I was attracted to the Coast Guard by its
humanitarian missions. At the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, I read May a Christian Serve in the Military?
by General William Harrison with rapt interest. Harrison’s essay, and the
counsel of senior officers, convinced me that military service was consistent
with my Christian faith. So I stayed at the academy and embarked on a military
career. I became an expert with a rifle and pistol, studied anti-submarine
warfare, and wrote military readiness plans.
In 1980, I attended a Bible study comprised of
military officers and their families. After an evening of study and fellowship,
a naval officer jokingly remarked, “It’s hard to believe we’re all trained killers.”
The truth and irony of his humor struck me. That was one of many incidents God
used to bring me to a place where I embraced Jesus’ way of peace.
If God’s plan is for those who call Jesus “Lord” to
be like him, can Christians continue to submit their intellect and energy to an
institution whose primary purpose is to kill the soldiers and sailors of
nations opposed to U.S. political interests? I have come to understand that the
Church includes people from every tribe and nation, even those the U.S.
government may be fighting against. As a Christian, my primary allegiance is to
Jesus, not to the United States. But it took a long time and much engagement
with my faith (and my faith community) for me to understand this.
My dramatic change of position was caused by a
fresh reading of Scripture, a closer examination of Jesus’ example, a personal
tragedy, and a better understanding of church history. As I studied the life
and teaching of Jesus, it became clear to me that he taught pacifism. In the
Sermon on the Mount, he declared, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” He taught us
to “turn the other cheek” and “love our enemies.” Jesus not only taught
nonresistance, he practiced it, even to the point of his own death. I see
Jesus’ example of nonresistance as a spiritual discipline I need to cultivate
in my own life, similar to other spiritual disciplines, like prayer and
fasting.
We can admire the dedication of those who serve in
the military. They are willing to fight and die for our national interests.
Like them, Jesus calls us to be willing to die for a cause. But we must engage
our brothers and sisters in uniform on these questions of Jesus’ nonresistance,
striving to bring them to the truth that Jesus does not want them, or us, to
kill in his name.
Steve
Carpenter was an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. He is a graduate of Eastern
Mennonite Seminary, and puts his discipline to use working with the pacifist
publishing company, MennoMedia, in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
