War Fought By Those Who Never Start Them.

The outbreak of the Mexican War in 1846 became the first real test of the pacifism of the Disciples(Church of Christ) and triggered the first major discussion of the war question in the Disciples' periodicals. Alexander Campbell had long opposed war. In the first issue of the Christian Baptist in 1823 he wrote:

"And stranger still see, the Christian general, with his ten thousand soldiers, and his chaplain at his elbow, preaching as he says, the gospel of good will among men; and hear him exhort his generals and his Christian warriors to go forth with the fight the battles of God and their country; praying that the Lord would cause them to fight valiantly, and render their efforts successful in making as many widows and orphans as will afford sufficient opportunity for others to manifest the purity of their religion by taking care of t h e m ! !"

In 1845 Campbell wrote an article against war in general but refused specifically to condemn the Mexican War. After dismissing various justifications for war, he pointed out that the teachings of Jesus, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount, opposed war: "If he would not have any of them to render evil for evil, and if he pronounced the highest honor and blessing on the peace-makers, who can imagine that he could be a patron of war !

Campbell's most famous statement on this issue was before a meeting of the Wheeling Lyceum in Virginiain 1848 when he strongly declared his beliefs on the evils of war. Wars, he said, have always been fought for selfish motives and "not one for defense alone." To him "war is not now, nor was it ever, a process of justice . . . it is either a mere game of chance, or a violent outrage of the strong against the weak."

Moreover, the men who fight wars do not make wars, thus those who are innocent as far as beginning the wars suffer the consequences. Wars, he concludes, resultfrom men's lusts and evil passions and Christian precepts
"positively inhibit war."""

(Johnnie Andrew Collins. PACIFISM IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST: 1866-1945.
A dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of Middle Tennessee State Universityin partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree Doctorate of Arts. December, 1984)