Between Pacifism and Jihad Critique - Book Report/Review Example

Between Pacifism and Jihad: Just War and Christian Tradition By Charles, J. Daryl InterVarsity Press, 2005 197 pages Good Pacifism, Jihad, Militarism, Justice Page 1 "Is war ever-or never-justifiable Should evil be confronted head-on in the present life Is Pacifism the Christian way Doesn't Jesus require of the Christian ethic of nonviolence Is coercive force always immoral Are government and political power inherently evil Aren't we under obligation to 'turn the other cheek' when evil occurs" These are the questions which were tried to address by J. Daryl Charles in his book Between Pacifism and Jihad: Just War and Christian Tradition. Recognizing the huge dilemma of terrorism in the current global context, Charles delved into the responsibility of Christians and every individual in promoting justice in the society. Terrorism, as evidenced by the 9/11 bombings leaves detrimental impacts not only in the United States but all over the world. Thus, it should be countered and eradicated in order to promote and safeguard peace and order. Written from a Protestant point of view, Charles shifted from the traditional view propagated by other religious organizations and sects. He rebuffed the "overwhelming presumption" that the use of military force and the use of any form of force is immortal. He argued that "peace is not the absence of war" but attainment of peace has a high prize-that God is sovereign above all but every person as a steward, is accountable to Him in safeguarding peace. Charles strongly asserts that violence can be used in order to attain peace and justice. The author, instead of promoting the traditional viewpoint of pacifism or the use of violence in countering global problems like terrorism, argued for the use of just war. Just war became a mediating factor which lies between the maxims of pacifism and jihad (holy war). Hence, his book is a good introduction of what just war is as well as its justification. Charles (2005, p. 19-20) defined just war as follows: "The just war position-an expression of consensual Christian thinking through the ages-seeks to mediate this tension [pacifism and war]. This mediating position is rooted in a certain Christian realism: we must never believe that nothing is permissible or anything is. There are occasions in which, reluctantly, we need to apply coercive force even if it means going to war, for the protection and preservation of a third party." He went on saying that not all war is unjust. Thus, war is being justified by the motive of why it is waged. Charles should be credited on his exposition of the premises of just-war. According to the evangelical scholar, "natural law" should be a fundamental foundation to the theory of just-war. He asserts that "The just war thinker holds certain truths to be self-evident. The very premise on which just war rests is that there is a universal moral sense that informs human beings on what is good and just over against what is evil and unjust" (Charles, 2005, p. 119-124). This claim of Charles is strongly supported by the Bible. In Romans 2:14-15, the apostle Paul wrote that all individual, even non-Christians possess "the just requirements of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness." After going over this major premise, Charles went on to discuss the essential components of just war. According to the author just war should be associated with just cause, right intention, proper authority, non-combatant discrimination, last resort, and proportionality. This just war premises are very essential in justifying the use of force in order to attain justice and protect a third party. Between Pacifism and Jihad: Just War and Christian Tradition presents moral clarity in an era where morality is blurred by different philosophies in our current post-modern era. Charles has been successful in evaluating a social issue in the global times within a definite moral framework. The deterioration of moral values did not hinder him to make an examination and justification of the just war theory. Charles reasoned and argued that neither pacifism nor jihad is the required solution for the present terrorism struggle. The book was able to illustrate clearly the moral justifications of war as well as the primary reasons why it should be entered into and how it should be fought. The book also recounted the evolution of Christian tradition on the just war theory as well as Biblical supports for this less favored response to global terrorism. Instead of promoting what God said to His children that "Vengeance is mine," and that they should "turn their cheeks," Charles, looked at the responsibility of each individual to "love their neighbor" and protecting third parties who are adversely affected. Just-war is then linked to the commandment of God of loving thy neighbor just like what the Good Samaritan after the assault of the thieves. This is also consistent with what is stated in Matthew 5:39: "Do not resist the one who is evil." However, Charles also made a distinction of the "sword not wielded in vain" by authorities (Romans 13) and "vigilantism." Consistent with the essential features of just war, this highlighted the responsibility and importance of the state in deciding and leading the move to wage war against terrorists. All in all, Charles' book is a very enlightening modern work which got tackled one of the most pressing issues in the global community in the context of the highest of all laws-God's word. Instead of sticking with his own belief, he gave justice to other ideas by surveying the thinking of Christians throughout history. It can be noted that he laboriously traced the origins as well as the developments of the just war theory. Between Pacifism and Jihad: Just War and Christian Tradition thoroughly addresses the issue of justice and injustice as well as love for neighbor. Written in the age and time where terrorism is arising horror worldwide, this provides a very good and timely solution in countering these threats for peace and security. Another good feature of the book is its clarity in stating the author's ideas. Written in a very comprehensive format it becomes a relatively valuable resources for students and professionals alike. There is no question in J. Daryl Charles' credibility in writing such piece of work. Having obtained his PhD from the Catholic University of America/Westminster Seminary (joint), he had garnered a significant amount of knowledge on Biblical teachings. Charles was exposed to the issues of pacifism and jihad as he was recently a 2003/4 Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Faith & Learning at Baylor University where he explored unity and diversity in the just-war tradition and making application of the political-moral wisdom of just-war principles to the problem of contemporary terrorism. However, as with any other literary pieces, it is not exempt from flaws and weaknesses. One of the primary criticisms of Charles' work is his Biblical interpretation. It is irrefutable that different persons have different understanding on the Word of God. This is true knowing that there is no definite rule on how to give meaning to the Biblical doctrines and that the meanings of these words vary from person to person and from situation to situation. There is in fact, no absolute denotation for the Scripture. It can only be properly interpreted by someone who is endowed with the graces and wisdom of God. God even varies the connotation of verses according to the needs of His children. Since the Bible is a mystery which should not be used to suit an individual's purpose, the argument for just war using Biblical Scriptures can be easily attacked. Arguments based on Biblical doctrines are often weak because they can be interpreted on their literal meaning. But oftentimes, the words connote a far different idea. The book of Daniel is a very good example of this. It is irrefutable that the Bible significantly changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament. In the Old Testament, we could a God who directly commands and justifies war to depend His people and His word. In the New Testament, the direct communication from God was cut off and we were left with His written words of "loving our neighbor" and "turning our cheeks." Charles has used these Biblical passages to validate just war. However, he forgot to mention Hebrew 12:14 which command Christians to "Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man will see the Lord." All is a word which covers everyone here in this world-may they be good or bad, victims or terrorists. As Charles has focused on the solution to terrorism, the discussion was centered on what to do obtain peace and justice. The book failed to examine the impacts of just war in the society in order to justify it as a tool to stop terrorism. War, however just or whatever its purpose irrefutable destructs properties, kills people, and disrupts the present global and economic system. The use of war should be justified by its effects in the society. It can be recalled that all the war waged, whatever their alleged purposes are, hurt individuals and cause economic depression. In our current global system, the impact of just war will be more detrimental due to the development of stronger and more destructive weapons. The rapid technological innovation paved the way to the invention of highly destructive war weapons by communist countries like North Korea. This is aggravated by the fact that even the government of the United States cannot fully and properly identify the global terrorists. The book of J. Daryl Charles is a very interesting work as it clearly shows and examines just war in the Christian context. Like the book entitled Moral Clarity in an Age of Terrorism published by the Christian social commentator Michael Novak twenty years ago, Between Pacifism and Jihad: Just War and Christian Tradition served the same purpose of making us "think clearly and with moral discernment about the issues of nuclear deterrence, justice, and warfare." However, the Charles went beyond Novak in considering the current global issue of terrorism. Between Pacifism and Jihad: Just War and Christian Tradition is very relevant and timely in this age. However, it focused too much on the justification of just war and failed to look at the impact of just war. If just war is the real solution for the current global concerns, then it should be assessed in terms of what it can give the society. Granting that some wars are justifiable, what's next after the war References Charles, J. D. (2005). Between Pacifism and Jihad: Just War and Christian Tradition. InterVarsity Press Charles, J. D. (2003). Between Pacifism and Jihad. Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity. Retrieved 10 July 2006, from http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.phpid=16-09-028 Read More