I have been thinking about this topic on and off for years. About a week ago it was rekindled in me again because I read an old article with the title: “The righteous war is not a Christian thought” by Pascal Andreasson in the Christian news paper “Dagen”. I found the article so stupid that I almost blew my fuse.

It tried to give a short history lesson about how these ideas of just war did not exist before Emperor Constantine, who was said to have married the church to power and corrupted it (typical restorationism, in other words). Such a clueless and self-righteous view.

Pascal tried to contrast the idea that sometimes it is right to fight with “the Bible” (probably) totally unaware that this “corrupt church” (from Constantine to the Great Awakening) is the only reason that he even heard of Jesus and that he now has a Bible with which to attack the great minds of church history.

It also seems that Pascal forgot the fact that the Old Testament was the Bible of Jesus and His apostles. Jesus did not base his teaching on the four gospels or the epistles of the apostles. Just as we understand the Old Testament in the light of the New, we must read the New Testament in the context of the Old.

I am sure that if pagan Rome had developed until today and there was no Catholic Church, Western civilization would be something very different from the world around us. It would not be like a secular post-Christian world as it looks like when humanist philosophy grew out of Christianity.

If so, forget about equality, forget about the concept of compassion, solidarity and fair trade, forget about the brotherhood of man. Say goodbye to human rights and the principles of our legal system.

Those men who first gathered at Nicaea by decree of Constantine, where some say the Church died, knew the price of their confession. I wager that none of us are worthy even to untie their sandals; we stand on the shoulders of giants.

Pascal responded to earlier articles on the subject of just war and rejected the idea held by Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants alike: the idea that Christians can be soldiers.

It goes like this: when the soldiers came to John the Baptist and asked him what they should do, he did not tell them to stop being soldiers, he told them not to abuse their power for gain.

And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

Luke 3:14

Ergo, stopping being a soldier is not part of repentance.

As if that would make any difference, Pascal pointed out that these soldiers had a police function (however he thinks he knows that).

My eyes almost pop out every time I see a person who is unable to see that soldiers and police are just two sides of the same thing: protecting borders from being violated. Either borders around empires or borders drawn on the moral map. To protect against enemies, foreign and domestic. One fights the foreign (soldiers) and the other the domestic (police). Also, how would the police have a defined jurisdiction in which to operate without the soldiers? The soldiers protect the country where the law upheld by the police is valid.

The idea that the law is the servant of God and that God’s people should not serve the law is beyond me. It is like saying, “Let us ask the children of wrath to do God’s work and keep the peace. That is not fit for God’s people. Yes, let us give all the guns to the people who we know are not fit to handle them”. Where do such ideas come from?

If Christian equals pacifist, and if Christians should have no power in this world (because we are “of another kingdom”), and if we should not uphold the law or peace or political order, then explain what Joseph did in Egypt, what Daniel and his friends did in Babylon, and why Esther was Queen of Persia.

Let us look at more recent history to learn from it: When William Penn and his Quakers founded Pennsylvania, they had no laws because they argued, “A child of the light is a law unto himself and needs no laws, for he has no desire to do evil”. It worked pretty well until others moved in. Ordinary people who were not “a law unto themselves”.

The Quakers had to realize that they needed a law, but who would enforce it? None of them wanted to use violence. Let’s ask others who don’t mind violence to keep the peace. News flash: If you don’t mind using violence, you will most likely use it. But you are not suited for the job.

The problem for us with asking others to do the “dirty work” is that we are called with the Great Commission – to go out and make disciples of all nations.

So let’s say for the sake of argument that politics, military, police and security work is beneath the Christian, what do we then do with this passage:

1 First of all, then, I ask that requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be made for all people. 2 Pray for kings and everyone who is in authority so that we can live a quiet and peaceful life in complete godliness and dignity. 

1 Tim 2:1-2

So what do we want from our intercession? For them to fulfill our purpose and make our lives good on their way to hell? I mean, we want them in their position, and if they get saved, we have to tell them to quit their jobs. We can’t afford that.

Christ was sacrificed for us, He did it for our salvation. But we want them to do it too, just for our comfort, with no hope of resurrection on the third day and to their own damnation?

It goes on:

3 This is right, and it pleases God our savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

1 Tim 2:3-4

Oh, it looks like God wants them to be saved. Damn, that messes up our plans.

So what do we do? Pray for their salvation so that they leave their position? Then start again with “praying for the next king” until he, unfortunately, also quits his job to join us?

My conclusion is this:

1. If a job needs to be done, a Christian can do it.
2. If a Christian cannot do the job, it does not need to be done.

I challenge you to test these two questions on any job you can think of:

1. Could a Christian do it?
2. Do we really need it?

My hope is that you will conclude that:

1. Christians can be police, soldiers, judges, supervisors, etc. And that if you are not against the death penalty, a Christian can be the executioner.
2. That we can actually survive in a world without strippers, porn stars, prostitutes, mediums, and abortionists.

In His Service / Karl the Swede