Terrorism and War

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Please turn to Romans 13.4, as we look at what the Bible says about Terrorism and War, an issue which affects all of us but an issue which may have affected some of us very personally. Jesus said there would be "wars and rumours of wars" in the last days (Matthew 24.6). James 4.1-3 in the Bible says that wars are caused by mankind's sinful desires: greed, covetousness and selfishness. But in heaven there will be perfect peace (Micah 4). And terrorism existed in Jesus' day. In Matthew 10.4, Simon the Zealot is mentioned as one of Jesus' disciples. The Zealots were a revolutionary group who were committed to violently overthrowing Roman rule in Palestine.

We were on holiday in France when the tragic, evil terrorist attack happened in Nice. 84 people, including children, lay dead and another 150 were injured as a result of a lorry being driven, by a recently radicalised ISIS recruit whilst shouting Allah is great, at high speed into the crowds celebrating Bastille Day. The images in the press were of empty pushchairs speaking powerfully of the numbers of toddlers who were killed in that wicked indiscriminate atrocity. Then a further evil happened – an 84-year-old Roman Catholic priest was beheaded by two ISIS teenagers near where we'd been staying. Three weeks ago America launched air strikes against ISIS in Libya, although they admit that the 'success' of air strikes in reducing the number of ISIS fighters to 15,000 in Syria and Iraq may well be pushing ISIS attacks into Western Europe.

Meanwhile the war in Syria continues with all its ramifications, especially in Aleppo, the economic capital of Syria, where the pictures of 5 year old Omran in an ambulance having been woken, not by a dream but by a bomb destroying his home, epitomise the situation there. One Syrian man who escaped to the UK two years ago said to me that the reason why the West won't intervene directly in Syria, apart from air strikes on ISIS, is because there's no oil. Well perhaps, but maybe also because of the complexity of the situation, but how should Christians respond to all this? What does the Bible teach? Is there such a thing as a "Just War"?

The Christian and War

Now there's a clear duty to be non-resisting, says Jesus. Look at Matthew 5.38-39:

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

But there's also a duty laid on the State to be (Romans 13.4):

…the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

The early Christians saw the importance of both duties. They believed that as individuals they must never harm or inflict suffering on others. But at the same time they believed the State was ordained by God to repress crime and violence, with force if necessary. However, under Emperor Constantine, when the Roman Empire officially became "Christian", there was a dilemma. It was the dilemma of reconciling the love of Christ that leads to non-aggression with the need of the State to enforce justice. Suddenly some Christians found themselves in positions of political authority. They then read in Scripture that individuals shouldn't themselves "take revenge", while legitimate rulers who "bear the sword" should avenge others and enforce God's judgment on evil. When evil was being perpetrated by a neighbouring state, "bearing the sword" meant war. And this was a terrible dilemma for them. But many Christians, entrusted by God with political authority, felt that in good conscience they couldn't opt out. Many still believe that they're to exercise power or force in the interests of justice whether in peace-time by sentencing criminals, or in time of war.

The "Just War Theory" was designed in the early church to help with this dilemma. It justified war not as self-defence, but as a means of ensuring justice. The personal "turning of the other cheek" isn't denied. It's rather that the political power of those seeking justice needs to be checked. But in such matters the difficulty is that things aren't black and white. "Calculation" is needed. Jesus claimed that cool calculation is essential in a number of situations. Indeed he argues that cool calculation or a cool 'counting the cost' should lead to a willingness to sacrifice everything for the privilege of being a Christian disciple. But right calculation is also needed in war, as he says in Luke 14.28-33:

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

The contrast in the parable shows different sorts of calculation. One is for tower-building, the other for using force in war. In tower-building it's easy. There are simple costs to be added up. If the builder can find the money, he'll be successful. But success in war is so different. There are no simple mathematics. The king doesn't just sit down and do his sums and "count the cost". Rather, Jesus says, he has to "sit down first and deliberate whether he's able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand." Deciding about war is a matter of judgment and prudence. The facts have to be gathered and assessed and a decision then made. So there'll be far less certainty when going to war than when building a tower.

This relates to intervention in Syria and against ISIS. When nothing is crystal clear, from a Christian perspective there must be the restraints of the Just War Theory. What is Just War Theory? Put simply it says if a war is to be fought, it has to be fought justly. The theory has five basic principles. Three deal with engaging in war and two deal with conduct of war. The three that deal with the right engagement in war are: first, the responsibility for waging war isn't just anybody's - it belongs to the legitimate authority; secondly, the "cause" has to be just; and, thirdly, there has to be a right motive. The two dealing with right conduct of war relate to the principles of "discrimination" and "proportion".

"Discrimination" means that force must only be applied to combatants to deprive them of their ability to wage war. There must be no intention to attack non-combatants. An enemy prisoner of war must therefore be treated as a non-combatant. "Total" or indiscriminate war is therefore ruled out. Of course, there must be a distinction drawn between the result of violent action and the intention behind it. If there's an intention to destroy a military command post but the result is unforeseen civilian casualties, that's utterly tragic. But it's not wicked in the way aiming a missile indiscriminately at a centre of population is.

"Proportion" means that no more force or violence should be used than is necessary, which is a matter for calculation and brings us back to Jesus' parable of "a king about to go to war". It's a reminder that some calculations mean you can't conduct war, however much you may believe it to be necessary to stop evil. If the calculations show that you can't win, you have to negotiate the best terms of peace possible. But none of the calculating must be "cold". To execute someone in war or peace is both horrific and defiling. But we mustn't forget:

The Seriousness of the Situation

Listen to this report of an Iraqi Christian woman, who defied ISIS terrorists:

Weeping as she recounted her ordeal, she said she and her husband awoke to find their town over-run by ISIS fighters. She was told repeatedly by the militants, that if she didn't convert to Islam she'd be decapitated. When she refused, she and 46 women, who'd also rejected such demands, were separated from their families and whipped and beaten over a 10-day period to make them abandon their faith. But she said to them, "I was born Christian and if that leads me to death, I prefer to die a Christian."' She quoted Matthew 10.33, 'Jesus said: "Whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven."' None of the women gave in. 'We were crying but refused to convert'. On the 10th day the women were assembled again and a terrorist 'put a sword on my neck in front of everyone and said to me: "convert or you'll be killed."' She replied: 'I'm happy to be a martyr.' At that point the terrorists relented, robbed her and drove her close to Kurdish territory where she and her husband were released".

Clearly we're facing great evil. Restraining ISIS is required but in what way? Leading British Muslims recently wrote of ISIS:

They're perpetrating the worst crimes against humanity… it's a war against all humanity. ISIS's ideology has nothing to do with the peaceful religion practised by billions of people across the world and by millions of our fellow citizens, who are appalled by their actions.

But is ISIS a total "perversion" and "nothing to do with the peaceful religion practised by millions"? Certainly huge percentages of Muslims around the world are peaceful. So please don't mishear me. As a family we have very good friends who are Muslims. But has ISIS nothing to do with Islam? In a House of Lords' debate Lord Sheikh said:

It's written in the Koran, 'whoever kills a human being – it's as though he's killed all mankind, and whoever saves a human life, it's as though he has saved all mankind.' That's why I have consistently spoken about Islam as a religion of peace and continue to do so.

Lord Sheikh was quoting from Sura 5.32. But he omitted to explain what follows in Sura 5.33. That says:

the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and his Messenger and strive upon earth to cause corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land.

In contrast the Bible teaches that, while there must be justice, there is opportunity for those who oppose Jesus, to repent and trust in Christ, for ultimately the sword of justice fell on Jesus Christ on the cross so that we could be forgiven, whatever our sin, and know the one true God personally as our heavenly Father. And Simon the Zealot was called to repent by Jesus and be one of the twelve disciples.

It seems clear that action against ISIS is right. But any response to ISIS must also be on an ideological and religious basis that sets out a more compelling vision, a greater challenge, and a more remarkable hope than offered by ISIS. We must face the fact that for some young Muslims the attractions of jihadism outweigh the pull of Western materialism. So if we struggle against a call to the twisted and perverted values of ISIS, without a better story we'll fail in the long term. It's the role of the church to point to the message of Jesus Christ and the justice, healing and redemption that he offers. While the evil and violence of this jihadism has, rightly, to be resisted and stopped, the reason for the evil and violence also has to be dealt with. And one reason is disenchantment with Western materialism and immorality, which Christians are to take issue with. You see as we face radical Islam, we actually face two extremisms. One is Islamic extremism; but the other is an insidious and intolerant Western extremism that seems tamer; yet it's destroying human life (through abortion on demand) and destroying family life (through the promotion of sexual immorality). There's a good fight to be fought on this too here in the UK, as well as being wise as serpents on the impact of UK anti-extremist legislation on Christians being able to be faithful to God's Word.

But what do Islamic radicalizers really believe apart from that Western materialism is wrong? Well we can know what one radical Muslim, Sayyid Qutb believed from his revolutionary book Milestones. He's been described as "the godfather of radical Islam". Qutb urged Muslims to go back to the Koran, to avoid the decadent values of the West and to a total commitment to Islam in every aspect of life. And he said those who reject this should be opposed, even if they're Muslims. He also taught that all human forms of control (including the secular state) must be opposed. How? Well the method of opposition is to be preaching and persuading individuals but also "physical power and Jihaad to abolish authorities which force Muslims to obey what is wrong and make them serve human lords." And what in practice seems to happen when persuasion doesn't work, is that individuals become enemies, and physical force is applied, leading to the evil killings of Christians and others. And not only in the West but also in Africa and the Middle East where Christians are on the receiving end of ISIS due to the western church's changing views on sexuality and sexual immorality. As Christians we need to wake up to this!

So what does all this mean for us?

What's the way forward? As Christians we are to "hate evil and cling to what is good" (Romans 12.9) but we must also "love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5.44), and evangelise (Matthew 28) motivated by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5). Muslims, whether peaceful or extremist, need to hear the truth as it is in Jesus Christ and turn to him. Forgiveness of sins and new birth through the Holy Spirit are the only ultimate solutions. Some Muslims have been put off Islam by ISIS and their radical ways and it's reported that some are turning to Christianity instead. So in light of all that, the Apostle Paul's words to Timothy are so relevant, (1 Timothy 2.1-4):

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

So let's be praying in an informed way by paying attention to the news and sharing the good news of Jesus with those around us as we show hospitality and care for our neighbours who are in need of real hope, whether Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jew or of no faith. In spite of our own sinful rebellion and mankind's terrorism and war, the God of the Bible is in control and wants his lost children found, wherever they're from and whatever they've done. Why? Because he loved them and gave his only Son Jesus Christ to rescue them as well as us and wants them to trust Christ, the only Saviour, and so to know him personally. Our final hymn reminds us that it's not just ISIS and some Syrian leaders who need to repent and turn to Christ but our nation too. So let's use this hymn as a prayer - Lord for the years.

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