Christians, military service

Several young Christian men I know are being heavily recruited by various branches of the military service. What kind of advice should I give them?

In presenting the following thoughts, I am keenly aware that many close and highly respected friends disagree with me and that Christians in the military have done much good work in God’s kingdom. I think we should pray regularly for Christians in the military, both for their physical and spiritual well being. I also believe that brethren have been correct in generally leaving this issue in the realm of individual judgement and not making it a matter of fellowship as long as different views are not imposed on others.

Even as we take the above factors into consideration, we need to consider biblical principles, particularly two, that conflict with volunteering for military service.

(1) Voluntarily placing ourselves under the power of an unsympathetic bureaucracy
1 Corinthians 6:12 warns against allowing ourselves to be "brought under the power of any." Albert Barnes points out that Paul is warning against a Christian’s voluntary subjection to any custom or habit, "that might fetter his energies, or destroy his freedom as a man or as a Christian." Military service does just that!

The military bureaucracy has no interest at all in the spiritual well being of young Christians, whether they are able to meet with other saints, dedicate time to the teaching of their families or fulfil many other spiritual obligations. Though some military personnel are fortunately stationed where they can meet with the saints, others must go months and sometimes even years without partaking of the Lord’s supper or working with a faithful congregation. It is true that strong Christians have sometimes been able to start small congregations in isolated places where they have been stationed. However, many young Christians simply do not have the spiritual strength or the resources to do that.

Corporations sometimes try to make similar demands on their employees, but there is one great difference. Employees can always leave a company when they perceive that the company’s decisions are hurting their spirituality. Such is not a legal option in the military!
Some contemplating service in the military seem confident that they will not have to be directly involved in the violence of war, even though such can seldom be guaranteed in spite of assurances of glib recruiters. However, they must still accept the fact that they are giving up some aspects of their spiritual liberty to an unsympathetic bureaucracy.
Young Christians, don’t allow yourselves to be brought under the power of an establishment that has no concern for your spiritual well being and will leave you no legal options for getting out!

(2) Violence and the Christian
Traditional arguments against military service have usually focused on this issue. How can followers of Christ harmonize the violence of warfare with His teachings to "do good unto all men" (Galatians 6:10), "love our enemies" (Matthew 5:44), etc.? Jesus told Peter, "those who live by the sword will die by the sword." (Matthew 26:52) Tertullian said that the Lord, in disarming Peter, "unbelted" every soldier.

It is a simple fact that good soldiers must learn to hate! The hatred instilled in basic military training and before a battle is completely at odds with the teachings of Jesus about love for all. Often basic training has included the infamous bayonet drill where all recruits, including Christians, must be taught to thrust their bayonet into the bowels their enemy and turn it to eviscerate him. Even the most ardent Christian supporter of military service must have some pangs of conscience when imagining the actual disembowelment of a fellow soul.
While the thought of killing some member of the Taliban might not seem distasteful to some, much of the killing on modern battlefields, involves hapless conscripts who have been dragged away from their parents, wives and children who love them just as much as we love our own families. Even the hated Taliban are often simply illiterate peasants who have been brainwashed.

Thankfully, most Christians in the military will never have to directly kill another human being, but almost all are trained for at least basic combat and put themselves in a position where they may conceivably be called on to take a life. The time to analyze our conscience regarding our degree of participation in the violence of war is before joining the military, not afterwards.

What about national defense?

Certainly when we see our country attacked, as it was on September 11, 2001, we want to see it defended. And yet, does our country’s strength depend primarily on a Christian’s joining military expeditions to remote parts of the world? Isn’t there a greater Defender of righteous nations that the military?

The scriptures teach that a nation’s basic weakness comes from immorality (Leviticus 18:26-28) and its strength comes from righteousness (Proverbs 14:34). Military prowess really has nothing to do with a nation’s strength as far as God is concerned. A strong military position did not protect the Edomites, the Israelites, Babylon or Assyria when God decided that they were to be punished and neither will it protect the United States. The best way to defend this country is to promote spiritual revival by being the salt of the earth and dedicating ourselves completely to the spread of holiness and love, not through participation in military service.

To those who ask what would happen if everyone in this country took this position, the answer is twofold: (1) Such will never happen. True Christians will always be a small, persecuted minority (Matthew 7:13,14). (2) If everyone in this country became Christians and took this position, which will never be the case, I’m sure God would find a way to protect us.

Bob Waldron, in his excellent study of this issue, quotes Origen’s answer to Celsus on this point. "If all the Romans are converted, they will by their prayers prevail over their enemies. Rather, they will not war in the first place … We fight on his (the king’s) behalf organizing our own army of piety, through our petitions to God." (Origen, Against Celsus, Ante-Nicene Fathers, VIII, lxxiii, p. 557).

It should be noted that almost all, if not all early Christians in the second and third centuries did not approve of Christians’ participation in battle. That opposition was one of the main reasons behind their persecution.

A more difficult issue is personal self defense or defense of family. However, there is at least one obvious difference between the concept of personal defense and national defense through war. We determine as individuals how and when personal defense is needed and how much force must be exerted. In the military, such decisions are out of our hands, and in those of superiors who often have no respect for God.

Sometimes there is a fine line between what is considered "the defense of country" and the promotion of "national interests." Often we can be the victims of propaganda in making that determination and Christians can find themselves involved in violence not so much for one as for the other.

The Civil War in our own country’s history provides a good illustration of this problem. Those who advocate the participation of Christians in warfare should ask themselves if brethren should have participated in the Civil war and if so, on which side? Even today, sincere brethren differ on which side was "right" in the Civil War. Was the purpose of the war really to overthrow slavery, a noble goal, or simply to extend federal authority at the expense of States rights? Was the Civil War a matter of national defense or simply forcing a national policy? Should Christians in the Civil War have fired at the enemy lines when they know that Christians were on the other side? Which one was defending his country? Which soldiers were the victims of sectional propaganda? But a greater question is, should these carnal battles with men distract Christians from their even greater spiritual battle with Satan and his principalities and powers?

Any principle that applies to American Christians should apply to Christians everywhere!

A question that all supporters of Christian participation in the military should answer is whether they think Christians in other countries should join their military. Should Russian Christians join the military? Chinese Christians? Cuban Christians? Argentine Christians? Or, is this something only American Christians should do?

I lived in Argentina during a time of crisis between Argentina and Chile. Brethren in both countries sincerely felt that political leaders in the other country were trying to take away their national territory. They almost went to war! Should Christians from both countries have gone to war against each other?

Argentine Christians sincerely felt that the Falkland Islands were their national territory and had some good arguments to back up that claim. Should they have gone to war against English Christians to defend what they sincerely feel to be their country? Or, isn’t the larger question still whether these carnal battles with men should distract Christians from their even greater spiritual battle with Satan and his principalities and powers.

I hope I am not being overly strong in stating that many American Christians have a difficult time in accepting the fact that Christ’s church is not an American institution, but rather a universal one. Any principle applied to American Christians should be applied to all! To put it even more bluntly, some sincere brethren seem to think that the United States is God’s unique country, almost the equivalent of ancient Israel, and that whatever the United States military does is what God wants done! While all of us love our country and realize that God has blessed it, it has been blessed because of its goodness, which unfortunately is rapidly disappearing in an increasingly secular age. To believe that the will of our national and military leaders is always God’s will and that we must join in violent wars to defend that will, is mistaken.

I asked a good friend who disagrees with me on this issue if he would encourage Russians and Chinese Christians to join their military service. He replied, "no, because their armies often oppress others." He had stated in some of his writings than those who question the Christian’s participation in the military should never ask for help from a soldier. To carry his point to its logical conclusion, then, while preaching in Russia or China, Christians should never request help from Russian or Chinese soldiers. However, any scriptural principle he applies to Americans should also be applied to Christians in other countries.
American Christians must remember that brethren in other countries love theirs as much as we love ours. They tend to believe their leaders as we tend to believe ours. Whether we like to admit it or not, we can all be victims of propaganda and false information, even in the USA. If all believe they should voluntarily join their respective military service, accepting at face value all the propaganda of their respective governments, then we will inevitably have Christians fighting and killing other Christians.

Does God allow governments to do things he doesn’t want the individual Christians to do?
Obviously God expects governments to punish evildoers (Romans 13:4). Is it a sin for the Christian to do what the government is supposed to do?

Bob Waldron makes the point that Romans 13 deals primarily with government punishing civil lawbreakers and does not give countries the right to war with others. While this point would apply to most wars, it might be reasoned that America’s going into Afghanistan was simply to punish evildoers, a legitimate role for government according to Romans 13.

Perhaps a broader response to this point is simply to recognize that the government is a separate entity from the home, church, family or individual and that it has a different design and purpose. Careful Christians often point out that the church is not authorized to do everything that an individual Christian can do, since the church is a different entity with a different purpose. The same point needs to be made about civil government and the individual Christian. It is interesting to note in Romans 13:1-7 that civil government is always referred to as "it," whereas Christians are referred to as "you." It is apparently assumed in Romans 13 that Christians will not be a part of the sword wielding arm of Civil Government.
Yes, civil government is expected to punish evildoers, and yet even if it is assumed that such authorizes it to go to war under certain circumstances, that fact would not necessarily justify a Christian’s being a part of the sometimes indiscriminate killing involved. It must also be remembered that those in the military never have the luxury of deciding whether a certain military action is a "just war" to punish evildoers or simply to enhance "national interests."
When thinking of this point we need to remind ourselves that if this principle applies to American Christians, it should apply to those of all countries, such as Russia, China, Cuba, etc.

What about Cornelius and other soldiers of the Bible?
David Bercot has written an excellent book on the concepts of Second and Third Century Christians, "Will the Real Heretics Stand up?" He strongly challenges modern evangelical presuppositions such as Calvinism and salvation by faith only. He includes an excellent chapter on the attitudes of primitive Christians towards military service. Regarding Cornelius and other centurions mentioned in the scriptures, he simply points out that in the New Testament, we have examples of soldiers becoming Christians, but not the other way around. That observation is sufficient to deal with this point.

Christians are of a greater kingdom
We love our countries and obey the laws that come from them when they do not contradict God’s laws. However, Christians throughout the world are primarily citizens of heaven and must identify with it more than their temporary realms.

There is a always a danger that we will become overly distracted with affairs of this world, including politics and war. Too much nationalism can be spiritually dangerous! Our happiness and security do not depend on defending our national interests, or in having our country respected and recognized in the world. World powers, including the United States, will wax and wane in the power and all will eventually disappear if the Lord doesn’t return soon. But we are a part of something much greater that the United States! All our time and energies should be expended in working for that kingdom that God has established which will never disappear and which will break into pieces all the other kingdoms. To allow ourselves to become so distracted by the affairs of this world, that we willingly submit to a bureaucracy that has no interest in our spiritual well being, and even put us in a position where we may have to take another human life, is not compatible with our greater reason for existence, our citizenship in God’s eternal kingdom.


	Home Should young Christians volunteer for military service? Several young Christian men I know are being heavily recruited by various branches of the military service. What kind of advice should I give them? In presenting the following thoughts, I am keenly aware that many close and highly respected friends disagree with me and that Christians in the military have done much good work in God’s kingdom. I think we should pray regularly for Christians in the military, both for their physical and spiritual well being. I also believe that brethren have been correct in generally leaving this issue in the realm of individual judgement and not making it a matter of fellowship as long as different views are not imposed on others. Even as we take the above factors into consideration, we need to consider biblical principles, particularly two, that conflict with volunteering for military service. (1) Voluntarily placing ourselves under the power of an unsympathetic bureaucracy 1 Corinthians 6:12 warns against allowing ourselves to be "brought under the power of any." Albert Barnes points out that Paul is warning against a Christian’s voluntary subjection to any custom or habit, "that might fetter his energies, or destroy his freedom as a man or as a Christian." Military service does just that! The military bureaucracy has no interest at all in the spiritual well being of young Christians, whether they are able to meet with other saints, dedicate time to the teaching of their families or fulfil many other spiritual obligations. Though some military personnel are fortunately stationed where they can meet with the saints, others must go months and sometimes even years without partaking of the Lord’s supper or working with a faithful congregation. It is true that strong Christians have sometimes been able to start small congregations in isolated places where they have been stationed. However, many young Christians simply do not have the spiritual strength or the resources to do that. Corporations sometimes try to make similar demands on their employees, but there is one great difference. Employees can always leave a company when they perceive that the company’s decisions are hurting their spirituality. Such is not a legal option in the military! Some contemplating service in the military seem confident that they will not have to be directly involved in the violence of war, even though such can seldom be guaranteed in spite of assurances of glib recruiters. However, they must still accept the fact that they are giving up some aspects of their spiritual liberty to an unsympathetic bureaucracy. Young Christians, don’t allow yourselves to be brought under the power of an establishment that has no concern for your spiritual well being and will leave you no legal options for getting out! (2) Violence and the Christian Traditional arguments against military service have usually focused on this issue. How can followers of Christ harmonize the violence of warfare with His teachings to "do good unto all men" (Galatians 6:10), "love our enemies" (Matthew 5:44), etc.? Jesus told Peter, "those who live by the sword will die by the sword." (Matthew 26:52) Tertullian said that the Lord, in disarming Peter, "unbelted" every soldier. It is a simple fact that good soldiers must learn to hate! The hatred instilled in basic military training and before a battle is completely at odds with the teachings of Jesus about love for all. Often basic training has included the infamous bayonet drill where all recruits, including Christians, must be taught to thrust their bayonet into the bowels their enemy and turn it to eviscerate him. Even the most ardent Christian supporter of military service must have some pangs of conscience when imagining the actual disembowelment of a fellow soul. While the thought of killing some member of the Taliban might not seem distasteful to some, much of the killing on modern battlefields, involves hapless conscripts who have been dragged away from their parents, wives and children who love them just as much as we love our own families. Even the hated Taliban are often simply illiterate peasants who have been brainwashed. Thankfully, most Christians in the military will never have to directly kill another human being, but almost all are trained for at least basic combat and put themselves in a position where they may conceivably be called on to take a life. The time to analyze our conscience regarding our degree of participation in the violence of war is before joining the military, not afterwards. What about national defense? Certainly when we see our country attacked, as it was on September 11, 2001, we want to see it defended. And yet, does our country’s strength depend primarily on a Christian’s joining military expeditions to remote parts of the world? Isn’t there a greater Defender of righteous nations that the military? The scriptures teach that a nation’s basic weakness comes from immorality (Leviticus 18:26-28) and its strength comes from righteousness (Proverbs 14:34). Military prowess really has nothing to do with a nation’s strength as far as God is concerned. A strong military position did not protect the Edomites, the Israelites, Babylon or Assyria when God decided that they were to be punished and neither will it protect the United States. The best way to defend this country is to promote spiritual revival by being the salt of the earth and dedicating ourselves completely to the spread of holiness and love, not through participation in military service. To those who ask what would happen if everyone in this country took this position, the answer is twofold: (1) Such will never happen. True Christians will always be a small, persecuted minority (Matthew 7:13,14). (2) If everyone in this country became Christians and took this position, which will never be the case, I’m sure God would find a way to protect us. Bob Waldron, in his excellent study of this issue, quotes Origen’s answer to Celsus on this point. "If all the Romans are converted, they will by their prayers prevail over their enemies. Rather, they will not war in the first place … We fight on his (the king’s) behalf organizing our own army of piety, through our petitions to God." (Origen, Against Celsus, Ante-Nicene Fathers, VIII, lxxiii, p. 557). It should be noted that almost all, if not all early Christians in the second and third centuries did not approve of Christians’ participation in battle. That opposition was one of the main reasons behind their persecution. A more difficult issue is personal self defense or defense of family. However, there is at least one obvious difference between the concept of personal defense and national defense through war. We determine as individuals how and when personal defense is needed and how much force must be exerted. In the military, such decisions are out of our hands, and in those of superiors who often have no respect for God. Sometimes there is a fine line between what is considered "the defense of country" and the promotion of "national interests." Often we can be the victims of propaganda in making that determination and Christians can find themselves involved in violence not so much for one as for the other. The Civil War in our own country’s history provides a good illustration of this problem. Those who advocate the participation of Christians in warfare should ask themselves if brethren should have participated in the Civil war and if so, on which side? Even today, sincere brethren differ on which side was "right" in the Civil War. Was the purpose of the war really to overthrow slavery, a noble goal, or simply to extend federal authority at the expense of States rights? Was the Civil War a matter of national defense or simply forcing a national policy? Should Christians in the Civil War have fired at the enemy lines when they know that Christians were on the other side? Which one was defending his country? Which soldiers were the victims of sectional propaganda? But a greater question is, should these carnal battles with men distract Christians from their even greater spiritual battle with Satan and his principalities and powers? Any principle that applies to American Christians should apply to Christians everywhere! A question that all supporters of Christian participation in the military should answer is whether they think Christians in other countries should join their military. Should Russian Christians join the military? Chinese Christians? Cuban Christians? Argentine Christians? Or, is this something only American Christians should do? I lived in Argentina during a time of crisis between Argentina and Chile. Brethren in both countries sincerely felt that political leaders in the other country were trying to take away their national territory. They almost went to war! Should Christians from both countries have gone to war against each other? Argentine Christians sincerely felt that the Falkland Islands were their national territory and had some good arguments to back up that claim. Should they have gone to war against English Christians to defend what they sincerely feel to be their country? Or, isn’t the larger question still whether these carnal battles with men should distract Christians from their even greater spiritual battle with Satan and his principalities and powers. I hope I am not being overly strong in stating that many American Christians have a difficult time in accepting the fact that Christ’s church is not an American institution, but rather a universal one. Any principle applied to American Christians should be applied to all! To put it even more bluntly, some sincere brethren seem to think that the United States is God’s unique country, almost the equivalent of ancient Israel, and that whatever the United States military does is what God wants done! While all of us love our country and realize that God has blessed it, it has been blessed because of its goodness, which unfortunately is rapidly disappearing in an increasingly secular age. To believe that the will of our national and military leaders is always God’s will and that we must join in violent wars to defend that will, is mistaken. I asked a good friend who disagrees with me on this issue if he would encourage Russians and Chinese Christians to join their military service. He replied, "no, because their armies often oppress others." He had stated in some of his writings than those who question the Christian’s participation in the military should never ask for help from a soldier. To carry his point to its logical conclusion, then, while preaching in Russia or China, Christians should never request help from Russian or Chinese soldiers. However, any scriptural principle he applies to Americans should also be applied to Christians in other countries. American Christians must remember that brethren in other countries love theirs as much as we love ours. They tend to believe their leaders as we tend to believe ours. Whether we like to admit it or not, we can all be victims of propaganda and false information, even in the USA. If all believe they should voluntarily join their respective military service, accepting at face value all the propaganda of their respective governments, then we will inevitably have Christians fighting and killing other Christians. Does God allow governments to do things he doesn’t want the individual Christians to do? Obviously God expects governments to punish evildoers (Romans 13:4). Is it a sin for the Christian to do what the government is supposed to do? Bob Waldron makes the point that Romans 13 deals primarily with government punishing civil lawbreakers and does not give countries the right to war with others. While this point would apply to most wars, it might be reasoned that America’s going into Afghanistan was simply to punish evildoers, a legitimate role for government according to Romans 13. Perhaps a broader response to this point is simply to recognize that the government is a separate entity from the home, church, family or individual and that it has a different design and purpose. Careful Christians often point out that the church is not authorized to do everything that an individual Christian can do, since the church is a different entity with a different purpose. The same point needs to be made about civil government and the individual Christian. It is interesting to note in Romans 13:1-7 that civil government is always referred to as "it," whereas Christians are referred to as "you." It is apparently assumed in Romans 13 that Christians will not be a part of the sword wielding arm of Civil Government. Yes, civil government is expected to punish evildoers, and yet even if it is assumed that such authorizes it to go to war under certain circumstances, that fact would not necessarily justify a Christian’s being a part of the sometimes indiscriminate killing involved. It must also be remembered that those in the military never have the luxury of deciding whether a certain military action is a "just war" to punish evildoers or simply to enhance "national interests." When thinking of this point we need to remind ourselves that if this principle applies to American Christians, it should apply to those of all countries, such as Russia, China, Cuba, etc. What about Cornelius and other soldiers of the Bible? David Bercot has written an excellent book on the concepts of Second and Third Century Christians, "Will the Real Heretics Stand up?" He strongly challenges modern evangelical presuppositions such as Calvinism and salvation by faith only. He includes an excellent chapter on the attitudes of primitive Christians towards military service. Regarding Cornelius and other centurions mentioned in the scriptures, he simply points out that in the New Testament, we have examples of soldiers becoming Christians, but not the other way around. That observation is sufficient to deal with this point. Christians are of a greater kingdom We love our countries and obey the laws that come from them when they do not contradict God’s laws. However, Christians throughout the world are primarily citizens of heaven and must identify with it more than their temporary realms. There is a always a danger that we will become overly distracted with affairs of this world, including politics and war. Too much nationalism can be spiritually dangerous! Our happiness and security do not depend on defending our national interests, or in having our country respected and recognized in the world. World powers, including the United States, will wax and wane in the power and all will eventually disappear if the Lord doesn’t return soon. But we are a part of something much greater that the United States! All our time and energies should be expended in working for that kingdom that God has established which will never disappear and which will break into pieces all the other kingdoms. To allow ourselves to become so distracted by the affairs of this world, that we willingly submit to a bureaucracy that has no interest in our spiritual well being, and even put us in a position where we may have to take another human life, is not compatible with our greater reason for existence, our citizenship in God’s eternal kingdom.