Growing up in the United Brethren denomination amidst the Vietnam War, the Christian adults around me always supported the war. As I proceeded into adulthood, I never saw a US war or military action that my fellow parishioners didn’t overwhelmingly support. Vietnam. Cambodia. Lebanon. Grenada. Panama. Libya. Nicaragua. Kuwait. Somalia. Bosnia. Haiti. Kosovo. Afghanistan. Iraq. Although we’ve not taken denominational stands on any of these conflicts, the general United Brethren sentiment has always been approval. This is what I, Steve Dennie, have observed. I don’t pretend to speak for the experience of other UBs.

People can say, “We were just supporting the troops.” But that’s hogwash. It goes beyond that. At some level, we–and white evangelicals in general–are just inclined to like the use of military force. All of which intrigues me. Why are we so supportive of warfare?

Pacifism reigned among the early United Brethren. Founder Martin Boehm, a Mennonite, was criticized for associating with non-pacifists (English-speaking people, in general). During the Revolutionary War, the young Christian Newcomer recalled how, being “conscientiously opposed to war and bearing arms,” he was placed in many “disagreeable situations.” Early UB historians mentioned wars mainly as hindering the spread of the Gospel, but otherwise as things that didn’t concern us.

The Mexican American War was a voluntary war of aggression on America’s part–a land grab, basically. At least one UB minister was expelled for enlisting. The 1849 General Conference, after the war, took a principled stand clearly aimed at the US government: “We believe that the spirit that leads men to engage voluntarily in national warfare is unholy and unchristian and ought not to be tolerated by us.” Key word: voluntarily.

Invading Iraq was also voluntary, but it’s unthinkable that we would take such a stand today. To call such an action “unholy and unchristian” and something we shouldn’t tolerate–it would split the church.

The Civil War was a turning point for us. Being mostly a Northern abolitionist church, we were fervent Union supporters. Our colleges poured students into the war. A couple months after Appomattox, we adopted what is basically a Just War statement: “We believe it to be entirely consistent with the spirit of Christianity to bear arms when called upon to do so by the properly constituted authorities of our government for its preservation and defense.”

Today, we still have a statement against “voluntary, national, aggressive warfare.” But when the shooting starts, and we’re the ones who start it (a la Iraq), we ignore it. That’s been my experience. In practice, UB people are okay with voluntary, national, aggressive warfare if the United States does it.

All of this intrigues me–how we abandoned our pacifist roots, and came to support virtually any military action by our government. I lack satisfying answers.