A significant study for our dark age of global Islamic jihad and mass martyrdom of Christians, abridged from Fr. LeMaster's book, The Goodness of God’s Creation.
by Priest Philip LeMasters, Pravmir — May 5, 2015
In light of the human vocation for growth in holiness and communion with God, how should Christians respond to the prospect of warfare?
Eastern Christianity does not view morality in fundamentally legal terms or within the context of abstract philosophy, but as part of the holistic vocation of humanity for theosis: participation by grace in the eternal life of the Holy Trinity. Hence, the Orthodox vision must be considered on its own terms, and not distorted by the imposition of Western categories. The question for the Orthodox is not, “What approach to warfare is most persuasive rationally or incumbent upon all Christians as a matter of moral law?” Instead, the East asks, “In light of the human vocation for growth in holiness and communion with God, how should Christians respond to the prospect of warfare?”
