Publisher's Synopsis
Jesus taught his disciples to love their enemies. Why then are there Christians serving in the military? How is it that they can go to war and kill when the Bible says, "Thou shalt not kill"? Paul once admonished, "You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men." Yet are not soldiers just that: bondservants of men? What is a "just war," and can there ever be such a thing? Was Jesus a pacifist? What exactly is a pacifist? These are just a few of the questions that are addressed in this book. Unfortunately, most Christians care little about these types of questions during times of peace. Written over a period of nearly a decade, the author uses the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, and America's subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as the backdrop for his personal essays on Christian conscientious objection to war. Though the book mostly examines the role played by Christians in America's most recent wars, it also looks closely at Christian involvement in past wars. Essays, lectures, newspaper articles, personal letters, public protests, and online postings come together within the pages of this book-all for the purpose of considering a subject which is all too often ignored within today's churches: a Christian's relationship to the State. Although the author is an American citizen, writing about America's twenty-first-century wars abroad, his message is universal and timeless - applicable in both times of war, and in times of peace.
