Turning point: Europe is militarizing again

Since the German Chancellor's historic declaration on February 27, 2022 of his intention to set up a special fund for the Bundeswehr (German Defence Force) and thus usher in a new era in German foreign policy, the calls for more and better weapons and for an increase in army personnel have continued unabated nearly everywhere in Europe.

The few voices of reason that urge caution and warn of a dangerous escalation in the world are quickly silenced with references to the evil Russian President Vladimir Putin and autocrats of his caliber. “The world is facing a decisive confrontation between the forces of good, Western democracy, and evil, the autocracies in the East”, the supporters of intensive militarization argue.

And since the world policeman that gave the West its voice, the USA, is known to be weakening, others will have to step up, too, and NATO countries should increase their military spending to 5% of gross national product, demands American President-elect Donald Trump.

And that is tantamount to a huge increase in clanking weapons. No question, the so-called enemies of democracy (Russia and China) as well the other autocratic regimes will do the same, loading our world with deadly explosives ready to blow up our blue planet Earth in pieces.

Where does the church stand in view of the competition between systems and the development of its military capacities? It is striking how weak its voice has become. Just a few years ago, in times of the Cold War, tens of thousands gathered under the slogan: “Creating peace without weapons”. But today there are just a few actions.

And where church representatives speak out more clearly against armament, they must expect to be criticised and even bashed. In countries such as the USA you hardly hear any protests. Donald Trump, with his triumphant slogan, “Let’s make America Great Again”, finds his most loyal supporters among evangelicals.

How come? Have we Christians forgotten our bloody history? It is fact, wherever the Christian church turned into an accomplice of the warmongers and militarists, it not only suffered severe scars and mistrust from its own population, but also lost its missionary power for years. It was only thanks to divine intervention in times of revival that the church was able to find itself as a church again.

What sense does it make when evangelical Christians in the USA massively and enthusiastically support the military visions of Trump and his future administration? Should they not rather pray for peace on earth, as their Lord and Savior, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ did?

 

It is high time to turn to God’s Kingdom

The militarists in the East and the West are playing a dangerous game. Christians are well advised not to join in. They are called to be peacemakers, reconcilers in Christ's stead (2 Cor. 5:18). Neither Western democracies nor Eastern autocracies reflect their ideals, but only God's rule. They should strive for his kingdom above all else (Mt. 6:33) and pray daily: “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:9-10).

Followers of Jesus are in principle peacemakers. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called daughters and sons of God”, declares Jesus (Mt 5:9). The followers of Jesus are not recognised by their political orientation, but by their affiliation with God, who is a God of peace (1Cor. 14:33).

 I am not surprised that the vast majority in the Southern hemisphere have repeatedly decided against Euro-American positions in world conflicts

Daughters and sons of God cannot possibly fraternise with the political systems of this world and Christians in the West must free themselves from the grip of so-called Western democracy. Yes, capitalism has brought prosperity and relative peace to the inhabitants of the countries of the West. But at what cost? Aren’t we Europeans and Americans also doing so well because our brothers in faith in Africa are dying of hunger, robbed by our Western multi-national corporations that generate our prosperity?

I am not at all surprised that the vast majority in the Southern hemisphere have repeatedly decided against Euro-American positions in world conflicts.

Why do they celebrate Vladimir Putin as a hero in Africa? Has Russia achieved anything substantial on the continent of the poor and disadvantaged? Probably not. But Russia is defending itself against the imperial posturing of the West, which cries out loudly for democracy and equality, but then, thanks to its own superiority, robs the countries of their wealth and leaves the masses in abject poverty.

And now Putin stamps against all of it. Sure, the African view is one sided. But let’s face it, there is some truth in it. I can already hear the argument of the pro-Westerners: “But the others are no better. The autocrats will rob Africa too. See what China does in Africa.” Right, but is the potential injustice of others reason enough for us Christians to conceal or even gloss over the injustices of our own political system?

The victims of financial capitalism, this global octopus that has been bred in our system and only thinks of its own profits, are well aware of our injustice. They will find no understanding for the silence or even support for capitalist injustice in the church in the West.

It is high time that we Christians reflect on our actual mission. We are not called upon to defend a political system that is advantageous to us, but to transform all peoples into the ideals of the Kingdom of God, as Jesus taught us (Mt 28:19). All peoples, all ethnic groups in all socio-cultural areas are to become disciples of Jesus and thus live under God’s rule. We have been commissioned to do this. No more, but also no less than that!

And the weapons of our knighthood are not missiles or drones by any stretch of the imagination, but the sword of the Holy Spirit, God’s Word (Eph. 6:17). That is more powerful than anything the militarists of this world can come up with. And God’s sword brings peace to the nations in Christ Jesus.

So, my dear Christians, let us take up the armor of God and stop agreeing with the dubious hymns of the arms industry. Our savior’s name is Jesus, who brings peace to the nations, those near and those far (Eph. 2:17). We make His kingdom of God great again!

 

And what if the Russians come?

The critics of a kingdom of God-centered mission of the church are quick to point out that it would probably be naive to argue for an apolitical church. The question is, of course, whether a consistent refusal to go along with militaristic turnarounds is apolitical. Not at all.

Christian mission is indeed highly political, as I explained in my book on the correlation between mission and politics. But the political orientation of the church comes less from the political parties, than from the Holy Scriptures.

Transforming a people in the sense of the kingdom of God, as the Great Commission in Mt 28:19 expects, is of course an extremely political act. And such an act implies a principle change from any injustice towards justice. But in difference to most political systems this is done not by force, but by God’s Spirit (Zach. 4:6).

In the URSS times, we fasted and prayed every Friday, asking God for a miracle of change. And the miracle came

I grew up in the Soviet Union under a highly unjust system of which Vladimir Putin is a weak living expression today. We Christians were persecuted, our leaders imprisoned, tortured and even killed. Both my great-grandfathers and grandfathers were killed in the GULAG. Like millions of other Christians.

Was the church planning a military uprising, a revolution for example? Have our leaders joined underground political movements?

No. Instead, we fasted and prayed every Friday, asking God for a miracle of change. And the miracle came. The communist system collapsed, and the country was swept by an unprecedented revival. Especially Ukraine witnessed millions of people turning to Jesus and becoming missionaries all over the former Soviet empire.

This movement, which since 1985 not only led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, but also to the evangelization of many previously unreached peoples of the country, was dampened in most of the independent republics of the USSR soon after their independence. Christians who had previously gone all over the world as missionaries suddenly discovered the new political freedom and became involved in party politics. The missionary paradigm of the church was soon replaced by a political, pro-European paradigm. Now it seemed that the order of the day was less about missionizing the country and more about integrating their own homeland into a Western democratic system.

The results were not long in coming. Soon some of the former Soviet republics were members of the European Community and NATO, and Russia, in particular, became increasingly isolated. This gave way for a rise of the Russki mir (the Russian World ideology) and consequently the war in Ukraine demanding more and more weapons to protect the country against the Russian invaders and potentially win the battle.

For now, the front line is a grave line for ten thousands of human lives. Will their lost lives bring peace about? There is more than one reason to doubt this.

 

More weapons to the front or is a miracle possible?

In the West, people are convinced that more and better weapons can end the war everywhere. Of course, in Vietnam, Afghanistan and many other conflict zones around the world, this calculation did not work out. Americans did have the best weapons ever, but they lost the war. Better weapons are no guarantee of victory.

 Wouldn't Christians be much more successful in their quest for peace if they united around their Lord instead of charring their warlords?

That is why we Christians rely on God. He is the one who holds the world in his hands. When the Lord of Peace intervenes, then there will be peace. Wouldn't it be worth to ask for more prayer instead of looking for more weapons? Wouldn't Christians be much more successful in their quest for peace if they united for peace around their Lord instead of charring their warlords? I suppose – yes we would.

The Peace and Reconciliation Network (PRN) in the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an extremely suitable platform that can bring together Christians from all over the world to plan appropriate peace actions.

On this platform, Ukrainian and Russian evangelicals could meet and pray together for peace and reconciliation. And we, Christians from East and West, would join them.

Not better weapons, God, the Lord of the universe, brings peace to us humans. His reign is a reign of peace. And we who pursue peace are His daughters and sons, His family, united in Him. It is worth gathering the family before God’s throne in search for real peace!

Johannes Reimer, founder and former director of the Peace and Reconciliation Network (PRN) of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and author of numerous publications on the role of the church in various conflict zones of the world.

 

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