Stanley Hauerwas - War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity

Ten years and counting. America has been at war for ten years and counting. It is almost difficult to recall a time when America was not at war. The Cold War may not have seemed like war, but there can be no doubt that it was appropriately named war. For those of us who have lived long enough to remember it, in some ways the Cold War seemed more real than the wars that ensued after September 11, 2001. The Cold War impinged on the daily lives of Americans, whereas the wars after September 11, 2001, have been fought without the general American population having to make any sacrifices. They go on, and so do we. Yet people are dying and people are killing. These wars are real.

Most Americans do not seem to be terribly bothered by the reality of the current wars. It is as if they have become but another video game. In truth, the wars themselves are increasingly shaped by technologies that make them seem gamelike. Young men and women can kill people around the world while sitting in comfortable chairs in underground bunkers in Colorado. At the end of the work day, they can go home and watch Little League baseball. I find it hard to imagine what it means to live this way.

The wars America has been fighting for ten years and counting seem so distant and vague that it is hard for any of us to deal with the reality of war. We celebrate and praise the heroism of those who fight, and we are saddened that some must make the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedom. Those so honored, however, do not necessarily think, given the reality of war, that they should be regarded as heroes. To be sure, those who are actually engaged in combatthose who see the maimed bodies and mourning mothersstruggle more than the rest of us to make sense of the reality of war.

It is my hope that this book will in some small way help us, Christian and non-Christian alike, to confront the reality of war. I write as one committed to Christian nonviolence, but I hope that what I have written here will be an invitation for those who do not share my commitments to nevertheless join me in thinking through what a world without war might look like.

The world, for good reason, may well think it does not need another book by me, but I make no apology for putting this book together. In the face of ongoing wars it is hard to know what to say, but I am determined to continue trying to articulate what it might mean to be faithful to the gospel. Like most of my work this book is exploratory, but I hope readers will find my attempt to reframe theologically how we think about war fruitful for their own reflection. Indeed, I hope I have said some of what needs to be said if we are to have an alternative to ten years and counting.

Im thankful that Rodney Clapp thought these essays to be important and worthwhile. When I sent them to Rodney I did so knowing he had the editorial imagination to envision them as a whole; and he did. As usual, I am in Rodneys debt, not only for making this book possible, but for suggesting that I have some Johnny Cash in my soul.

Im grateful to Adam Hollowell and Nathaniel Jung-Chul Lee, who proved invaluable in getting these essays ready for publication. Early on, when I first began thinking of this collection, Adam spent time reading and making insightful suggestions. That Adam has now completed his PhD and is currently a colleague at Duke is a great gift. Nate has helped with final revisions, which entailed his making substantive suggestions for the text as a whole. His determination to be a priest in the Episcopal Church is a gift to the church. Both of these young scholars are examples of what it means for the academy and the church to take seriously the realism of Christs sacrifice.

Carole Baker was the first reader of these essays. Without her none of the chapters in this book would have been ready to be read by others. She has read and reread what I have written for so long, she is now able to say what I should have said better than me. I continue to worry that having her work for me means she cannot pursue her work as an artist as fully as I think she should. But hopefully that day is not far off.

I have dedicated this book to the Ekklesia Project because though it is a quirky group of peopleand that includes meI think it may be the kind of gathering that helps us see what it could mean for Christians to love one another.

By the time this book appears I will be seventy years old. How strange. What a wonderful life I have been given. I have been loved by many friends and I am extremely grateful. But Paulas love for me has made all the difference.