Date of Award

5-1-1985

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Sacred Theology (STM)

Department

Systematic Theology

First Advisor

John Johnson

Scripture References in this Resource

Colossians 1:15-17; Acts 14:17; 1 Timothy 2:2; Mark 13:32; Matthew 24:36; James 1:13; Psalm 5:4-6; Romans 6:28; Micah 24:14; Hebrews 1:10-12; 2 Peter 3:7; Acts 17:26; Deuteronomy 27:26; Galatians 3:10; Psalm 92:15; Deuteronomy 32:4; Deuteronomy 5:6-22; Exodus 20:1-17; Matthew 6:25-32; Micah 10:29-31; Genesis 1:31.; Psalm 14:1-3; Matthew 19:17; Acts 17:28; Matthew 5:45; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 8:18-21; Psalm 145:9; Psalm 127:1; Psalm 102:25-26

Abstract

Can there be any rules in war? Or, to phrase the same question in other words, is some sort o£ morality possible on the battlefield? The horrors o£ nuclear and guerrilla war prompt many to answer this question with a firm, even vehement, “No” Certainly the fact that millions of noncombatants are the targets for hundreds of nuclear-armed missles lends credence to their denial. Moreover, the vivid picture of the summary execution of a guerrilla by a Vietnamese police chief and the sickening stories of hurling some prisoners of war from a helicopter nine hundred or a thousand feet in the air so that the survivors sight be interrogated sore easily^ speak vividly of the lack of morality on modern battlefields. Have we then reached the stage in the development of warfare where the conduct of war must be devoid of morality?

This thesis seeks to answer a portion of that question. Its attention is directed to the question of what moral precepts, if any, should guide the field commander in his conduct of anti-guerrilla operations.

This thesis approaches this question from the perspective of Lutheran ethics as well as from the Lutheran understanding of the appropriate place and task of civil government in God's rule of this world.

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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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