The Pacifist Option: The Moral Argument Against War in Eastern Orthodox Theology

by Alexander F. C. Webster

"[T]he fight for our planet, physical and spiritual, a fight of cosmic proportions, is not a vague matter of the future; it has already started. The forces of Evil have already begun their decisive offensive.... Even if we are spared destruction by war, life will have to change in order not to parish on its own. We cannot avoid reassessing the fundamental definitions of human life and human society. Is it true that man is above everything? Is there no Superior Spirit above him?" Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Harvard Commencement Address, June 8, 1978.

Since the Orthodox tradition does not have, to my knowledge, a systematic doctrine of just war theory akin the Roman Church, this book is highly useful in formulating an informed opinion on the subject, arguing the Eastern approach has a strong tendency toward justice through peace.
I still struggle with this philosophically and, now that we are in Iraq and Afghanistan, the question becomes practical. When does violence in order to protect become legitamate? This book is VERY helpful for me. As a counterpoint, read C. S. Lewis' essay "Why I am not a Pacifist".

The author, an Orthodox priest and sometimes-military chaplain, is also a Lecturer of Religion at American University.