DEFENCE AND FOREIGN WARS
National Service
National service stands as a vital institution for equipping young adults with the tools and virtues essential to defend their nation, instilling a profound sense of discipline, courage, and unity that reverberates with biblical calls to protect one’s own people and land. This echoes Nehemiah 4:14, where the charge to "fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes" underscores a divine imperative to safeguard one’s community against immediate threats.
Through rigorous training - combat skills, strategic planning, physical resilience - national service transforms individuals into a capable citizenry, ready to uphold the sovereignty of their borders and the sanctity of their homes. This preparation honours the God-given responsibility to steward the land and people entrusted to each nation, as reflected in Acts 17:26, where God determines the "boundaries of their dwelling place."
Beyond mere defence, it cultivates enduring character: discipline curbs youthful recklessness into purposeful focus, courage forges resolve to face danger, and unity welds disparate individuals into a collective strength, reminiscent of Israel’s tribal solidarity under God’s covenant.
Countries like Switzerland, with its centuries-old militia system, and Finland, which maintains a mandatory conscription system for all men aged 18 to 60 and enjoys broad public support (73% favoured conscription in a 2023 poll by the Ministry of Defence), exemplify this - self-reliant nations fortified not just militarily but socially, embodying biblical stewardship (1 Timothy 5:8) over their own "household."
Foreign / Proxy Wars
In stark contrast, fighting in foreign proxy wars - such as those driven by NATO - lacks biblical justification and contradicts scriptural wisdom, entangling nations in conflicts that serve geopolitical agendas rather than divine purpose.
Romans 12:18 urges a pursuit of peace "with all," while Proverbs 26:17 likens meddling in others’ quarrels to grabbing a stray dog by the ears - a reckless act inviting harm. NATO’s involvement in proxy wars, such as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine against Russia, exemplifies this overreach. Since 2014, NATO’s support - over $100 billion in aid by 2023 (Council on Foreign Relations) - has fuelled a war costing tens of thousands of lives and displacing millions (UNHCR), with no direct threat to member states’ borders.
This mirrors historical U.S.-led interventions - Iraq (2003-2011) and Afghanistan (2001-2021) - where over 7,000 American troops died and $6.4 trillion was spent (Brown University, 2021), often destabilising regions rather than securing peace. Such wars sacrifice young lives for abstract interests, not national defence, clashing with the biblical priority of protecting one’s own.
Worse, interfering in, invading, and disabling foreign lands - hallmarks of these conflicts - further defy biblical principles. Invasions like Iraq’s left a nation fractured, with 200,000 civilian deaths (Iraq Body Count, 2023) and a power vacuum spawning ISIS. Interventions in Libya (2011) toppled Gaddafi but crippled infrastructure, triggering a migrant crisis - 1.3 million arrivals in Europe by 2015 (Eurostat).
The Bible on War
These acts of disabling foreign societies reflect arrogance, not justice, recalling Israel’s rebuke for trusting foreign powers over God (Hosea 7:11).
Christians are not inherently pacifists, as biblical teachings and historical practice affirm the legitimacy of war under specific conditions, yet they emphasise it as a last resort, reflecting a balance between justice and peace. The Bible does not categorically reject violence; instead, it frames war as a tragic necessity within a fallen world, guided by divine principles rather than human impulse.
Scripture provides clear precedents for war. In the Old Testament, God commands Israel to wage war against Canaanites (Joshua 6) and Amalekites (Exodus 17:16), portraying it as divine judgment against wickedness and a defense of His people. David, a warrior king, fought to protect Israel (2 Samuel 8), earning God’s favour as “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). The New Testament upholds earthly authority’s right to “bear the sword” (Romans 13:4), implying Christians can participate in just governance, including war, to restrain evil. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple (John 2:15) with a whip shows righteous anger, not passivity, while His instruction to “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39) addresses personal insult, not national defence.
Yet, war as a last resort emerges from Christianity’s peace-seeking core. Jesus blesses “peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9), and Paul urges living “peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18), suggesting conflict avoidance where possible. The early church, while not uniformly pacifist, often resisted Roman militarism, with figures like Tertullian questioning soldiering post-conversion. Augustine’s “just war” theory—later refined by Aquinas—codified this: war must defend the innocent, restore justice, and exhaust alternatives like diplomacy. Proverbs 20:18 advises, “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war,” prioritising strategy over rashness.
Modern examples reinforce this. Britain’s 179 Iraq deaths (2003-2011) and 457 in Afghanistan (2001-2021) reflect wars often criticised as preemptive, not last-resort, clashing with biblical caution against meddling (Proverbs 26:17). Conversely, WWII’s defence against Nazi aggression aligns with protecting the helpless (Psalm 82:4). Christians, then, support war to uphold righteousness - Nehemiah’s wall defence (Nehemiah 4:14) - but demand it follow prayer, negotiation, and restraint, ensuring it serves God’s order, not man’s ambition.
Jesus’ teaching to "turn the other cheek" (Matthew 5:39) and bless peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) frames war as a last resort, not a tool for domination. Psalm 34:14 reinforces this: "Seek peace and pursue it." NATO’s expansionist proxy wars, by contrast, sow chaos, not righteousness, violating this stance.
National service aligns with God’s design by fortifying domestic strength - building a people ready to defend their land, not conquer others’.
It rejects unbiblical foreign entanglements that drain resources and lives.
By focusing on home, it honours biblical order - peace where possible, defence when necessary - while shunning the prideful meddling that disables nations and defies God’s call to humility and stewardship.