The church bodies of conservative Protestantism are seeing the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 for the unspeakable and indefensible outrage that it is and are justifying Israel’s militant response as a legitimate application of “just war” doctrine.
To cite one example, the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, over the signatures of a myriad of prominent conservative Baptists, “unequivocally condemn[s] the violence against the vulnerable, fully support[s] Israel’s right and duty to defend itself against further attack, and urgently call[s] all Christians to pray for the salvation and peace of the people of Israel and Palestine.” (READ MORE from Tom Raabe: Judge Orders Lawyers to Religious-Liberty Training)
Citing the authority of the “just war” tradition, the group affirms “the legitimacy of Israel’s right to respond against those who have initiated these attacks as Romans 13 grants governments the power to bear the sword against those who commit such evil acts against innocent life.”
Mainline Church Equivocation
Unsurprisingly, however, the brunt of what is called mainline Protestantism — more appositely termed “old-line” or “sideline” Protestantism because of its rapidly diminishing numbers — has fallen into lockstep with the militant Democrat Left in their view of the conflict.
Church leaders who call for a ceasefire at this juncture are either displaying regrettable real-world naivete or a willingness to see the world’s only Jewish state slide into oblivion.
The prominent denominations in the Protestant mainline have chimed in with statements that, while condemning Hamas brutality, find a way to excoriate any Israeli response as well.
The Evangelical Church in America (ELCA) is holding an historic tension between two truths, they say — between the “egregious acts” leading to “unspeakable loss of life and hope” perpetrated by Hamas and the “indiscriminate retaliation of Israel against the Palestinian people.” The church body denounces both.
The church body is also concerned for “a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israel blocks food, water, fuel, and medical supplies and as airstrikes continue to cause unbearable civilian casualties ahead of a just-announced ground assault.” As for the Israelis, they suffer “the agonizing wait for word about the fate of loved ones killed or taken hostage by Hamas.”
The denomination is having trouble finding “words that suffice in the complexity of this moment,” but it does manage to assign blame.
Near the end of the letter is this: “We must also call a thing a thing. The power exerted against all Palestinian people — through the occupation, the expansion of settlements and the escalating violence — must be called out as a root cause of what we are witnessing.” (READ MORE: Poster Wars)
The Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. put out a statement on October 13 in which every denunciation of Hamas brutality seems to be paired with a condemnation of Israel’s “violent response.”
Over the signature of the acting stated clerk of the general assembly, Rev. Bronwen Boswell, the statement acknowledges that Hamas does not seek peace but then points the finger of blame at the “real” villain: “We condemn the violence that has taken place in recent days, and we grieve the decades of oppression that have led to this violence.”
While Hamas has “caused significant damage and destruction to Israeli towns,” Israel has leveled “entire neighborhoods in Gaza” with its bombs, “leaving survivors with a lack of shelter, adequate food, water, and necessities. Hospitals are losing power, putting the health of the injured, newborns, and others at risk.”
The church subsequently put out a “Statement of Lament for Israel and Palestine” in which they mourn for the many sufferers on both sides since the October 7 Hamas raid. They lament the many lost lives on both sides and pray for “the injured, kidnapped, and refugees.” They lament the impact of war on families whose homes have been destroyed or who have become fractured or separated.
But, as one would expect from a left-wing body, they seem to assign a little more blame to the Israelis. They “decry the withholding of food, water, electricity, and medical supplies for people already devastated by isolation and embargo,” and, while they decry “the actions of Hamas on Israeli citizens,” they also condemn “the violent retaliation of Israel against the Palestinian people.”
The Episcopal Church managed a short and precise statement of both-sides-ism in a late October statement on the October 7 genocide.
Resolved, The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, meeting virtually October 24–27, 2023, manifestly condemns the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and be it further
Resolved, The Executive Council laments the loss of life of innocents caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, as well as the suffering from the lack of electricity, food, and safe water, and all of the violence that has occurred across Israel and Palestine.
“Ceasefire! Ceasefire!”
That’s the pope with his call for ceasefire from last Sunday; his exact words were: “We say ‘ceasefire, ceasefire.’ Brothers and sisters, stop! War is always a defeat, always.”
Many ecclesiasts of the left have joined him in the three weeks since the Hamas attack. On October 12, 27 Christian churches and agencies sent to members of Congress a letter calling for just such a ceasefire.
Congress should, the letter states, “publicly call for ceasefire, de-escalation and restraint by all sides; prioritize steps to secure immediate release of hostages and ensure international protection for civilians; call on all parties to abide by the laws of war, including the Geneva conventions and customary international law.” (READ MORE: ‘Exhilarated’ by Terrorism: How to Make Sense of the Far Left’s Support of Hamas)
All the usual mainline suspects were signatories, from the Friends to the Mennonites to the ELCA to the United Methodists to the United Church of Christ to the Reformed Church in America.
Lamenting violence without distinguishing between the egregious and indescribable brutality of Hamas and the just reaction to that violence by the Israelis is a profound misapplication of Christian teaching. One group wants to eradicate the other, to push it “into the sea.” It has proven its intransigence and fulsome hatred of Israel for 17 years — since Hamas took over Gaza in 2007 — in indiscriminate and routine rocket attacks, and most recently it has, with deliberate and celebratory brutality, broken a relative peace by murdering in the most unspeakable way 1,400 Israelis.
Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with or live alongside a terror group whose sole purpose in life is to destroy it.
It is clear from the rallies and demonstrations against Jews that have broken out worldwide since October 7 that Israel is in the midst of an existential struggle. It is irresponsible for world leaders, including church leaders, to call for Israel to lay down its arms when its enemies seek its eradication.
Church leaders who call for a ceasefire at this juncture are either displaying regrettable real-world naivete or a willingness to see the world’s only Jewish state slide into oblivion. Any ceasefire now would strengthen Hamas and guarantee further attacks and erode any prospect for peace and justice in the area.
Peace is a Christian goal, and Christian leaders should urge it. But they must recognize that force may in some extreme circumstances be required to achieve it.
