Just War and Wars in the Middle East

Author:
June 19, 2025

We live in a time of “wars and rumors of wars” (Mark 13:7). How should Christians think about war in general and war with Iran in particular? Notwithstanding Jesus’s words to love your enemies and turn the other cheek, Presbyterians have usually maintained that waging war may be justified in extraordinary circumstances.

Over time, Christians developed a set of criteria, called Just War Theory, for determining when war is permissible. The first four criteria have to do with the decision to go to war. The last two concern one’s conduct during war:

1. The cause must be just.

2. The intentions must be just.

3. War must be a last resort.

4. The war must be declared by a legitimate authority.

5. There must be a reasonable chance of success.

6. Proportionality (use minimum amount of violence to succeed).

Now I want to share with you my own thoughts about how we might evaluate a potential attack on Iran in light of Just War Theory. These are my own thoughts. I am not writing on behalf of the Church or the Session. Mainly I’m writing to clarify my own thinking and to invite you to respond, especially if you disagree with me.

1. Many ethicists argue that self-defense is the only just cause for going to war. Iranian proxies and U.S. forces have engaged in tit-for-tat violence in the Middle East for years. But this proposed bombing campaign would not be in response to an attack on the homeland. Are preemptive strikes just? I wonder.

2. What are our intentions in Iran? To prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon? The fewer nations that have a bomb, the better. But another possible intention is to overthrow the Iranian regime. The regime is evil, to be sure, but I am not sure if international law permits regime change in these circumstances.

3. I doubt that war is a last resort in this case. As Winston Churchill said, “Jaw-jaw is better than war-war.” The Israeli attack on Iran upended scheduled negotiations between the U.S. and Iran on Iran’s nuclear program. Is it possible to get Iran back to the bargaining table? Perhaps we should try that first.

4. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war. The War Powers Act requires Presidents to seek Congressional approval of military actions that last longer than 60 days. However, Presidents have sometimes ignored that deadline, and Congress has been reluctant to hold Presidents accountable when they do that. It would be wise for the President to seek Congressional approval for a strike on Iran.

5. What does success mean in these circumstances? Does bombing a facility today commit us to bombing each new facility the Iranians might build in the future? What if a new Iranian regime turns out to be even more hostile to the U.S. than the current one?

6. In the conduct of war, intentions matter. If a bomb goes astray and hits a home, that is a tragedy, not a crime. For the most part, U.S. military personnel have lived up to our legal and moral obligations to avoid excessive use of force. Sometimes they have failed. My prayer is that, if war comes, there will be no My Lais or Abu Ghraibs in Iran.

What are your thoughts? Email me at MLindsay@HaddonfieldPres.org

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