A Basic Guide to the Just War Tradition: Christian Foundations and Practices - Paperback

by Eric Patterson (Author)

This brief introduction surveys Christian thinking on an array of topics related to security and peace from a just war perspective. Drawing primarily on Scripture and theology, Eric Patterson explores the moral dimensions of order, justice, and peace in light of key Christian doctrines such as love of neighbor, stewardship, vocation, and sphere sovereignty. He also examines the perennial questions of civil disobedience, terrorism, revolution, and holy war (including a discussion of Israel's removal of the Canaanites and the Crusades) and interacts with theological thinkers throughout Christian history. The volume concludes with a treatment of punishment and restitution, considering how these can help move a society toward conciliation.

While ideal as a textbook for courses on Christian ethics, theology and politics, and church and society, this book will also appeal to pastors and lay readers questioning the morality of war and Christians' involvement in force. Christians who serve in government, law enforcement, and the military will also find helpful guidance for thinking theologically about their vocations.

Back Jacket

"A highly readable work on an essential subject"

This accessible introduction surveys Christian thinking on an array of topics related to security and peace from a just war perspective.

"As a thirty-seven-year veteran of the armed forces, I found Patterson's book to be a stimulating read that both reinforced and challenged my thinking about my experience in armed conflict and the Jesus follower's role in terms of vocation and calling. I heartily recommend it."
--Admiral Vern Clark, Former Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy (retired)

"The fifteen hundred years of Christian 'just war' reasoning comprise the most sophisticated tradition we have of thinking about the conditions of the morally justified use of force. Patterson, an authority both in theory and in practice, has provided a guide that is as comprehensive in scope as it is exemplary in clarity."
--Nigel Biggar, University of Oxford (emeritus)

"Patterson writes about an exceedingly difficult subject in a concise, clear, and comprehensive manner."
--Pauletta Otis, US Marine Corps, Command and Staff

"A marvelously clear book on just war. Patterson shows a profoundly deep grasp of the two-thousand-year-old Christian tradition by explaining when war is just and when believers may participate. This is no dry treatise; it is loaded with examples: from The Hunger Games to Harry Potter, from The Lord of the Rings to Narnia--not to mention Augustine, Tertullian, and Origen. A must-read for church leaders."
--Captain David C. Iglesias, JAGC, US Navy (retired); Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics, and Economics, Wheaton College

"This volume fills the need for an accessible overview and introduction to the doctrine of just war from a biblical and historical perspective. A highly readable work on an essential subject."
--Paul David Miller, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University; Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council; author of Just War and Ordered Liberty

Author Biography

Eric Patterson (PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara) is president of the Religious Freedom Institute and scholar-at-large and former dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He previously served in the US military and at the US State Department. He has authored and edited numerous books on the ethics of war, including Just American Wars: Ethical Dilemmas in US Military History and Just War and Christian Traditions.