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Title: The Virtue of War. Reclaiming the Classic Christian Traditions East and West.

Author: Alexander F.C. Webster and Darrell Cole

Format: Paperback, 252 pages

Publisher: Regina Orthodox Press (February 2004)

ISBN: 1928653170

Review Date: March 26th, 2007

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Those who know me have often heard me say, "I'm not a pacifist, I'm a Christian."  It is part of my flare for the slightly dramatic to make make a point.  If I lived during the Old Testament times, I probably could have been a prophet on the level of Jeremiah because of all the ridiculous things I say and do to make a point.  As my comments have been getting me in more and more discussions about social justice at the university that I used to attend and now occasionally minister at, I got this book to buff up on some of my arguments.

Now, the way the two authors start the book out is rather hard hitting.  They come right out and say that the war in Afghanistan and Iraq are justified wars, and then basically allude to the fact that if we go to war with Iran and Syria those would be justified wars also.  Nothing like bringing out the fire works for an opening statement.  It made me a little uneasy because I wondered how many who were more "liberal" in their war thinking would continue reading that book at that point.  I just want to tell you that they do back up all their claims though.  They pull on the full range of Jewish and Christian history to make their case.

There are several important points they talk about.  One, if we view war as a lesser evil, we are accepting that the ends justifies the means.  They point out this is inconsistent with Christian morality.  We can never make a deal with the Devil the further the Kingdom of Heaven.

Two, for those of you who are classically trained, on page 138 they say: "War and peace can be either good or bad for the common good.  The virtue of love compels the Christian to exercise prudence in judging when war is called for, and to exercise courage and self-control in making decisions to go to war and in fighting.  War is not a vice.  War is not necessarily opposed to Charity.  Peace in not a virtue, and those who make an idol out of peace often find themselves supporting a political order that is not worth preserving.  St. Thomas follows St. Augustine in conceiving peaces as the tranquility of order that all things desire.  War is one means to this peace.  This bears repeating.  Because true peace can only concern the good. peace is not a virtue in itself.  Peace can be both pleasing to God (a just peace) or displeasing to God (an unjust peace).  Just citizens should keep the peace and fight just wars (when necessary) because these are meritorious acts of Charity."

Three, they argue that pacifist deconstructionism has pulled the Gospels, and the Sermon on the Mount in particular, out of the Biblical context.  God is the Prince of Peace, but God is also a man of war.

Four, since government is based off of God's rule and authority, Christians who refuse to take part in politics are denying the Lordship of Christ.  Something Edmund Burke was getting at when he (allegedly) said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Overall a good book, but as the writers are Orthodox, they can not seem to help talking a few paragraphs of polemics against the Catholic and Protestant churches here and there.  I would highly recommend this for a read.