As Christians, we know that “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9).
And yet we also know that what is required is more than the absence of conflict, as important as that is. For justice, wholeness and restoration are also values that are deeply embedded in scripture. The Greek-speaking writers of the New Testament used the Greek word eirene to translate Hebrew shalom and communicate its values, derived as they are from a root denoting ‘wholeness,’ ‘completeness.’ This reminds us that, as Christians, we need to look at the content of peace and what it brings. Which brings us to the recent conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
The phone call between Trump and Putin, over Ukraine, raises the question of just what has this achieved regarding an end to the Russia-Ukraine War? In what way might it bring peace closer; and what might that peace be like?
Are the US-Israel strikes on Iran a 'just war'?
Christian Just War theory represents one of the most influential ethical traditions for evaluating the moral legitimacy of warfare.Developed …