Consciously examining foreign policy through the lens of my faith has been a most challenging task, particularly given who quickly the world changes. Are there universal moral, biblical truths that Christians who are engaged in foreign policy should never compromise on, or is a certain flexibility permissible given the often complicated dynamics of geopolitics and the tough calls that have to be made, calls where, in some cases, there are no good options, only less bad ones. I’m reminded of the words of former Secretary of State (and devout Christian) Condoleezza Rice who once said, and this is close paraphrase “Never forget how hard it is to make complex decisions when you don’t have all of the information you’d like or need but you don’t have the luxury of not making a decision.”
Indeed, when Christians have to make decisions where lives may be lost, that is no small thing; indeed it’s weighty. Is it ever appropriate to intervene in a country’s affairs with military action if the purpose is to prevent genocide?Just War doctrine is rejected as ungodly by Anabaptists but thoughtful Christians disagree. It is, no doubt, a deeply thorny question.
