OPINION: Wars Are Never Holy
Christians of conscience cannot acquiesce to the instrumental use of God in building morale and winning a war. Rather, wrongs that deny Christian purpose should be met with positive action.
By Rev. Richard Cizik
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EVANGELICALS FOR DEMOCRACY
At a time when everyday Americans are reeling from the costs of the Iran war and making tough decisions about whether to pay for food or gas, thousands of people streamed onto the National Mall in Washington for a daylong prayer rally.
What did they pray for? An end to the war in the Middle East and Ukraine? Returning to a time when the United States was the beacon for the world in promoting freedom and democracy?
Sadly, the “Rededicate 250” rally, billed for the faithful as a “rededication of our country as One Nation Under God,” had a different focus. Blurring the lines between church and state, government officials and evangelical leaders framed America as a country founded to be explicitly Christian and reinterpreted patriotism as reaffirming this view. As House Speaker Mike Johnson, an evangelical, told the crowd, God has been “upon this nation since the very beginning.” Thus, the many Christians attending the rally prayed for power and inserting religion into federal policy – including the decision to go to war.
This view, that war is divinely sanctioned and that God is on the side of the U.S. military, has found a home in Christian nationalists like the so-called “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth. As the war began, he promised to give “no quarter” to the “barbaric savages” of the Iranian regime and called on the American people to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ.” Not long afterwards, he held a worship service at the Pentagon and prayed for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”
As an ordained Presbyterian minister, I too am an evangelical Christian. But I speak for the estimated two-thirds of Americans (64 percent), according to PRRI research, who reject Christian nationalism as a political ideology. Thus, I stand with James Talarico, a Texas state representative and candidate for U.S. Senate, who asserts that “there’s nothing Christian about Christian nationalism.”
What, then, should guide Christians worried about war and peace? Going back in history, one of my favorite writers, Halford E. Luccock of Yale Divinity School, who was a bold critic of war, famously said that if fascism ever came to the U.S., it would be wrapped in the flag and wrapped in religion. His message from the past resonates today: “Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the Lord of Life and not a minor subdivision of the Office of Civilian Defense.”
Now, Pope Leo XIV has taken up this message with a modern-day twist. He tells the faithful that “war is never holy; only peace is holy, because it is willed by God.”
Translating these words into actions, Christians of conscience cannot acquiesce to the instrumental use of God in building morale and winning a war. Rather, wrongs that deny Christian purpose should be met with positive action.
What does this mean? One immediate action is for people of faith to say no to the Iran war by calling for passage of the “War Powers” resolution in the House of Representatives after the Memorial Day recess. Already, the Senate has voted to pass the resolution and only a handful of votes are needed in the House. Even if the President doesn’t sign the measure, it will be a strong message that the majority of Americans – 66 percent in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll – want a peaceful end to the war, even if not all goals of the administration are met.
Peace-loving Christians also have a role to play in responding to violence in America. This starts when preachers stop calling down hellfire on those who disagree with them. Likewise, Christians, whether they support or oppose the administration’s strict immigration policies, have a moral purpose to insist on lawful processes, reject the use of dehumanizing language, and demand that immigrants are treated with dignity.
Indeed, the world is a sick place, with warmongers aiming to divide and weaken us. Sooner or later, they will “sit down to a banquet of consequences,” to quote Robert Louis Stevenson. Meanwhile, the cure depends on recognizing the infection and courageously considering what in the providence of God might shape a world more nearly towards peace, which is in accord with the divine will.
Rev. Richard Cizik is Executive Director of Evangelicals for Democracy, which brings together people of faith—Republicans, Democrats and Independents of all walks of life — who believe that as Americans, we are stronger and more resilient together than when we are divided.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
