A Response to “Iran Bombing Threat” – by Ray Roberts
Read Chris Iosso’s article as published on Unbound
In this fine piece Iosso sorts through the rumors of war circulating among us.
Since this whole topic is wrapped in intense emotion, it is worth repeating a number of truths: First, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s repeated holocaust denials and threats against Israel are abhorrent and cause for concern. Second, Presbyterians have rightly and repeatedly affirmed Israel’s right to peaceful existence, even as we have also added a call for justice for Palestinians. Finally, we should be concerned about nuclear proliferation and its potential for stimulating regional arms races (think how Pakistan and India have rattled their nuclear sabers against one another) and worse, the possibility of nuclear material getting into the hands of non-state actors (terrorists).
That said, Iosso helpfully points to how rhetoric coming from both American political parties is creating a mindset that may box us in and limit America’s ability to act responsibly. It is unclear to me (and other analysts) that a nuclearly armed Iran necessarily poses an existential threat to Israel. We lived for 40 years with a much more heavily armed Soviet Union. The possibility of mutually assured destruction, distasteful and morally problematic as that was, limited even the use of conventional weapons creating a cold war.
That said, it is clearly preferable for Iran not gain nuclear arms. Yet, some analysts, like Stephen Walt, worry that our current strategy may be perversely pushing Iran to secure nuclear arms (as a way to prevent conventional attacks) and that an attack could have the unintentional effect (as it did after Israel attacked Iraq) of solidifying their resolve.
As we try to get a fair grasp of what’s going on, it is worth considering that important voices within Israel dissent from the “mindset.” For example, former Mossad chief Meir Dagan has called air strikes against Iran stupid. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/former-mossad-chief-israel-air-strike-on-iran-stupidest-thing-i-have-ever-heard-1.360367 Ehud Barak questions whether Iran represents the threat that some on the right claim. http://www.haaretz.com/news/report-barak-says-iran-is-not-existential-threat-to-israel-1.7710
As American Christians, who seek first the Kingdom of God, we should seek peace among the nations. We should continue to support Israel’s right to peace and security and justice for Palestinians. In particular we should note how Iran exploits Palestinian grievances and how addressing these grievances would benefit Israel’s security. We should also, wherever possible, work to decrease weapons and hostility between nations that could erupt into war, particularly we should work to decrease the proliferation of nuclear weapons, approaching our calling as wisely as serpents and innocently as doves. One of the best ways for the church to respond, at least right now, is to be actively engaging our members in enlightened conversation on this difficult topic.
This last suggestion connects with an important point Iosso makes at the close of his article, wherein he notes that denominational leaders proved their wisdom in their opposition to the Iraq War. While I completely agree with his assessment, I note that hardly anybody at the time considered what mainline religious leaders said to be relevant. It was a faithful witness, but not very effective. Why? My sense is that protests from mainline religious leaders before the Iraq War largely fell on deaf ears because they spoke without a constituency. (In 2002, for example, the Presbyterian Panel found that only 44% of members thought going to war in Iraq was a bad idea.) This contrasts with the religious right whose ground work has given them a voice that cannot be ignored.
All of this is to say that the mindset that Iosso names must also be addressed in the church.
The Reverend Dr. Raymond R. Roberts is the senior pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Westfield, NJ. After graduating from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, he attended Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. In 1999, he earned a Ph.D. In History and Theology from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. He is the author of the book, “Whose Kids Are They Anyway? Religion and Morality in America’s Public Schools.” Ray is an active member of the Society of Christian Ethics.