What Augustine got wrong

In City of God, circa 413-426 AD, Augustine developed his “just war” theory, and Christianity has never been the same since.

Before Augustine, Christians were pacifists. They turned the other cheek. They were peacemakers. They were servants to all, lovers of neighbors and enemies alike.

Augustine developed a framework for times when national leaders could justify war with the implication that Christians could support or participate in war. His outline: punitive and defensive justification, exercised by legitimate authority, with the “right” intention, as a last resort, and with proportionality.

That’s a broad path (compare/contrast with the narrow way).

History has taught us that Augustine didn’t fully think through his theory. His theory has been used to excuse a number of evils, none more notable than the crusades.

In the 16 centuries since, Augustine’s “just war” theory has been used to abuse Christians, particularly in the West, to legitimize violence, leading the Church to be complicit in cruelty and militarism.

The faults of the theory are multiple.

There is no protection to non-combatants, so many innocents have suffered from wars that Christians endorsed.

The Church can no longer maintain a solid pacifistic witness when war acceptable to followers of Jesus.

The Church is pull out of its missional call to make disciples, be God’s hand and feet in the redemption of creation and bring creation into a God-aligned order. It loses its grip on justice and love. Christian distinctiveness is lost when Christians support war.

It is an impatient, man-made justification for war that robs God of his soverignty and displays a lack of trust in his ultimate victory over evil.

The theory also fails to account for retaliation and escalation. Any country attacked is going to defend itself, which leads to a back-and-forth of further justifications for violence. Such wars drift from whatever initial moral context that may have been the pretext for a “just cause.”

Augustine also failed to account for propaganda and false pretences. As we’ve seen throughout history, masses of people can be misled to accept, if not support, all sorts of evil that with a clear-eyed knowledge no decent human being would ever justify.

The reality of modern statecraft includes propaganda, misinformation, and the use of false pretenses—such as exaggerated or fabricated threats (e.g., weapons of mass destruction or imminent nuclear capabilities)—to justify military action. Augustine did not account for the ways in which political leaders might manipulate public perception or construct justifications for war that are not rooted in actual threats or injustices. This opens the door for abuses, where the criteria of just cause and right intention are met only superficially, while the underlying motives are hidden or misleading.

He also did not account for the species of patriotism that drifts into idolatry. Patriotism can foster an uncritical allegiance to state power (which isn’t the same as love of country and the ideals that inform its existance). This is where patriotism slides into idolatry: the interests of the nation are equated with the will of God, and Christian ethics are subordinated to nationalistic aims.

Augustine’s reliance on the authority of rulers, believed to be divinely sanctioned, can make it difficult for Christians to distinguish between loyalty to God and loyalty to their country, especially in times of war. This dynamic has allowed the church, at times, to be co-opted by nationalistic fervor, justifying wars that serve state interests rather than genuine justice or charity.

War, finally, becomes a foothold for Satan to mislead us. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. He comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Given how frequently Christians are misled into supporting war, we should be especially cautious of not aligning with dark powers. We know with God all things work together for good, but that doesn’t relieve us of the spiritual imperative and moral responsibility not to align with evil.

We must never forget our call to be peacemakers. There should be no pulpit in the world where a preacher praises war, justifies violence, or excuses the excesses of political power that lead to death and destruction. The soldiers and civilians on the other side are too made in God’s image.

Further reading:

1. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/military-history-and-science/just-war-theory

2. https://anabaptistfaith.org/early-church-fathers-on-war-violence-and-pacifism/

3. https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/david-luban-the-president-drones-augustine-just-war-theory/

4. https://web.sas.upenn.edu/discentes/2024/10/13/practical-just-war-st-augustine-his-framing-of-just-war-theory/

5. https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/the-use-and-abuse-of-just-war-theory/