Spirited debates arise every time the United States has engaged in war during the 21st century. Given the reflexive positions Americans often take during those times of high emotion, one might ask: Is there a rigorous way to consider the question whether to engage in war or not, or should Christians be pacifists in every situation?
This question first occupied the minds of Christian theologians in the 4th Century AD, when Christianity became a tolerated, and later the official, religion of the Roman Empire. This theological train of thought continues to the present day, with advocates both Christian (especially Catholic) and non-Christian. This branch of ethics goes under the name Just War Theory.
While there is no official list of Just War principles to be considered in the decision to make war, known as the Jus ad bellum (Latin for “The right to war”) principles, the following list is generally accepted by theorists:
Properly declared by the ruler(s) with a declaration of war (or equivalent) describing the reasons for the war. This prevents needless marauding by stateless characters (e.g. pirates) and can form a basis of setting conditions for an eventual peace.
Just cause: The war is being fought due to a serious breach of the peace or of justice.
Right intention: The war is not being fought to aggrandize the nation by the motives of territorial acquisition or riches.
Just peace: The goal of the war is the restoration of peace, not as a prelude to further war.
Reasonable chance of success: The nation must have a feasible ability to achieve its war aims.
Last resort: This principle is not a matter of timing. Rather it refers to the exhaustion of other means of war such as diplomacy and sanctions. The decision for war is necessary because the other means to resolve the injustice have failed.
Proportionality: The expected war must not produce disorders worse than the evil to be eliminated.
There is another set of principles known as the Jus in bello (“Law in war”). Unlike the Jus ad bellum principles, these have been codified in international agreements since the mid-19th century, forming a body of international law known as the Law of War.
The United States is a signatory to these agreements and American servicemembers receive varying degrees of training on the Law of War.
The Just War Theory may seem a bloodless and abstract way to think about a subject that is among the worst impulses of the human race. However, Catholicism defines the conscience as a judgment of reason whereby the person recognizes the moral quality of an action.
It lies within reason, not fickle emotion. Human beings have the opportunity to make better moral decisions when they are better educated on the good, which Christians acknowledge to be from the living God.
May God protect us all from the scourge of war!
Rev. Michael Hendrickson is a native of Morgan Hill and pastor of Saint Mary Church in Gilroy. He is a member of the Interfaith Clergy Alliance.
