The U.S. military sank Venezuelan vessels at least six times since early September. A strike on Oct. 14 killed six people. After a strike on Oct. 17, the U.S. took survivors into custody, and the death toll from these attacks overall is at least 30 people.
The Trump administration asserts it is treating the alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force.
Matthew Tennant
At times like this, people of faith often cite Romans 13 to support submitting to government officials. I appreciate Brad Bull’s recent BNG analysis of Romans 13. When I wrote about this topic a few years ago, the appeal to this passage rested on an assumption that God ordained the government. I concluded that reading all of Romans might yield greater compassion for those who are suffering. Now, many people are suffering. My focus, in this space, is on the unwitting victims of the U.S. attacks on Venezuelan boats.
Conservative commentators have compared Donald Trump to Cyrus the Great (here, here, here and here). In the context of Isaiah 45.1-7, God uses someone to accomplish something good. The story of Cyrus is about someone fulfilling their responsibilities and the outcome is good. The person might not even realize they are doing something good — they do their thing and people perceive it as good.
“Is the policy of attacking Venezuelan boats accomplishing something good?”
While maintaining my focus on the Venezuelans who have died at sea from U.S. bullets, my question is this: Is the policy of attacking Venezuelan boats accomplishing something good?
My commentary is limited to a pastoral and theological perspective. Therefore, my question is not a political question about the U.S. foreign policy. It’s about harming people who have no opportunity to surrender. My critique focuses on the lack of process.
For the sake of argument, let us assume someone did something wrong. Blowing up boats eliminates the opportunity to repent. It takes away the chance to “restore someone gently” (Galatians 6.1), “speak truth in love” (Ephesians 4.15) or let “iron sharpen iron” (Proverbs 27.17).
The Bible is full of guidance for people to help other people do the right thing. I have been unable to find biblical evidence for attacking first without ever having the chance to ask questions.
Violence is a stumbling block for people of faith. Some people are lured into thinking violence is necessary or an appropriate response to others. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5.9), yet too many Christ-followers endorse state-sanctioned violence.
The Uruguayan Jesuit Juan Luis Segundo connected following Christ with responding to injustice, oppression and violence. In his 1976 book The Liberation of Theology, he wrote, “The only lasting rule is to try to display the most effective and wide-ranging love possible in any given situation.” Violence contradicts this love. Seeking peace and reconciliation effectively displays the love of Christ.
Military or law enforcement careers are not mutually exclusive with following Christ. Yet, like every other Christ-follower, members of the military and law enforcement who claim the mantle of Christ must seek God first. The same Great Commandment to love God and love one’s neighbor (Mark 12.28-31) applies to everyone, including members of the military and law enforcement.
On March 23, 1980, the day before a sniper assassinated him, Archbishop Oscar Romero said: “You kill your own fellow peasants; and in the face of an order to kill that is given by a person, the law of God should prevail that says: Do not kill! No soldier is obliged to obey an order counter to the law of God. No one must comply with an immoral law. It is time now that you recover your conscience and obey its dictates rather than the command of sin.”
While Romero’s words spoke directly to the Salvadorean Civil War, the same words carry a prescient weight for members of the military and law enforcement community in the U.S. today. If someone claims to follow Christ, then, as Romero said, “the law of God should prevail that says: Do not kill!”
“As flawed as the system might be, it is better than shooting first and asking questions later.”
Mercifully, the U.S. has a judicial process and offers the opportunity to bring people suspected of breaking a law to a trial. At trial, the person can challenge unlawful detention or imprisonment (habeas corpus). During a trial, the prosecution and defense make their case. There might be flaws in the system. Systemic racism, poverty and other injustices tip the scales of justice against some people and favor others. However, as flawed as the system might be, it is better than shooting first and asking questions later.
The idea of blowing up boats with little or no warning affects me because I enjoy being on the water more than almost anything else. A few years ago, just for fun, I obtained my USCG Master License, also known as a Captain’s License, so I am a member of the Merchant Marine. I have been sailing for more than 30 years and have made several offshore passages.
Having been at sea far from land, I wonder what the Venezuelans were thinking and feeling. Did they see a U.S. Navy vessel? Did they try to surrender? Did they have a chance to launch a life raft? What was the final experience of life on earth of the 30 people who died from an attack by the U.S. Navy?
“We the people” need to join together and stop repressing one another. We can pray for the members of the military and law enforcement, so they can find the courage to resist orders that run counter to the law of God. And, at every chance we get, we can remind ourselves and every person in our orbit to “love God” and “love our neighbor.”
This doesn’t suggest ignoring wrongdoing or not dealing with national threats. The country of which I am proud citizen has a judicial process. We can “love God,” “love our neighbor” and follow the law.
Matthew Tennant serves as senior pastor of University Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Va. He is a graduate of Carson-Newman College, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, and University of Oxford. He has written several books, including Crossing the Lines We Draw.