All Comments for: Our Teachable Moment | Christianity Today

Free Newsletters:

RSS Feeds |

Audio |

Twitter

Home > 2007 > September

Christianity Today, September, 2007 |

DO LIKEWISE

Our Teachable Moment

The Iraq war calls for some serious rethinking by Christians.

David. P. Gushee | posted 9/26/2007 08:50AM

This month the President will receive reports from commanders in the field about whether the troop surge in Iraq is accomplishing its goals. Until now, he has resisted calls to reconsider his strategy ...

[Reader Reviews]

Average User Rating:

Rate and Comment on this article

Displaying 1 - 25 of 59 comments.

Page: 1 2 3

Show All

Kirk Peffers

Posted: October 04, 2007 4:40 PM


No need to "rethink just-war theory." A competent assessment before this war would have told you in advance not to do Iraq.

Emily D. Thrush

Posted: October 01, 2007 3:09 PM


Thank you for this thoughtful article. It shows wisdom and humility to re-think a position that is so nationally contested and has so many powerful emotions connecting the issue with Christians across the political spectrum. Gushee's points are strongly reasoned and biblically grounded. We would do well to listen.

Tesfatadelle

Posted: October 01, 2007 10:19 AM

Second guessing is not a strategy and has become a National past time. Are we all trying to encourage each other to pray? Or do we find it easy to sharpen our pens to write rather than be on our knees? After all the Bible does say, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases" Proverbs 21:1. Where is our emphasis? I am no Adam Smith, but I believe the "Invisible Hand" does guide us if we so request it per Jer 33:3 or 29:11-14

Pastor JCG

Posted: October 01, 2007 9:31 AM

The healthy tensions of scripture should always require us to thoughtfully, prayerfully evaluate something as sobering as "war support" in any context. Hearkening back to the time when the drums of war were beating loudly I remember being convinced that war was necessary because of WMD being used to annihilate the innocent (whether potentially Americans, or actually Iraquis). The average consumer of news is certainly less capable then the average American politcian of assessing the existence and use of WMD around the world. When politicians appeared to have supported this cause in a bi-partisan fashion I must admit I felt all too certain of the wars' justification. I hardly fault the Christian community for jumping to too quick conclusions about war given the information we were receiving at the time. I do have a healthy commitment to the depravity of all politicians both Republican, Democrat, etc., but I also recognize the common limitations on the information we receive.

Tim	Posted: September 29, 2007 12:06 AM

Thank you for the article. I'm not sure if we are propperly considering these scriptures in our responses. I agree that Jesus is much larger than a non-violence advocate, but in driving out the tax collectors, he wasn't acting out of self-defense or revenge; he was zealously defending the Holiness of God's Temple. Matt 24:6 reassures that God is with us through all and wars before The End shouldn't frighten us; but how troubled should we be about starting the wars ourselves? 1Th5:3 warns us that especially in The End evil people will try to placate us with promises of peace and safety, but can we advocate peace in those times without falling in with those people? And obeying governmental leaders is complex in a democracy: we are the government as much as we are its subjects, and therefore hold both responsibilities at once. I think there are times when Christians in a fallen world must fight just wars. But God, please help us to consider such choices with fear and trembling - amen.

Barbara

Posted: September 28, 2007 10:02 AM

This war was not "sold" to the America people as an effort to free the oppressed. It was "sold" on the basis of protecting our nation from WMDs that did not exist. Then from Al Qaeda ties that were never proven. When those strategies failed, the new positioning was regime change (though there were plenty of other sovereign nations whose regimes could afford a change, like North Korea). And, in the most cynical twist of all, the war was flip-flopped yet again as "Operation Iraqi Freedom." And if I am considered unpatriotic, then people have forgotten that part of our essential freedom is the right to speak our minds. Any attempt to silence dissent is the voice of the oppressor.

Stanley Johnsen

Posted: September 28, 2007 9:17 AM

There are numerous problems with Gushee's analysis. The two most glaring are its superficiality in assessing the situation in Iraq/middle east and his casual generalizations from scripture. Americans are tired of Iraq. But Americans weary at McDonalds. An evil man has been deposed and punished. An attempt to do good for a people is being harassed by men intent on evil. Should we feel bad and repent? No. Scripture seems more remarkable for what God doesn't say about war than what he does. Is God chagrined with Sadaam's departure? I doubt it. Yes we should repent, but our repentence should be that of Isaiah as we stand before God, not before public opinion. Isa. 6:5

Tom Richards

Posted: September 28, 2007 1:08 AM

As much as I would like to agree with Mr. Gushee, all of the writing that emphasizes that Jesus' commitment to nonviolence ignore Jesus' response to seeing the money-changers in the temple - he drove them out with a whip in a fit of rage, which hardly qualifies as non-violence. Gushee would strengthen his argument a great deal if he would acknowledge this other side of Jesus, and explain why he feels it does not apply to this situation, and not try to reduce Jesus to a one-dimensional prophet of non-violence. By the way, whatever the war was about it was certainly not about oil. Bush is an oil-man - he knew that the easiest way to get Iraq's oil was to buy it from Hussein, who would have been happy to sell. The war predictably destroyed most of the country's oil infrastructure, and the insurgency has taken care of the rest, making most of Iraq's oil inaccessible to anyone, including the U.S. If all Bush wanted was Iraq's oil, he could have pushed the UN into lifting sanctions.

David.

Posted: September 27, 2007 9:33 PM

This article is right on. How could anyone disagree with this? Does anyone read a Bible anymore? Or do we just love our country and President more than Jesus and Scripture? "War on terror?" How's that working out? There is more violcence now then before. Violence and killing is not the answer to violence and killing--at least not in the teachings of Jesus. It has nothing to do with "liberal" or "conservative" or the media. The war is a disaster any way you look at it. Jesus is weeping and we should be too. God bless America? Why? We are not worthy. We should be glad our God is a gracious God--unlike many Christians who claim to follow Him. God save us from our love of country more than our love for Him.

Lyle	Posted: September 27, 2007 8:38 PM

In this "Christian" descussion of the war, I am reminded of a US News Report letter to the editor of earlier this year. After reading "Moving On," I couldn't help but wonder what our country would be like if after 9/11 we and our leaders had followed a similar course of forgiveness. I applaud the Amish people of Nickel Mines, Pa., and truly hope that these fellow Americans can teach the rest of us by their fine example. JIM MYRON Bethel Park, Pa. US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT LETTERS TO EDITOR APRIL 23, 2007

Brian

Posted: September 27, 2007 6:48 PM

Thank you, David, for risking such an article for a readership that you knew would probably be less than hospitable. It is very important for the readers of CT and the broader US Evangelical community to experience broader perspectives than those which we have unfortunately fallen into. I grew up calling myself an evangelical, but dropped the while an MDiv student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary because it was becoming so politicized. I am saddened by those who assume that a spiritual descriptor can be used to determine public policy on any number of issues, often at the expense of critical thinking and sound judgment. Thank you again for presenting your new perspective--it demonstrates more willingness to admit change than many of us are willing to admit.

Candace

Posted: September 27, 2007 12:17 PM

It's about time evangelicals woke up to how naive they were to blindly support a corrupt government who lied us into this horrible war. I hope this means evangelicals will be more thoughtful when that same corrupt government comes asking for support to attack Iran. Jesus never told us to attack or make war against anyone. There is no such thing as a "just-war." All war, all killing is wrong. Our actions must all be based on love - of God, neighbor and self. When we finally get Jesus' message there will be no more war.

Virginia Douglas

Posted: September 27, 2007 11:17 AM

Who needs more opinion on this? Time will tell whether our NATIONAL response to the threat of Islamic jihadists was wise. I don't hear a lot of wisdom in our debates in Congress or elsewhere. What we might do is renew our acquatintaince with the Prophets and repent that our Nation has turned its back on God--we have blood on our skirts! (Jer 2:33-35) We might urge our members to be at least as wise as the Red Cross and prepare our families and communities. Pray, Train and Serve. Less talking and more Samaritan service! Let's repent of our intellectural pride and humble ourselves before our God.

Alan Paul

Posted: September 27, 2007 8:36 AM


This is an anti-war author who did not write from a neutral standpoint. Therefore he is to be ignored. While there is most likely some individual repentance necessary (who among us is without sin?), millions of suffering innocent people in Iraq under the despot Hussein justified the war even if it was oil for money.

Robert

Posted: September 27, 2007 8:30 AM

God Bless you and your default setting of "No". I do mean that. But, by the same token, I hope you are enlightened enough to understand that this is an ideological showdown of epic proportions. It is not new. It is not easy. And it is not going away. I wonder if you lived in Israel if you would be so dismissive of pro-action. I wonder if you were huddled into an attic in the ghettos of Warsaw if you would be so aptt to condemn the actions of our country. And, God forbid, I hope you never have to find out on our soil, and far too late, that more action NOT less was necessary.

Vickie

Posted: September 27, 2007 8:16 AM

What an excellent and insightful article. Finally, a reasoned argument for Christians that do not support preemptive war. So many of us were more than willing to believe that the Administration had an insight into Iraq that we did not have due to security. Now we know that was not true. Therefore, the need to adequately question future leaders before supporting war is all the more imperative. Thank you Mr. Gushee for placing this into Biblical perspective.

alanps

Posted: September 27, 2007 6:49 AM

A good article - congrats CT for sticking your neck out. Worth noting that few conservatives outside of the US - supported this war, it's all too easy to label this a liberal vs conservative thing - it was not - and both sides remain divided. Was it a mistake - weil personally I think it was a disaster and all the evidence seems to support that view. However as Christians I think we need to take responsibility for this folly - we supported it - and we are responsible for sorting it out. I am not saying that we need to commit to a lifelong troop presence - but frankly the horror that is Iraq is largely of our making (yes I know all about Saddam!) and we have a responsibility - a Christian responsibility to honor that. Fighting for some nebulous victory seems to be as pointless as the cut and run mentality gaining popularity with congress - there needs to be mediation, prayer and a a plan - one agreed to by those impacted (on all sides - Sunni/Shitte/Kurd).

BMH	Posted: September 27, 2007 6:28 AM


A good article that doesn't go far enough. The 'post-biblical' status of just-war theory is enough for me to abandon it. While war may sometimes being good and necessary from the perspective of the state, it can never be Christian and should therefore never receive our support. The kingdoms of the world belong to Satan (Luke 4:5-7). There is no such thing as a holy war.

Bethany

Posted: September 27, 2007 5:58 AM

As an evangelical Christian/pro-life Democrat, I opposed the war from the beginning and was horrified to see so many fellow believers "gung ho" for war. My secular friends, rightly or wrongly, learned that Christians are "pro-war" "pro-torture", and seemed to value American lives over all others, based on media coverage of evangelicals. Even today many of my Christian friends seem to place little to no value on the lives of Iraqi citizens, and see them all as the enemy, rather than equals in God's eyes - "neither Jew nor Greek". Whatever their Biblical reasons, this has deeply hurt the perception of Christians here and around the world. Sigh. However, I believe as always that God is Sovereign and can bring good out of even all this.

Billy

Posted: September 26, 2007 9:45 PM

Wow Geoff (part2) You said that “you are continually amazed by the number of Christians who seems to think that just because our president has professed faith in Christ, that means we should support his decisions regarding the ward, regardless of the outcome.” I am continually amazed at your arrogant condescension – because I never inferred or said anything supporting of the president in that manner. You judged me. Please look at the log in your eye before you seek to take the speck out of mine. And your final point, a proper reading of Romans 13 is in order. Romans 13:1 is still the same – The congress voted to proceed with this war. The president did not make the decision by himself. Therefore submit to the government, quit bashing the president, vote for someone else next time, and pray that God will direct the path of this country. Remember it could be much worse - we could be being "led" by Al Gore.

Billy

Posted: September 26, 2007 9:40 PM

Wow Geoff (part 1 of 2), I didn't know something was wrong with being indignant about something. I didn’t know being indignant about something unrighteous was a sin. Dearest brother please forgive me. Your arrogant condescension smells as bad as Gushee’s liberal dribble. First, you stated “David Gushee is simply offering a perspective on war and peace that is grounded in the Scriptures and supported by common sense.” If his argument is so grounded in Scripture – where is his exegesis? Obviously I missed it – we must not have been reading the same article. Your condescension is at it’s height by inferring that anyone not agreeing with Gushee does not have common sense. Arrogance is not even knowing when you are full of pride.

Michele M.

Posted: September 26, 2007 9:38 PM


Gene, have you considered what the Iraqi people may understand about Christ and His followers based upon the "witness" of a preemptive war waged by a self-admitted "born-again believer" and backed by his base of "evangelicals"? Is this real evangelism? Or socio-political propaganda? How does one separate real life from real evangelism? The answer: with propaganda.....

Scott

Posted: September 26, 2007 9:07 PM

Well said. This war has taken a bad situation and made it much worse. A petty dictatorship has been replaced by an unstable non-government and has created a terroristic threat where none had previously existed. It has diverted resources from a justifiable war (the war on terror) to one with no moral underpinnings. Money that could have been used for disaster relief, for feeding the poor, for providing for the widows and the fatherless has been wasted on guns and bombs.

Stan Baldwin

Posted: September 26, 2007 6:38 PM

Excellent article. Elective war is madness. World War II was necessary, but preemptive war is profoundly antiChristian. Jesus taught we should be willing to die for him. Too many Christians are much more willing to kill "for him." To launch a war because the opponent might attack us (as we did in Iraq) is a sin and a tragedy. It's like killing your neighbor because you fear he may kill you. Short of an actual attack on you, such action on your part would result in a charge of murder against you, and it should.

Jim Hofford

Posted: September 26, 2007 6:15 PM

Mr. Gushee's call for more Christian discernment before using military solutions (eg., invasion of Iraq)) is indeed worth national review and prayer. A fair appraisal would admit: (1) evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was supported by reliable Israeli and Jordanian intelligence sources and seemed to justify a 2003 coalition invasion; (2) the dictator Saddam Hussein was supporting some terrorism agains Iraqis, Israel & the US; after his regime was quashed and the first ever free elections for a new regime, Hussein was fairly tried and executed. However, our review must also face the cost to country & Christianit* : despite those seminal acts of democracy building, we have been a major cause of terrorist recruiting in the mid-east; several million Iraqis are now in the refugee, injured or killed category. Therefore, let us relearn the lesson of Vietnam: no nation should attempt to build a democracy during a civil war. -Jim H (Boston Globe Vietnam 1966)

Page: 1 2 3

E-mail this page

Write CT

Print this article

Post a comment