When Theologians Say War Is "Just and Necessary"

Okay, so I made a comment the other day that some Christian theologians are now saying we should go to war with Iraq. And it is true I said some are saying it is the moral thing to do, and that this war meets the demands of Christianity's "Just War" doctrine. The challenge I got was immediate and emotional: "Name me one legitimate Christian who supports Bush," he said. "I can't believe any Christian, let alone a knowledgeable theologian, would support what America is doing right now."

Well, I won't name one ... I'll name two. The first is Jean Bethke Elshtain, a protestant professor of social ethics at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Up until recently she hedged her support of war on Iraq, but now she sees war with Iraq as a Christian "just war", and says we have a Christian duty to defend the innocent, not only in our own country but elsewhere, too, including Iraq.

The second is a favorite of mine. He is Catholic and his name is Michael Novak. He was educated at Holy Cross and studied in Rome. He did his graduate studies in history and philosophy of religion at Harvard. He has taught at Union Theological Seminary, Stanford, Syracuse, and has written several books ... among them "The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism", a 1982 book, which is where I first learned of him. Michael Novak says going into Iraq is merely the "lawful conclusion" of the 1991 Gulf War, and that it would be imprudent for public authorities, who are morally responsible for protecting citizens from harm, to trust (and I quote here) "... the sanity and good will of Saddam Hussein." I accept the idea there are some Christians who believe war is wrong, no matter what, but in this real world there are other Christians who believe there are times when war is both just and necessary.

This is Gordon Sawyer, and may the wind always be at your back.