I was mildly complaining at another blog that in his new book on Evil and the Justice of God, N. T. Wright never mentions if he thinks there is anything like just war. If he does, I haven’t found the passage. Wright does criticize the actions of the U.S. and Britain following the attacks of 9/11 as wrong-headed reactions to what certainly was evil.
Because that’s where Wright begins his book, and because he pushes the point that evil cannot be destroyed by bombs and military prowess, I waited for him to throw in a caveat that mentioned something like World War II or someone like, say, Hitler. He doesn’t. And so I wondered.
Anyway, more recently, I did come across a short article where Wright explains his conviction that even violence can be morally justified. He also mentions his belief that what is really needed is a “strong United Nations” that can either be or can sanction “a credible international police force.”
It’s an understatement to say that for most people in the United States, that last part sounds impossible and ludicrous. On the other hand, I certainly agree with his point that the U.S. and Britain simply cannot act as a “credible police force in the world, especially in the Middle East.”
It only takes a couple of minutes to read the article. So take a look and tell me what you think.
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3 comments:
One more example of how theologians should not be exemplars of foreign policy. I am not one to say that Christians should exempt themselves from the political process. I have found talking politics to be too divisive. It is just not worth being at odds with other Christians on a political level when there is a bigger picture out there.
I have always tended to think that WWII is not an example of how evil can be defeated by force, but how the peace that ensued was due to how lessons were learned from the end of WWI. Rather than punishing the defeated (as happened after WWI and gave birth to WWII) peaceful actions such as the Marshall Plan kept us from reaping a WWIII out of the violence of WWII.
I agree with J. Ellul that peace never comes out of war. War creates war, and peace creates peace.
We have foolishly thought that if we hit back hard enough, our enemies will stop hitting us.
In the history of civilization, including Biblical history, with rare exceptions, (I can't recall any), times of peace come after war.
The use of force (Killing the enemy and breaking their stuff) usually comes before peace.
Of course Jesus will bring real everlasting peace to the new earth at sometime in the future. Depending on your view of future things, even then war will come before lasting peace.
Do I like war? Absolutely not. Can men of good conscience sit by and watch evil men murder, rape, and destroy? History says no.
As for Wright's works, I prefer Piper and others.
Grace and Peace,
Royce Ogle
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