tell me what you think. [dana's response]

I thought a devout Christian could fight in the military and still hold true to the teachings of Christ. But after reading a thesis by Lester Leroy Neff (May 1962) cleverly titled "Should a Christian Fight?" (LINK) I am changing my opinion on it. I would like to share a little bit of his 82 page thesis.

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"Mankind must put an end to war -- or war will put an end to mankind." (This shocking statement was made in 1962 at an address to the United Nations assembly by President Kennedy.) He also stated that we are living in times of "maximum danger." And we will continue under that maximum world danger for years to come. Our world is no longer a safe place in which to live. Into such a world we have all been born. We cannot ignore the facts. We cannot and must not shake off or minimize the danger. We can only face the situation daily and overcome it.
Under these dangerous conditions, what should a young man do? Will joining the military service help bring pace? Will it bring the Kingdom of God to this earth? Should the Christian take part in men's worldly efforts to try to bring the world peace? What did Jesus Christ instruct His followers to do? These are all vital questions which every Christian should face head on and answer honestly in these insecure times.

Early Christian Teaching

A person reading the teachings of Jesus cannot reconcile He teachings regarding love and kindness to neighbor with the violent and bloody wars which many millions of "Christians" have participated in. No wonder there is confusing and uncertainty regarding Christianity today! We will see plainly that early Christianity started off in a far different manner than it is being practice in most professing Christian communities today. The period of history covered in this will only cover the beginning of Christ's ministry in A.D. 27 to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. (pg. 19)

Christ's Teachings

"Blessed are the peacemakers..." (Matt. 5:9). Peace is exactly the opposite of violence and war. Anyone involved in violence and destruction cannot be under God's diving blessing. The sword of war does not bring peace! Christ showed that the true Christian is one who will be persecuted (Matt. 5:10-12) for the sake of righteousness, but he will not become angry and take up arms against other individuals or other nations who many be angry with him or his country. Instead he will take it patiently and not strike back.

Love Your Enemies

Christ taught that we are not to hat our enemies (Matt 5:43). How can one kill in war and not hate? Any good solider will tell you that you have to hate in order to be a good solider. How can any carnal human say that they can kill others in love? To make such a statement is to distort and pervert all scripture concerning real Christian love. It is exactly opposite from a good dictionary definition of love.

New Testament Teaches Against Fighting

(All of the verses from Romans 13 unless it is typed next to it). "We must obey God rather than men."(Acts 5:29) We should first of all obey God in all things as defined in scripture. Then we should be subject to the law and to these powers. To be subject does not mean the same as obeying! We should show proper deference and respect to these rulers who have been put over us. "Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due." (v.7).

The next verse includes the commandment: "Thou shall not kill." This should make it obvious that if the state or higher power require the Christian to fight and kill, he cannot. The Christian is further instructed on this same point to be subject to the powers that be, and to be ready for every good work (Tit. 3:1). He should be gentle, meek; not fighting or brawling.

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This is just touching the surface of the iceberg. I had much more I could say but would make this post forever long. So if you are interested in what else Lester Leroy Neff has to say on this subject read his thesis. LINK.