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Jesus Would Have Bombed Baghdad
by
Gregory J. Rummo
“What would
Jesus do?”—It’s a question that has been bandied
about by SUV haters and more recently, those
wishing to generate provocative discourse over the
justification for America’s involvement in the war
in Iraq.
The question is drawn from the popular Christian
novel entitled “In His Steps,” written by Charles
M. Sheldon and first published in 1897.
Sheldon wrote “In His Steps” to show to his
congregation what could happen to a church and
their community if its members would live based on
the principles of what Jesus would do in every
situation in life. Although a fictionalized
account, the book demonstrates powerfully what
could happen if Bible believing Christians would
“take up their cross and follow Jesus.”
What would Jesus do? is a relevant question even
though the war in Iraq is now a fait accompli. The
correct answer can only be found, however, by
understanding who Jesus was.
He was God.
He was the “I AM” of the Old Testament, the one who
gave Moses the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai.
He was the same God who told Noah, “From the hand
of every man's brother I will require the life of
man. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood
shall be shed; for in the image of God He made
man.”
He was the same God who explained in Deuteronomy,
“…If anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for
him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so
that he dies…[T]hen the elders of his city shall
send and bring him from there, and deliver him over
to the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may
die.”
And he was the same God who, throughout much of the
Old Testament sanctioned war against those nations
who threatened Israel’s national security.
This kind of rhetoric is anathema to religious
liberals who prefer to keep Jesus on the exegetical
leash of peacemaker while ignoring the larger
context of God’s complete revelation of himself in
both testaments.
Jesus did speak often of peace (“Blessed are the
peacemakers…My peace I leave with you…”) but he
also warned Peter after the zealous apostle cut off
the high priest’s ear, “All who take the sword will
perish by the sword.”
Jesus rarely directed his teachings toward anyone
other than individuals or small groups; his
disciples or the Pharisees for example.
Jesus was after the heart of man. His was a
one-on-one ministry. He only made token reference
to the government, reminding Christians that they
were to render to Caesar what was the emperor’s
just due.
Nothing Jesus taught contradicted Mosaic Law.
“Turning the other cheek” did not negate, “an eye
for an eye,” the former being an admonition to the
individual against exacting revenge, the latter, a
point of law emphasizing that it was the state’s
purview to exact justice.
Indeed Jesus was very explicit on this point,
stating, “Do not think that I came to destroy the
Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but
to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till
heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle
will by no means pass from the law till all is
fulfilled.”
The biblical concept of a just war was first
explained St. Augustine of Hippo, a 4th century
Church father. Augustine's conditions for just war
continue to influence Christian thinking today. The
conditions included the conflict being waged under
the authority of a ruler, the party undertaking the
war having the right intentions, the war being
waged by proper means and a nation's rights
violated by an actual or imminent attack. Other
points include the use of diplomacy to avert a war
and proportionate benefits of the outcome compared
to its foreseeable evils.
Clearly the US’s invasion of Iraq meets these
criteria: It has been waged under the authority of
the President of the United States, with the intent
to protect its own safety from attack by terrorists
while liberating an oppressed people from a
horrible dictator guilty of committing unspeakable
and recurrent atrocities. Diplomacy for the last
twelve years failed and the proportionate benefits
have already far exceeded even the most ebullient
expectations.
Those seeking God’s point of view regarding war
would benefit greatly from a survey course on both
the Old and New Testaments. A proper understanding
of who Jesus was is a pre-requisite for
understanding the answer to the question, “What
would Jesus do?”
Gregory
J. Rummo is a syndicated columnist. His website is
www.GregRummo.com
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