 | The Reverend Doctor Cathy Northrup was born in Ft. Meade, MD, and was raised in a variety of places in the United State and Germany, as her father was in Counter Intelligence with the Army. She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, with a double major in English and Religion. She graduated from Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC, and practiced law with the Federal Reserve Board for a number of years before attending Union Theological Seminaryin Richmond, VA. She graduated from Union, and served several churches in North and South Carolina, at the same time obtaining her Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Northrup is currently the Pastor/Head of Staff of First Presbyterian Church, Wichita, KS. She is married and has two black Labrador dogs who were rescued from abusive situations. You can contact Dr. Northrup at cnorthrup@firstpresbywichita.org or by phone at (316) 263-0248, ext. 26. |
Religion
2007-04-01 08:09:00
Is it ever right to go to war?
When our family gets together, like we did over Christmas, our discussions sometimes get heated about whether our troops ought to be going overseas to fight or not. I know the Bible says somewhere “an eye for an eye,” but it also says something about “turning the other cheek.” How can we determine the proper answer to this question?
Christians have long struggled with the issue of war. I would assert that there is Biblically and theologically a spectrum of belief on this issue, and Christians may in all good conscience and faith fall on one end or the other, or somewhere in between the two ends. On the one hand, citing Jesus’ life and his statement that we are to “love our enemies,” a Christian might believe in pacifism and assert that we should not be involved in violence and war. On the other hand, citing some of Paul’s letters, a Christian might believe that we are to obey our leaders, including when we are called to war. In between those two views, for example, one might find Augustine’s “just war” theory in which he set forth a way to determine whether war, though evil, was nonetheless just and necessary.
To speak to the specific verses you raise, note that the “eye for the eye” phrase in the Old Testament is actually not a justification for violence and war. It is rather a limiting instruction. That is, if one’s eye is taken, that person cannot kill the other person in response; the reaction must be equal to the response. Also, some have argued that the phrase “turning the other cheek” does not only mean do not take revenge. Slapping someone on one cheek was how one struck a slave; the opposite cheek was for someone of “higher” status. The remark means then, turn your cheek and challenge someone to treat you as something more than a slave.
It is clear from the Bible that Christians are to be people of peace and peace-makers. Wherever we find ourselves on the Christian spectrum of interpretation of the Bible on the issue of war, we must, at the very least, acknowledge that peace and non-violence are to be our preference and our ultimate aim.
