Europe should prepare for war, and great efforts should be invested in creating a common military project to respond to the threats of Russia or other future aggressors.

That was the message communicated by the European Commission one month ago, in March, when Ursula von der Leyen presented the ‘ReArm Europe’ plan that seeks to invest 800 million euros in building a common military “architecture”.

Notably clear were the words of Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space of the European Union. “Europe can no longer afford to be a bystander in its own security”, he said. In a clear reference to the tensions with the United States, he added: “We must take our defence into our own hands, reinforcing our commitments to collective security and standing firm against those who seek to challenge our sovereignty”.

The plans are now to boost the arms industry, under the motto of “what we invest in defence is how we value our defence”, as Maria Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs, put it.

Of course, the war in Ukraine and the defying attitude of Vladimir Putin are the context for such a “historic” shift in how Europe sees itself and its future.

Members of national Evangelical Alliances in four European countries told Evangelical Focus that Christians should aspire to see the whole picture with a biblical worldview.

 

Sweden: “In a fallen world, war is always a possibility”

“I think there is a widespread realisation in Sweden that we are at risk of having war elsewhere in Europe, not only in Ukraine”, says Olof Edsinger, writing from Sweden. He leads the Evangelical Alliance in the country and often comments on current issues.

“Our government has described the present state as, ‘We are not at war, but nor are we at peace’. I don’t think fear is the right word for this, at least not among most Christians, but certainly there is a new seriousness about this threat”, he thinks.

Swedes, he continues, should be aware that an armed conflict could involve their country. For Christians, the realities of war are “also a biblical scenario, not least when speaking about the end times”.

Evangelical Focus asked Edsinger and the other Christian leaders for specific prayer points in the present context. “I think we should pray for wise leadership and wise political decisions”, says the Swedish theologian. “We should also pray that those who threaten us should either change their minds or be exchanged for other leaders. Specifically, we should pray that the Russian people should come to its senses: war is not the solution to their frustration about the development of the West – or, for that matter, of Russia”. 

 

Spain: Are people willing to pray the price?

In Spain, not much fear of war can be perceived yet, says X. Manuel Suárez, a medical doctor and general secretary of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance.

But “we must learn to read the times”, he adds, “and the times are not read by making bets on the future, but by analysing the past rigorously. Now is the time to listen to historians. In my case I listen to my wife, a historian, and she assures me that the conditions that preceded World War I and II are being reproduced, with a geographical expansionism - in this case, Russia - and a confrontation of economic powers”.

According to Suárez, the war in the east of Europe has not only to do with Ukraine, but with Europe’s freedoms. European citizens “are losing the American shield of protection” but still many believe “that nothing will happen here, like in Luke 17:28”, he warns.

“It takes only 10 minutes longer for a Russian missile to reach Madrid than Warsaw”, says Suárez, and “faced with a real risk of military aggression, we must be willing to arm ourselves for defence, and that translates into budgetary changes and tax increases: it has a price that we must be willing to pay”.

“In the biblical worldview, peace is not bought by selling out justice. We have to pray asking God to stop the tyrant and defend the victim, and in Europe today it is clear who is who”

Christians should not “pray for peace in the abstract”, says the Spanish evangelical leader. If believers are “children of peace (Matthew 5:9)” they “must actively commit to peace”. This implies “firmly confronting those who threaten peace” because “naive pacifism” will not deliver peace.

The fact that the UK government did not confront fascism Spain’s 30s Civil War is an example of appeasement that does not work. “They accepted Hitler’s territorial appropriations, avoiding confrontation”, which sent “a clear message of weakness”, and finally led to World War II.

“In the biblical worldview, peace is not bought by selling out justice. We have to pray with the same fervour for peace as for justice. We have to pray asking God to stop the tyrant and defend the victim, and in Europe today it is clear who is who”.

According to Suárez, Christians “must pray for peace in Europe, and especially for the Ukrainian people, but also for the Russian people. A brother from the Russian Evangelical Alliance told me that in his city they receive ten or twelve coffins of young soldiers every day, ten or twelve permanent family dramas generated by Putin”.

“To pray for peace includes praying for courage and resources for the Russian people, so that they may rise up and remove this tyrant from their midst; this will be the most effective way of restoring peace”, he concludes.

France: “Prayers should be lucid, realistic, not pessimistic”

From France, it is Therry Le Gall, a National Council of Evangelicals in France (CNEF) team member working among politicians, who responded to these questions.

“The risk of Russian military aggression is once again on the minds of French Christians, who at the same time hope for an end to the war in Ukraine soon, but at what price?”, he says.

The relationship between Ukraine, Russia and USA is “complex” and “until diplomacy finds a solution acceptable to all three parties, the fighting will continue”, he believes.

“An unspoken question is whether our children, of fighting age, one day will be called to a theatre of military operations at the risk of losing their lives”

Quoting Luke 14:31, Le Gall observes that “French Christians, who pray for peace, have now understood that only an effective European deterrent force, consisting of a well-calibrated and operational military coalition, will be able to impress the Kremlin leader”.

However, two “unspoken fears haunt the minds of evangelical Protestants: how much will the rearmament of Europe weigh on our finances or our quality of life?”. And: “Will our children, of fighting age, one day be called to a theatre of military operations at the risk of being wounded or losing their lives?”

The CNEF representative also looks back at 21^st century history and concludes that “the peace that we have been enjoying in Western Europe since 1945 is exceptionally long-lived”.

“Christ came to accomplish everything to conquer this evil that consumes us”, and Christians should ‘seek peace and pursue it’ (1 Peter 3:11). All possible diplomatic means must be exhausted before considering going to war (Romans 12:18).

But the French evangelical representative also points at Thomas Aquinas, who in the 13^th century proposed three conditions for waging war: auctoritas principis (war can only be waged by the public authorities, otherwise it is a crime), causa justa (the just cause; although there is room for interpretation: at what point can a war be called ‘just’?) and intentio recta (the intention must not be tainted by hidden causes but solely with the aim of achieving the triumph of the common good).

“The notion of self-defence predominates in New Testament culture” but being able to unite to defend a national territory and the families who live in it needs the prerequisite of a “patriotic attachment’ to the nation and to its values”, something that in France might no longer be a priority for many citizens, he thinks.

When it comes to bring these war rumours to God, Le Gall suggests “a lucid, realistic but not pessimistic prayer”. He adds: “Whatever our social status, our sphere of influence, the type of church we belong to, the weakness of our means of action: every prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit counts, every evangelical voice calling for more peace and justice will be blessed”.

Portugal: actions in peacemaking

In Portugal, “the topic of war is approached with sobriety but not alarmism”, says Elsa Correia, who leads the Network on Peace, Reconciliation, and Human Rights of the Portuguese Evangelical Alliance.

Although there is “concern about the international situation, churches always seek to emphasize trust in God, prayer for peace, and the Christian commitment to reconciliation and helping those who suffer”.

Nevertheless, there is a “growing awareness among leaders and church members that we are living in unstable times”.

“We are not only a people of faith and prayer, but when crises arise, we also provide social support to those most in need”

How should pastors react? “A Christian leader should address the topic with truth, but also with sensitivity and faith”, says Correia. “They should remind the congregation that, although rumours of war are a biblical reality (Matthew 24:6), Christians are called to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9)”.

“Leaders should encourage members to pray for political leaders, to maintain a posture of trust in God, and to be spiritually prepared. The message should be one of hope, reinforcing that, regardless of what happens, God remains sovereign and present”.

The prayers of Christians “must be offered with faith, humility, and a biblical foundation”. But what does that mean in practice? “In the current circumstances, an evangelical Christian is encouraged to: Ask God to raise up wise and just leaders who seek peaceful solutions, intercede for the victims of conflict and for those working in peace negotiations, cry out for repentance and reconciliation among nations, pray that the Church remains faithful in its witness, being an agent of peace amid chaos; and remember God’s promises: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Additionally, evangelical Christians should “promote concrete actions of solidarity, dialogue, and support for those suffering from the consequences of conflict”. Because “we are not only a people of faith and prayer, but when crises arise, we also provide social support to those most in need”.

She points to the reaction of many churches that “sent supplies and offered shelter to those who suffered the hardships of war”. A key move in this sense is also to “strengthen our cooperation with our evangelical counterparts across Europe”.