From 1943 to Christmas 1950, I had a major problem with Christians in war. I was theoretically a pacifist.
At the time, I was not a Christian. I was a patriot. I did not think it was possible to be both, so I chose to be a patriot. In 1945 I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. In 1946, I went to the Naval Academy. In 1947, I received Christ.
Now I was both a naval officer and a Christian. I could see the contradiction. I asked a Christian midshipman about it. He told me it would work out because there was no war. I wasn’t killing anyone, so I let it slide.
By my first class year (senior year), I was in trouble on cruise with the officer in charge because of my witness. During the year I was called up to the Assistant to the Commandant, the senior chaplain, and the company officer. One of the four told me I would be lucky if I made it to the rank of lieutenant junior grade. The company officer suggested I resign.
Now I could see that the Navy and Christianity were incompatible, not because of my pacifist convictions, but because the Navy could not tolerate Christians who lived it and talked it. I resigned and quit studying for my ordinates and gunnery final. The resignation came back from the Secretary of the Navy: Disapproved. I was then flunking ordinates and gunnery. I did not know what to do - I thought it was right to get out of the Navy, but I couldn't.
The following week, ten midshipmen received Christ. I accepted the truth that God wanted me in the Navy. It was peace time. I asked for a ship in the Far East so I could help missionaries when we were in port (I later married one).
I got to San Francisco just in time to find out that North Korea had crossed the 38th parallel, starting the Korean War, and my ship was supporting the landing of the First Cavalry Division at Pohang Dong. By September 6th, my ship was assigned to call fire on the Pusan perimeter. I was the only one on the ship pulling the trigger. One time we fired for 30 straight hours, another time 20 hours, another time 16. We did this for 20 days.
After that, we were sent North to the Russian border to enforce the UN-declared blockade. On the return, we were at general quarters to destroy some railroad cars near Tanchon. I was ordered to the Main Battery Director by the Gunnery Officer. When I arrived, he said that he did not know why he ordered me to leave Gunnery Plot (my battle station). While I was still in the Main Battery Director, we hit a mine. My battle station was completely destroyed. There was one survivor left, the chief I had left in charge while I was gone. He lived two hours and then died. The rescue party did not pull me out. They knew that that was my battle station, so the word went around the ship that I was the only officer killed. It was a shock to the ship when I later showed up on the main deck.
I was in turmoil. I had submitted my resignation; it was rejected. I had asked for a ship in the Far East to help missionaries in peacetime; the war started at the end of my graduation leave, and I was one of very few of my classmates who were there at the beginning of the war. I rationalized to myself that I was only handling combat information; I was not killing anyone. Then we were sent to the front lines, and I was shifted to Gunnery plot where I was the only one on the ship killing anyone. Then I was delivered, and my team was killed.
On the way back to port in our damaged ship, men were coming to me to ask me why their close friends were killed. I could answer that. I did not know why I had not died, except I knew that God had to have directed it. It certainly was not my choice. I knew He was in it, but I did not know why.
The war was now over for me. I would be home for Christmas. However, I knew I should stay in the Forward Area until I knew why God had caused this chain of events. If I went home for the rest of the war, I would never find out, and I would not solve my problem of being a Christian and a military officer. I asked for any combatant ship remaining in the forward area.
I got orders at Midway Island to the USS Brinkley Bass. I came aboard her in the Sea of Japan, January 1, 1951. In between ships, I looked up several missionaries, including Bessie Dodds in Yokohama. No one knew of my dilemma. I was a pacifist at heart and a regular Navy officer, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and seeing action in war.
I did not tell the missionaries. They would say, “What are you doing in the Navy?” I did not refuse to obey because I was a pacifist. It would not be believed. After all, I had gone to the Naval Academy. “You decide that you are a pacifist only after you are under fire? We will give you a General Court Martial for cowardice under fire and refusing to obey orders in time of war”. I just kept quiet and prayed for some light.
The answer to prayer came through Bessie. She gave me her autographed copy of Lt. General Sir William Dobbie’s A Very Present Help. General Dobbie came from a pacifist church. The answer to my prayer was in his book.
My basic question was in Exodus 20, “Thou shall not kill,” and in Exodus 21 where the death penalty was required for the killing that was forbidden in the previous chapter. There was much killing in the rest of the Old Testament, much of it clearly in the will of God.
Were these contradictions, or was there something else I did not see, some other principle that was not a contradiction?
In the Scriptures, there is a precedence of qualities. Here are a few verses that compare the qualities of righteousness and peace. A Very Present Help helped me see this principle.
He would not have peace at the expense of righteousness at the time of the Flood. "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time" (Gen. 5:6).
God would not have peace in Sodom and Gomorrah at the expense of righteousness. However, he would have spared the cities if there had been ten righteous people.
The Canaanites were not bad enough to destroy in Abraham’s day. Four hundred and forty years later, the sin of the Amorites had reached its full measure. "In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure" (Gen. 15:16).
"After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, 'The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.' No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people" (Deut. 9:4-6)
The rest of the Old Testament, beginning with the book of Judges, the judgments that were brought on Israel were because of their unrepentant iniquity. The cities that were marked for complete destruction (Tyre, Nineveh, Babylon, etc.) were because of their complete iniquity.
At the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, God told Jeremiah, "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city" (Jer. 5:1). God would forgive the whole city for the sake of one righteous person.
In the New Testament, Jesus does not abrogate the death penalty. "For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,’ and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death'" (Mark 7:10).
At the time, I was not a Christian. I was a patriot. I did not think it was possible to be both, so I chose to be a patriot. In 1945 I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. In 1946, I went to the Naval Academy. In 1947, I received Christ.
Now I was both a naval officer and a Christian. I could see the contradiction. I asked a Christian midshipman about it. He told me it would work out because there was no war. I wasn’t killing anyone, so I let it slide.
By my first class year (senior year), I was in trouble on cruise with the officer in charge because of my witness. During the year I was called up to the Assistant to the Commandant, the senior chaplain, and the company officer. One of the four told me I would be lucky if I made it to the rank of lieutenant junior grade. The company officer suggested I resign.
Now I could see that the Navy and Christianity were incompatible, not because of my pacifist convictions, but because the Navy could not tolerate Christians who lived it and talked it. I resigned and quit studying for my ordinates and gunnery final. The resignation came back from the Secretary of the Navy: Disapproved. I was then flunking ordinates and gunnery. I did not know what to do - I thought it was right to get out of the Navy, but I couldn't.
The following week, ten midshipmen received Christ. I accepted the truth that God wanted me in the Navy. It was peace time. I asked for a ship in the Far East so I could help missionaries when we were in port (I later married one).
I got to San Francisco just in time to find out that North Korea had crossed the 38th parallel, starting the Korean War, and my ship was supporting the landing of the First Cavalry Division at Pohang Dong. By September 6th, my ship was assigned to call fire on the Pusan perimeter. I was the only one on the ship pulling the trigger. One time we fired for 30 straight hours, another time 20 hours, another time 16. We did this for 20 days.
After that, we were sent North to the Russian border to enforce the UN-declared blockade. On the return, we were at general quarters to destroy some railroad cars near Tanchon. I was ordered to the Main Battery Director by the Gunnery Officer. When I arrived, he said that he did not know why he ordered me to leave Gunnery Plot (my battle station). While I was still in the Main Battery Director, we hit a mine. My battle station was completely destroyed. There was one survivor left, the chief I had left in charge while I was gone. He lived two hours and then died. The rescue party did not pull me out. They knew that that was my battle station, so the word went around the ship that I was the only officer killed. It was a shock to the ship when I later showed up on the main deck.
I was in turmoil. I had submitted my resignation; it was rejected. I had asked for a ship in the Far East to help missionaries in peacetime; the war started at the end of my graduation leave, and I was one of very few of my classmates who were there at the beginning of the war. I rationalized to myself that I was only handling combat information; I was not killing anyone. Then we were sent to the front lines, and I was shifted to Gunnery plot where I was the only one on the ship killing anyone. Then I was delivered, and my team was killed.
On the way back to port in our damaged ship, men were coming to me to ask me why their close friends were killed. I could answer that. I did not know why I had not died, except I knew that God had to have directed it. It certainly was not my choice. I knew He was in it, but I did not know why.
The war was now over for me. I would be home for Christmas. However, I knew I should stay in the Forward Area until I knew why God had caused this chain of events. If I went home for the rest of the war, I would never find out, and I would not solve my problem of being a Christian and a military officer. I asked for any combatant ship remaining in the forward area.
I got orders at Midway Island to the USS Brinkley Bass. I came aboard her in the Sea of Japan, January 1, 1951. In between ships, I looked up several missionaries, including Bessie Dodds in Yokohama. No one knew of my dilemma. I was a pacifist at heart and a regular Navy officer, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and seeing action in war.
I did not tell the missionaries. They would say, “What are you doing in the Navy?” I did not refuse to obey because I was a pacifist. It would not be believed. After all, I had gone to the Naval Academy. “You decide that you are a pacifist only after you are under fire? We will give you a General Court Martial for cowardice under fire and refusing to obey orders in time of war”. I just kept quiet and prayed for some light.
The answer to prayer came through Bessie. She gave me her autographed copy of Lt. General Sir William Dobbie’s A Very Present Help. General Dobbie came from a pacifist church. The answer to my prayer was in his book.
My basic question was in Exodus 20, “Thou shall not kill,” and in Exodus 21 where the death penalty was required for the killing that was forbidden in the previous chapter. There was much killing in the rest of the Old Testament, much of it clearly in the will of God.
Were these contradictions, or was there something else I did not see, some other principle that was not a contradiction?
In the Scriptures, there is a precedence of qualities. Here are a few verses that compare the qualities of righteousness and peace. A Very Present Help helped me see this principle.
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. (Isa. 32:17)Notice that the righteousness precedes and causes God’s kind of peace. First king of righteousness, then king of peace. God will not have peace at the expense of righteousness.
Therefore, since we have been justified [made righteous[ through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem," which means "king of peace." (Heb. 7:1-2)
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)
He would not have peace at the expense of righteousness at the time of the Flood. "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time" (Gen. 5:6).
God would not have peace in Sodom and Gomorrah at the expense of righteousness. However, he would have spared the cities if there had been ten righteous people.
The Canaanites were not bad enough to destroy in Abraham’s day. Four hundred and forty years later, the sin of the Amorites had reached its full measure. "In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure" (Gen. 15:16).
"After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, 'The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.' No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people" (Deut. 9:4-6)
The rest of the Old Testament, beginning with the book of Judges, the judgments that were brought on Israel were because of their unrepentant iniquity. The cities that were marked for complete destruction (Tyre, Nineveh, Babylon, etc.) were because of their complete iniquity.
At the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, God told Jeremiah, "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city" (Jer. 5:1). God would forgive the whole city for the sake of one righteous person.
In the New Testament, Jesus does not abrogate the death penalty. "For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,’ and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death'" (Mark 7:10).
This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem," which means "king of peace." (Heb. 7:1-2)
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