Turn the other cheek?

Q: How does defending ourselves and families relate to the teachings of Jesus? Do we turn the other cheek and let harm come to those around us? How does this relate to the war in Iraq?

A: The duties and functions of the state are quite different from those of the individual. Jesus clearly tells us that we are not to take the law into our own hands. When it comes to personal injury, we must resist the urge to seek revenge and strike back. We must let it go. We must forgive (like Jesus did with those who harmed him). However, God has given the government the power to “bear the sword.” The state is “God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4). It is the state’s duty to defend its citizens from evildoers.

The law of love commands me to leave vengeance in God’s hands. It also compels me to love my neighbor. I must turn the other cheek. But, if you are being attacked, my love for you must cause me to protect you. The security guard at the Colorado church where a gunman opened fire on the crowd last month loved her neighbors when she shot and brought down the assailant. A soldier, fighting for his country, does the same.

Turning the other cheek does not mean pacifism. Long ago Saints Augustine and Aquinas developed what is known as the “just war theory.” In it, they laid out the conditions of a just war. I would encourage you to dig a little deeper, do some research into this and come to your own conclusions about the war in Iraq. But, on the issue of war itself, most Christians are united behind the just war theory. Only a minority of Christians are truly pacifists. United Methodists are not. Again, the duties of the state are different from those of the individual. Selfless love refuses to take revenge. It also refuses to stand by when others are being harmed.