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How should Western Christians approach the war in Ukraine? A Perspective

How should Western Christians approach the war in Ukraine? A Perspective

Last updated on: March 16, 2022 at 2:08 am by Rob Dalrymple

How should Western Christians approach the war in Ukraine? A Perspective 2022-03-15T08:24:04-08:00 Rob Dalrymple

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I have noted before that we all agree that the media is biased and can’t be trusted. Yet, it seems to me that we all believe the media anyways. Ask most anyone for their opinion on a current event and they will likely recite the “facts” they downloaded from their preferred news source.

I wonder, then, if, when we say that the media is biased, we actually mean that the media is biased when it disagrees with what I believe, or with what I want to believe, or with what I am willing to believe”?

NB: it seems that the deeper we get into the 21st century the more divided we become; even with the explosion of information that is available. We may have more information, but it seems that we still only listen to what agrees with us. I say this as a pastor and teacher. I believe that pastors are fearing more and more about saying something that might divide the congregation or community and/or cause them to leave. Where has the search for truth gone? Where has Christian charity gone?

The tag line for determinetruth states: “challenging the Church to be the Church.”

With this in mind, I would like to offer some added thoughts for western Christians to ponder with regard to the war in Ukraine.

NB: the determinetruth podcast will post a discussion with Christians from Russia and Ukraine on Friday, Mar 18, 2022!

Allow me to begin with some underlying convictions.

First, war is bad. Really, really bad. It is especially bad for the people: even more so for the poor and the marginalized. They are more often the ones who fight; the ones whose homes are bombed; the families that are separated; and, the ones impacted the most from the sanctions. They are the ones who become refugees (note: when politicians are forced to flee, they don’t become refugees. They merely go into exile).

Thus, we pray for those in Ukraine who are enduring horrific sufferings as a result of this war.

And let’s not be too quick to respond with, “yeah, but sometimes war is necessary.” Sure. Of course. But can we dwell on the “war is bad” part for a little longer before we dismissively shrug our shoulders and walk away from the suffering of millions of people with our trivializing claim that “it happens”?

Secondly, all governments are fallen. And every government seeks its’ own interests, and they do so often at the expense of other nations. Furthermore, it is most often the poor and marginalized that are impacted the greatest: sometimes even the poor and the marginalized in their own nation.

(I will return to this in a moment).

Thirdly, Christians are called to mourn, weep, and pursue peace.

Blessed are those who mourn (Matt 5:4)

Weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15)

Blessed are the peacemakers (Matt 5:9)

With this being said, I hope and pray that you are keeping “informed” about the present crisis. And I hope that it is driving you to grief.

(I understand if the grief is too great and you need to unplug from the media for a time. But don’t unplug altogether. We need to stay informed (though that means we must wade through the propaganda) and continue to mourn and weep.

With all that being said, it is my conviction that as followers of Christ we should be weeping at the horrific suffering that is being experienced by all! And we should be calling our country to step up their diplomatic efforts in order to bring about an end to this war.

What’s the problem with how many Americans are viewing the war?

Unfortunately, it seems as though many Americans have come to believe that somehow this is all Russia’s fault. (and I am not denying that Russia is at fault or that Putin is not a really big problem).

The problem is that this leads us to the conclusion that there are no diplomatic means to pursue.

Now, let’s suppose for a minute that this is true.

When I stated that all governments are fallen and that they all seek their own interests at the expense of others, especially the poor and marginalized, I am merely iterating one of the central beliefs of Christianity.

Not only are we sinful, but the more power we possess the more problematic our sinfulness becomes.

Yet, it seems that this doctrine is brushed aside when we view the present conflict solely in terms of “Russian is bad.”

A consequence of this thinking is that, while we come to rightly sympathize with the horrendous suffering that has befallen the Ukrainians, we at the same time fail to extend our compassion to the people of Russia.

The problem here is much deeper than we typically realize. And the recent vigilante acts of terror against Russians and Russian-owned businesses testify to this.

When we view the present war as “the good” v “the bad,” we tend to cheer for the good and mourn their losses. But should we not mourn and weep with all those who are afflicted? Should we not demand peace for everyone’s sake?

NB: our goal is to keep these posts free of charge. I do not intend to ever hide them behind a paywall. I can only do this if those of you who have been blessed by them and can afford to give ($5, $10, $25, or more/month) do so. You can give a tax-deductible contribution by following this link.

Our hands are dirty too

What is not being broadcast by much of our American media is the role the US has played in this conflict. There can be little question that a world superpower like the US is certainly involved in such affairs. Nor should we suspect that we are acting in any way other than in accord with our own interests—just as every other nation does.

This might not sound too bad until we realize that “our” interests often mean the interests of major corporations.

Sure, it sounds good to say that there is no room for diplomacy because Putin is the problem. And, as I have said, I do not deny that Putin is a problem.

But to deny that our hands are dirty too is to undermine a fundamental conviction of Christian theology—let alone a fundamental feature of human experience.

I fear, however, that, perhaps, we have been suckered in by our major media outlets—who are in many cases controlled by the very corporations that are profiting from this conflict.

As a result, we have come to believe that the only way forward is to arm those in Ukraine with American-made weapons so that we may profit while they can go die for their freedom.

In other words, have we created a counter-narrative that allows us to deny our responsibility in this conflict?

A narrative that causes us to mourn for the Ukrainians as they die “noble” deaths?

A narrative that ignores the economic impact of the sanctions which our nation, among others, have imposed on Russia?

(And do we not realize that the goal of such sanctions is to squeeze the people of Russia to the brink of despair and likely beyond as a means of forcing Putin and his gang to relent?)

NB: I am not saying that using sanctions as means of deterrence is inherently wrong. What I am saying is that we must first recognize that those who are impacted by the sanctions are the millions and millions of Russians. Putin will eat the same lavish foods he ate yesterday. He will sleep in comfort just like he did yesterday. And he will do so, while the people of Russian struggle for survival.

Challenging the Church to be the Church

In sum, I am calling for the Church to be the Church.

We should weep and mourn for everyone who is impacted by this war.

We should be peacemakers who demand more diplomatic efforts.

Who knows, maybe Putin is another Hitler. Maybe this war was inevitable. Maybe the sanctions will work.

Who knows, maybe our prayers will be answered and maybe diplomacy will work!

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About Rob Dalrymple

Rob Dalrymple is married to his wife Toni and is the father of four fabulous children, and has two grandchildren. He has been teaching and pastoring for over 32 years at colleges, seminaries, and the local church. He has a PhD (Westminster Theological Seminary) in biblical interpretation. He is the author of four books (including: Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation & Understanding the New Testament and the End Times: Why it Matters) as well as numerous articles and other publications. You can read more about the author here.

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