Church of the Redeemer

Sunday, October 6, 2002

The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Sixty years ago as this country was completing its first full year of participation in World War II my father desperately wanted to enlist.  I do not know if his desire was born of patriotism, the quest for adventure, or competition with his Navy Commander brother. Whatever his motivation, he was frustrated by being turned down for service because of his weight.  He began a rigorous exercise regimen to lose weight; having done so, he was then told he was too old to enlist.  His only service was an air raid warden in our quiet neighborhood, far from the front lines he had sought. 

In my lifetime I have witnessed a number of wars, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War being the major ones.  My flawed eyesight prevented me from service in any of these conflicts.  And, to be honest, I never shared my father’s urgent desire to be in the military, even though my most admired cousin achieved Flag Rank in the U. S. Navy.  In 1969 I began my ministry at St. Albans School for Boys in Washington while this country was up to its neck in Vietnam.  The climate of conflict with both doves and hawks holding fast to their viewpoints was both exhilarating and alarming.  I took my place in anti-war demonstrations but stayed safely away from the center of the action.  I hated the news from Vietnam but never felt qualified to hold forth from the pulpit with the vehemence or fury that other preachers did.  I was frequently reminded that to have no opinion was to have an opinion.  As a pastor to boys and families on both sides of the argument, I was reluctant to be radical.  My classes in Ethics at St. Albans were exiting, fiery, and emotional as we discussed the doctrine of the just war.  Not a few of my students were the sons of military officers as well as political leaders.  Most but not all students reflected the opinions heard at home.  Suffice to say, our classes, like the policy makers downtown, did not resolve the ongoing and escalating dilemma of Vietnam.  Only a few months before the end of war I buried a dear college friend at Arlington. He had been blown out of a helicopter in Vietnam.  Perhaps more than anything else, walking behind his caisson on a cold March day and standing with his wife who was carrying his unborn child convinced me that war is truly barbaric and wrong. 

Now we are faced with war yet again in our time.  As with every matter of importance and weight, no single answer works. Given the power of modern, technological weaponry alone, the horror of war sends fear into our hearts.  For Christians faithful to their baptismal vows, followers of the Prince of Peace Himself, war is a bloody specter haunting us by day and night.  With this in mind, I would like to spend a moment looking at the so-called doctrine of the just war.  In A Dictionary of Christian Ethics edited by John Macquarrie, one of our greatest Anglican theologians, Macquarrie himself writes:  “The doctrine of the just war attempted to set forth the minimal conditions that must obtain to permit a Christian’s participation in war.  We must be clear that a ‘just war’ is entirely different from the notion of a ‘holy war.”  “The doctrine of the just war, as developed gradually in the thought of St. Augustine, St. Thomas and others, was never intended to glorify war or to assign to war some affirmative character.”  “The conditions for a just war, according to St. Thomas, are: (1) it must be waged by constituted authority; (2) the cause must be just; (3) there must be the intention of establishing good or rectifying evil; (4) the war must be waged by proper means.”  (Macquarrie, ed.  A Dictionary of Christian Ethics, pages 182-183) 

We may well conclude that this ancient doctrine courts ambiguity in our time.  Both ‘just cause’ and ‘proper means’ demand careful examination.  Yet the doctrine stands as one of the great statements of Christian ethics.  The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church, in its letter to the Congress and national leaders, written in Cleveland on October 1, refers to the doctrine of the just war.  It is important for us to know of the letter as we join our own prayers for a just and lasting resolution to the Iraq question. Sixty years ago as my father tried to enlist as a soldier in World War II, issues seemed to be clear.  We had been attacked in the Pacific, and Hitler the maniacal tyrant was bent on remaking the world according to his own horrible designs.  Today, as then, you and I share dual citizenship, both as Americans and as Christians.  We follow our Constitution and the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, searching for a way to say what is on my heart in the face of Congressional and U. N. resolutions regarding Iraq, plus the possibility of unilateral action by our nation, I share with you the Bishops’ statement.  Neither warriors nor statesmen, the Bishops have taken a fair stand; I am grateful for their efforts, words, and prayers 

“As you begin this critical debate on behalf of the citizens of this country over the resolution to authorize military action against Iraq, we, the bishops of The Episcopal Church, USA, meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, want you to know of our prayers and support as you make this difficult decision, not just for our country, but also for the people of Iraq and the peace of the world. We pray, as well, for members of the armed services and their families in the midst of international crisis and possible military action. We deeply respect the seriousness of your responsibility to protect the lives of our citizens, and, with you, we condemn the brutality of Saddam Hussein and his regime.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we abhor violence and war. Our faith requires us to strive always for justice and peace. We believe that restraint and the ongoing commitment to international cooperation are the means toward peace that we all desire. With you, we recognize the possibility that war is sometimes unavoidable, but we do not believe that war with Iraq can be justified at this time. 

Further, in this instance, we do not support a decision to go to war without clear and convincing evidence of the need for us to defend ourselves against an imminent attack. The wisdom of our own Christian faith, as well as other religious traditions, teaches us to demonstrate the greatest prudence and caution when the lethal force of war is contemplated. We believe that writings on Just War are particularly helpful to our nation's ongoing deliberations. As we search for those responsible for the attacks of September 11, we must encourage such discernment that keeps our society civilized and free. 

We stand with other Christian leaders who oppose a pre-emptive strike against Iraq. The leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church of the USA, the Orthodox Church in America, The Christian Church (The Disciples of Christ), The United Church of Christ, The African Methodist Episcopal Church, The Anglican Consultative Council, representing 70 million Anglicans around the world, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, have all raised questions about the wisdom and morality of our country's pursuing this course of action.

Over the next weeks, as you debate our possible involvement in a war against Iraq, know that we are praying with you and for you.

The House of Bishops

The Episcopal Church
Cleveland, Ohio
October 1, 2002 

Let us pray:

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.  Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.  Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.  For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal live.  Amen.

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