Christianity and Violence in the 21st Century

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We may be called as Christians to stand up against the darkness, even to the point that we lay down our own life

Christianity and Violence in the 21st Century

By Tyler DeMarre (Bio and Archives) Wednesday, May 1, 2013 Comments | Print friendly | Subscribe | Email Us

“Put your sword back in its place. For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” – Matthew 26:52. These are the words uttered by Christ Himself to Peter on the very night He was betrayed and sent to His death on the cross.

These words too are repeated again and again by many Christians in America today, as we discuss world events and the possibility of unprecedented persecution coming to our nation.

I am quite surprised of the same reaction I get frequently in my own congregation, where the vast majority are actually very conservative, gun-owning, freedom loving, educated individuals. It seems the moment we venture in our conversation towards the topic of hypothetical violence as a means of defending our loved ones and fellow Americans from those that despise Christian and true American values, we frequently get the same response. I am sure I’m not the only one that sees far too often a sudden knee-jerk reactionary statement along the lines of something like, “I believe God is in control, and it is not for us as Christians to draw our swords, but rather we should pray that God’s will be done.”

This is a noble concept, and I agree wholeheartedly that we should ALWAYS pray first, and pray constantly for God’s guidance and protection, but I also believe, and I know countless other Christians do as well, that at times it is quite necessary to eliminate darkness through force in order that Light can be brought into the world. Above everything else, we as Christians should look to God for His ultimate wisdom on all matters. We should study God’s word daily and take to heart everything that is written in it.

Throughout the Bible there are numerous examples of God actually commanding His followers to use violence as a means to further His glory, and simultaneously make the world a better place. Among the many examples, one can look through the countless instances where God directed the Israelites to destroy other nations. In one such example, King Saul was told to kill every Amalekite, including all men, women, and children. This may sound extremely harsh to us reading this in the 21st century, but ultimately Saul’s refusal to follow God’s orders brought suffering and death to the Jews, and almost resulted in their very destruction as a nation centuries later, through Haman, a descendent of the Amalekite king.

I know, I know, I’m referring to the Old Testament, and Christians today must rely on the risen Christ of the New Testament as our savior and Lord. I agree 100%. At the same time, however, we must remember that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and thus the God of the Bible commands us to fight when necessary with force to eliminate evil in our world even today. We must look at the Bible as a whole, while relying on God’s grace through Christ for our own salvation, but also to remember that the God of the Old Testament is the same Father that Jesus prayed to that very night in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Moving to more modern history, one can ask the same question of whether it is acceptable at times for us as Christians to accept violence as a means to make the world a better place. I use this phrase “make the world a better place” loosely, but ultimately the question we need to ask is, “Would Jesus bless us in the 21st century as He did the ancient Israelites to use force and shed blood in order for a better world to emerge?” I would argue that yes He would. If He wouldn’t, then why do we utter “God Bless America” or why do we constantly look at our nation’s history as one founded on Godly principles, if in fact God would have preferred we stay British and never have existed at all?

If God truly does not believe Christians should ever engage in violence, or never “draw the sword” then how do we justify our very existence as a nation founded on Christian principles, while the very formation of America would be impossible if not for the deaths of thousands in the Revolutionary War? Should we have never fought the British? Would the world be better off today if the USA had never been born? Additionally, would it have been the right thing to do for our nation, as a people overwhelmingly Christian in faith, a century and a half later to ignore fascism and tyranny during World War II?

In both cases, and many others as well, the obvious answer seems to be that we the people, a Christian people, were correct to stand up and fight. Why then is the answer not so obvious for many Christians today when asked the hypothetical question of what to do if we are attacked again on American soil? It is undoubtedly a difficult question for many, but we need to look at history and ask if ever it was necessary to shed blood, and whether doing so truly did result in bringing goodness and Light to the world in times of darkness.

Again I would like to quote our Lord and Savior as he spoke in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Are we willing to accept the fact that at times we may be called as Christians to stand up against the darkness, even to the point that we lay down our own life in battle for the sake of bringing Light into the world?