To what extent should we keep aloof from current warfare and murderous happenings?

ANSWER #305 -- The scripture you mention is in Isaiah 33:15. I am not sure I can set a definite line as regarding the extent to which we should keep aloof from the news of war and murder in our own days, but I am sure there is danger in being too much taken with it. We can scarcely refuse to know anything of the evils of the world, lest we should become indifferent to the world's fearful plight. But, on the other hand, too much living with the news of evil has a hardening effect. Perhaps we would better set up the standard Susannah Wesley gave to her children, and that is, "Whatever hinders your communion with God should be avoided."

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QUESTION #306 -- Do you believe a Christian can keep his standing as a Christian before God and men and go to war?

ANSWER #306 -- Yes, I believe he can.

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