Over the last ten centuries, Nikolaikirche—a Protestant church in Eisenach, Germany—has witnessed its share of war and civil strife, dictators and destruction. But this year, in the encroaching darkness of early autumn, its Romanesque stone arches are bathed in candlelight, emanating from stations set up to invite visitors to pause and say a prayer—for peace, for an end to violence, for reconciliation.
The event, held annually in conjunction with the Community of the Cross of Nails and the Coventry Cathedral in England, reminds participants of Jesus’ emphasis on reconciliation and of Christian convictions around finding diplomatic solutions to serious conflicts, said Gabriele Phieler, a pastor and retired superior of a Protestant social welfare organization located next door to the Nikolaikirche.
Questions of war and peace are never easy, especially when European nations are increasing their military capabilities, acquiring more advanced weaponry, and boosting defense spending. In the last month, the continent has witnessed continued and intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine, which have killed civilians and damaged infrastructure. Europe is responding by bolstering its own defenses and considering new, controversial strategies like using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s military needs.
Given the fear of further Russian aggression, some German Christians want to do more to protect the country. But tonight, as the flicker of flames plays across centuries-old walls where Christians have gathered in times of turmoil and reconciliation alike, Phieler hopes attendees will simply come together to pray and trust in God for peace.
Over their history, European churches have blessed armies and supported wars in the name of God. At the same time, a countertradition of Christian pacifism has persisted. From Anabaptists, Mennonites, and Quakers in the 16th and 17th centuries to the Catholic peace group Pax Christi after World War II, various believers in Europe have argued that following Christ means rejecting violence.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has brought that tradition under strain. Eastern European nations like Poland, Estonia, or Romania worry about future aggression. The region’s pacifist networks are now urging negotiation and reconciliation while others traditions insist on military support, reviving an old European argument over what Christian peacemaking really looks like.
Public debates reveal a polarized landscape. Initiatives opposing arms shipments to Ukraine, led by figures such as Left populist German politician Sahra Wagenknecht and journalist Alice Schwarzer, draw support from some Christian pacifists.
But others once committed to peace feel Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is prompting Christian pacifists to rethink what it means to pursue peace.
“We are simply faced with naked aggression. There must be some sort of deterrence. To keep the peace, we need security guarantees,” said Christian ethicist Alexander Maßmann.
Through his popular column Evangelisch Kontrovers, Maßmann has acknowledged the harsh realities that challenge idealistic pacifism. Maßmann, who once opposed military buildup, now sees deterrence as a moral necessity. “The international situation is not what we thought it would be,” he said. “We are simply faced with naked aggression.
“To keep the peace, we need security guarantees—and rearmament is helpful in that sense,” Maßmann said.
Looking back in recent decades, Germany’s Protestants, particularly under the leadership of Margot Käßmann, former chair of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), had leaned toward a more pacifist stance.
Käßmann advocated for diplomacy and nonviolence, calling for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine and an end to arms deliveries. She stressed that “God is not a party to war” and warned that growing militarization poses a threat to the future.
Yet in recent years, Russian aggression has prompted some within the church to reconsider. While Käßmann and like-minded voices continue to emphasize restraint, other Protestant leaders argue that refusing military assistance could leave civilians exposed to violence.
This tension illustrates a broader reassessment: Pacifism remains a guiding principle, but some see armed support as a practical necessity at times. The challenge, they say, is balancing historical commitments to peace with urgent demands for protection.
Maßmann points to the 2007 German church memorandum, which neither endorsed categorical pacifism nor unqualified just war theory—it contended instead that “military action can be justified under certain circumstances, yet it remains sinful.” Advocates like Maßmann suggest this approach allows Christians to navigate modern security dilemmas without abandoning a moral commitment to peace.
Across contemporary Europe, citizens find their ethical convictions challenged by geopolitical realities.
Maßmann said people fear that some form of a military-industrial complex might arise, making it harder to bring the long-term view of peace back into the frame and leaving Christians and citizens alike to weigh the costs of both action and inaction.
He worries that Christians could lose sight of their theological foundations. “It would be sobering if we had to surrender to realpolitik,” Maßmann warned. Instead of rejecting all force, he urged pacifists to consider “how we make those things serve peace and law in the longer run.” For now, that might mean choosing rearmament and war.
Even so, Maßmann cautioned against unchecked militarization. “There’s a real danger that a military-industrial complex might arise,” he said. The challenge for Christians, he added, is to keep any buildup under democratic control—and to “keep the vision of peace alive in our debates.”
The German Evangelical Alliance (EAD) has not yet commented on German arms deliveries to Ukraine. In a Q&A on the alliance’s website, its recently appointed political commissioner, Johann Matthies, said though he is personally committed to pacifism, he has never gone so far that he wanted to see the German military disarmed.
Rather, he said the crucial question Christians must ask in a time of rearmament and potential war is whether they themselves will “carry a sword”—either by serving the military or by voting for political platforms that promote rearmament. That question, Matthies said, is a matter of personal conscience. “Everyone must answer this question for themselves in conversation with God.”
While advocating for international diplomacy, Matthies said that failing to do everything possible for Ukraine’s air defense is not only “politically shortsighted,” but also, to Ukrainians under attack, quite “cynical.”
For Micael Grenholm, however, pacifism remains the only biblical—and practical—response to the specter of further European conflict.
A Swedish Pentecostal scholar and peace advocate, Grenholm works with Pentecostals and Charismatics for Peace and Justice, a movement that promotes nonviolence and conscientious objection.
Grenholm’s position stems from Gospel directives to love enemies and turn the other cheek. “I didn’t really argue with the text,” he said. “That’s how I became a pacifist.”
Grenholm said his conviction grew through the study of early Christianity, where figures such as Tertullian, Origen, and Justin Martyr emphasized nonviolence and refusal to join the Roman military. That tradition, he argues, sits alongside contemporary studies that argue violence is costly and nonviolent action is more effective.
Acknowledging the “naked aggression” Maßmann believes demands a response from pacifists, Grenholm also sees a place for noncooperation, sabotage, and other resistance that “doesn’t involve violence against human beings.” A Spanish study documented over 200 examples of nonviolent actions during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that helped slow its progress and prevent an all-out capitulation by Kyiv.
Bolstered by his faith and such studies, Grenholm frames Christian pacifism as a “principled, effective, and Christ‑centered” form of resistance.
“Jesus isn’t telling his followers to give up in the face of oppression or military violence,” he said, “but pointing to another way that is a stronger, more successful force in opposing evil.”
