Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Mar/85

Contributor - Neil VerBeek

Title - Peace And The World: Part III

Topic - Peace

The most important issue facing the world today and the world tomorrow is the issue of the nuclear arms race. Superpowers such as the United States and the Soviet Union are involved in an escalating arms race, and continue to spend billions of dollars annually to produce bigger and better weapons. Also more countries than ever before are acquiring the technology needed to produce these weapons, and are building up their own stockpiles. It is said that the United States, alone, has the weapon power capable of destroying the world 20 times over.

An interesting analogy may be used to compare the arms race between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.

They are like two cars racing along a highway which ends at a cliff. As they race along the road, certain rules are made. One is speed limits. But the speed limits are always faster than the cars are traveling. Another is road boundaries, with each car staying on his side so they can see each other. But they are still racing towards the cliff. The cars have now reached the point where they must slam on their brakes to keep from going over the cliff, the drivers must get out, look ahead over the cliff and look back over the distance they have come. They could talk and agree that the race was never worth winning anyway, the only reason they were racing was because each didn't want the other to be ahead. Stopping before the cliff would represent a freeze on the nuclear arms race. The drivers could then drive back to where they started, perhaps slowly at first, but finally reaching the starting point. This would represent nuclear disarmament.

Why do countries spend so much money on the nuclear arms build up? The main reason is that country's feeling of insecurity or inferiority. A country that lags behind another in the nuclear race may feel insecure or threatened and so will increase production. The country that is ahead will also increase production accordingly, to stay ahead and have that feeling of security or superiority. In other words, the countries are placing their trust in the nuclear bomb to protect them. What does the Bible say about this? it says we must put all our trust in the Lord, and not in the things of this world, for they will pass away.

The morality of the arms race is also a topic of question. Why are we spending billions of dollars on weapons when the money could be used to feed millions of people who are starving to death. Why are we still producing these weapons, when we already have evidence of what terrible consequences arise from using them in war? We only need to look at Hiroshima and Nagasaki as examples. Those weapons destroyed whole cities and killed and crippled thousands of people. Today's weapons could wipe out whole countries. in an all out nuclear war, each country could destroy the other. Thus there would be no winners in a nuclear war. They would all be losers.

Nuclear war is a sin in God's eyes, and against all He has created. God did not create this world so it could be destroyed by man. In Gen. 2:28 God says, "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth on the earth."

Acceptance of nuclear weapons brings us to a crisis in our Christian faith. We cannot support or accept nuclear weapons as well as put our faith in Christ. Matthew 6:24 states that "no man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to one and despise the other."

As Christians, we should do all we can to support the cause for peace in this world. We must start with prayer. This is at the heart of Christian peacemaking. We should pray that God will forgive our sins in this matter and that He will spare the world from nuclear devastation.

We should learn or make ourselves familiar with the dangers of the danger of the arms race and its affects on this world.

We should examine ourselves to see if in any part of our life-style we are supporting the arms race. For example, if someone worked at a place where nuclear weapons are stored or produced, he could show his non-support by leaving that job and working at a place where nuclear energy is being developed for peaceful purposes.

We should be supportive of anti-nuclear groups in their causes. Our government should be pressed to halt further testing, production and deployment of nuclear weapons for the sole purpose of destruction of the human race. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God." Let us strive to heed these words of Jesus, so that this world will be a safer and more secure place to live in.

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