Dear Siblings in Christ:

I am appealing to you in the name of the Prince of Peace to make a bold witness to peace. You have been schooled, I know, to recognize that Christians may in good conscience participate in wars deemed just. The current attack by the United States on the nation of Iran is not just under any of the criteria established as necessary by the church to justify engagement in military conflict. The requirement of satisfying each of these criteria prior to the grave decision to use lethal military power has been recognized by Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin and continues to govern the church’s thinking today. As people of faith and as soldiers sworn to defend your nation, resistance to this murderous abuse of military power against Iran is critical.

Let me explain more about what I mean by “just war criteria.” In the first place, a just war can only be declared by a “competent authority.” The attack on Iran took place without any legal declaration of war by the United States Congress. It was launched by the unilateral decision of President Trump without any congressional approval or even consultation.   

In the second place, lethal military action must never be undertaken unless there is a reasonable “probability of success.” The president has given no indication as to what the goal of this war is, much less any estimation of its probable success. We know from prior experience, however, the consequences of invading another country under the pretext of its having “weapons of mass destruction” and seeking to effect “regime change.” We have seen this movie before. It does not end well. The case has not been made that the attack on Iran will produce a different result or a more just, safe and prosperous world.

In the third place, the case must be made that resort to military action is the last possible resort. Because negotiations were ongoing during this sudden and unprovoked attack, it is impossible to accept any claim that it was a last resort.

Finally, a just war must be fought for a just cause. Of course, every nation always believes that its aggression is justified. However, the rationalization for war from a Christian perspective can never be solely for recapturing things or land taken or for punishing people who have done wrong. The most recent formal statement of the just war tradition given by the U.S. Catholic Conference in 1993 states that force may only be used to repel aggression or to intervene to prevent an imminent and massive violation of basic human rights of whole populations. That is clearly not the rationale for the attack on Iran. The intent is, as was the case in the attack against Iraq decades ago, to address unfounded claims that the enemy possesses weapons of mass destruction and that the government in Iran must be replaced by one amendable to the national interests of the United States and its allies. These aims clearly do not constitute “just cause.”

I am appealing to you because you are powerful. You have agency. You are not merely cogs in the murderous machinery of a corrupt and violent regime. You know that military discipline and ethics amount to more than “just following orders.” I know that you took an oath to defend your country against all enemies foreign and domestic. The way for you to fulfill that oath today is to lay down your arms and refuse to fight. Your duty is to reject and publicly condemn the illegal abuse of military power by our president. That is the only way to stand up for the rule of law. That is the only way to defend the constitutional rights of Americans here at home and to end the needless loss of human life abroad. I know I am asking you to put your reputation, your career and even your freedom on the line. Yet because you have promised to put your very life on the line in defense of your country, I do not hesitate to call upon you to make these lesser sacrifices.

More importantly, you are followers of Jesus, the man who refused to resort to the sword in his defense. For you, the decision to engage in military action always carries with it the fearful knowledge that the persons whose lives are lost in the conflict are people for whom Jesus died. If military action is ever to be justified, it must be carefully, thoughtfully and fully evaluated under the strict criteria I have just discussed. Resort to war under anything less is simply mass murder. In the name of Jesus, I am calling upon you to take a stand for the defense of your country, to take a stand for the rule of law and to take a stand for peace.

Praying for you at this most difficult time in your lives and careers,

Rev. Peter A. Olsen (retired)