Rethinking EMU's Pacifism

On a campus where pacifism seems to be a staple, I think it's time we take a look at its validity both socially and biblically. Socially, I feel that pacifism has plenty of merits but is lacking in extreme cases. Examples would be Nazi Germany where Hitler would never have been stopped without force and Kosovo where American soldiers helped save the lives of many who would have been slaughtered.

While I don't really have a problem with those who adopt pacifism for social reasons, I do take issue with those who try to link it to the Bible. For example, read the passage written by Paul in his letter to the Romans in Chapter 13 which states, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established… but if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer."

It seems like God is coming down pretty heavily on the side of the government's right to use violent force. Those who join the police force or the military are no longer acting on their own behalf but on the behalf of the government.

But still many will point me back to the life of Jesus, so we will go there as well. In Matthew 21 Jesus violently overturns tables in the temple clearing out those whom he calls "robbers." Why would such a non-violent savior act this way?

Then we read of Jesus' interaction with a Centurion, a man over many soldiers, in Chapter 8 of Matthew. Jesus tells him that he had not found anyone in all of Israel with such great faith, which is probably not something he would have said if Jesus believed he was in sin by being a soldier. And if we go to the pinnacle of biblical arguments for pacifism, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us not to retaliate violently on the personal level, but never speaks concerning any sort of national level.

It is not necessarily my goal to convert anyone to my way of thinking. I want to challenge the thought that the Bible somehow stands firmly on the side of non-violence on the national scale. While we may never agree on this issue, it may be time to start rethinking pacifism.