A Basic Guide to the Just War Tradition

“As a thirty-seven-year veteran of the armed forces, I found Dr. Patterson’s book to be a stimulating read that both reinforced and challenged my thinking about my experience in armed conflict and the Jesus follower’s role in terms of vocation and calling. I believe his powerful words provide a great roadmap to guide us through the challenging environment we find ourselves in today, and I heartily recommend it to every ‘follower’ from senior pastor to young person serving at home or abroad.”

“The fifteen hundred years of Christian ‘just war’ reasoning comprise the most sophisticated tradition we have of thinking about the conditions of the morally justified use of force. In this book Eric Patterson, an authority both in theory and in practice, has provided a guide that is as comprehensive in scope as it is exemplary in clarity.”

“When the prospect of war is imminent the people of the United States engage in often heated debate about whether they believe there is sufficient cause. As military forces are prepared, leaders engage in discussions about how the war should be fought and teach and train about the laws of armed conflict in relationship to the outcome desired. And when there is termination of conflict, the discussion returns to important questions: Was it right? Was it just? Was it pursued using just means? Was the outcome a just outcome? This book grounds that discussion in the Western and Christian traditions of just war. It helps discipline the thought process so as to minimize the random, the superficial, and the politically correct. This book is a must-read for young people as they take on the duties of citizenship, for armed forces personnel as they clarify how to engage an enemy, for political leaders who are responsible to constituents, and for church leaders who have special spiritual and temporal responsibilities. Thankfully, Dr. Patterson writes about an exceedingly difficult subject in a concise, clear, and comprehensive manner.”

“Eric Patterson has written a marvelously clear book on just war. He shows a profoundly deep grasp of the two-thousand-year-old Christian tradition by explaining when war is just and when believers may participate. This is no dry treatise; it is loaded with examples: from The Hunger Games to Harry Potter, from The Lord of the Rings to Narnia—not to mention Augustine, Tertullian, and Origen. A must-read for church leaders.”

“Patterson adds to his impressive body of work with another solid addition to the just war literature. This volume fills the need for an accessible overview and introduction to the doctrine of just war from a biblical and historical perspective. Patterson knows what readers need and delivers a highly readable work on an essential subject.”

“The new threats and the fresh outbreak of war on the global stage make Eric Patterson’s Basic Guide to the Just War Tradition especially timely—and, given the condition of the American academy, indispensable. Wearing his scholarship lightly, Patterson delivers a clear, concise, and compelling defense of the Christian just war tradition. Educators, pastors, and informed citizens will benefit immensely from this lively primer, not least because it devotes serious attention to the virtues required of ‘just warriors.’”

“Eric Patterson is among the leading authorities on the just war tradition in the English-speaking world. Far too many experts can’t write in an accessible manner, but I’m pleased to report that Eric is not among them. This short, readable, and even entertaining book provides an excellent overview of the just war tradition and will help Christians think in morally serious ways about why, when, and how lethal force should be used in international affairs.”

“Eric Patterson’s outstanding book is an accessible and clear defense of just war theory. He shows how it is robustly Christian, ethically compelling, and philosophically and historically defensible. I highly recommend this wise, practical, and much-needed guide.”

“Professor Patterson has an easy and comfortable style of writing that will appeal to the scholar and military practitioner. His analysis is fresh and compelling, covering a subject that deserves to be revisited for each generation. Interest in just war goes far beyond the armed forces when democratic decision-making requires an informed public to restrain, guide, and support the use of force in the interests of peace and security. Professor Patterson’s Christian analysis shows that acting ethically in both peace and war is possible—indeed it is necessary for securing a just peace. This deeply reflective book should be required reading to ensure that lawful decision-making is also ethical decision-making for the common good.”

“For Christians grappling with the moral questions around war and violence, Patterson’s book is an excellent guide. I highly recommend it.”

“It is impossible to overstate the need for this volume for it addresses a perennial ethical issue—war and peace and coercive intervention. Eric Patterson deftly and wisely brings the reader into conversation with the just war tradition. Patterson’s book is thoughtfully written (without being overly technical), well illustrated, and accessible to a wide range of readers—not only politicians, civil servants, and those serving in the military but pastors, students, and thoughtful lay persons of various backgrounds. It is anchored in the assumption that, properly understood, vocation—a distinctly Christian concept—collapses any distinction between the ‘secular’ and the ‘sacred.’ Law enforcement, military service, political engagement, and the marketplace are every bit as noble and high a calling as pastoring or so-called Christian service.”