Aug. 6, 2012 issue
Teaching on war
By Philippi (W.Va.) Mennonite Church, signed by 16 peopleThank you for your editorial, “War Made Easy” (June 25). It was read during our worship service last Sunday. Our theme was focused on a question about what has happened to the broader Mennonite church’s teaching on opposition to war.
As you note in the editorial, the nature of war has changed. “Targeted killings” are becoming routine aspects of war in our nation, which is “always at war.”
As the nature of war has changed, we are aware of very little analysis and teaching in the Mennonite church regarding these changes. So, while war has become easy, our church has been of little assistance in teaching how such war is sin and how we as Christians might oppose such a war. Your closing statement, “It’s a chilling vision of a shadowy war: a deadly flying robot and a president with a kill list,” should cause much reflection among us and lead to confession and repentance.
We as individuals, as well as Mennonite Church USA, are complicit in this war. Many of us feel helpless in finding appropriate ways to respond to this change in warfare. And we long for resources to assist us in teaching our young people the evils of this war.
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