I would like to respond to some of the concerns raised by my friends, Jonathan Gunnell and John Guy, who are associated with the military.

Let me begin by saying that what I said was not anti-soldier diatribe coming from a simplistic, binary, doctrinaire, anti-war, pacifist position. Because, while I believe, with Gandhi, that we are called to protect the vulnerable against violence, and direct nonviolent intervention is the most loving way to do that, as it is least likely to incite further cycles of violence and counter-violence, I also believe, with Bonhoeffer, that nonviolence should never be used as an excuse for nonintervention, and if the only intervention we can envisage in a particular set of circumstances is violent, it is better to use violence to intervene, than to use nonviolence as an excuse not to. That being so, I can readily acknowledge the sacrifices soldiers in the forces, like Jonathan’s step-brother, are willing to make to protect the vulnerable in their care.

However, in my article on The Tank, The Cross And Easterfest, I critique the Gallipoli campaign and the confusion of ANZAC with EASTER.

While I acknowledge ‘there were many examples of heroic self-sacrifice – like Simpson’ at Gallipoli, I contest that these sacrifices were overshadowed by the fact that Gallipoli was essentially about, what Ross Parry calls, ‘the folly of following foreign generals into an unwinnable war zone in senseless slaughter.’ That being so, the greatest lesson to learn from ANZAC, unlike EASTER, is not the importance of self-sacrifice, but the importance of not allowing our willingness to sacrifice our selves to be manipulated and exploited by our ‘patriotic’ leaders. We need to dis-believe our government’s propaganda and dis-obey our commandants’ orders.

But, ‘instead of people remembering the incredible folly’ of Gallipoli, Ross Parry says, ‘the powers that fund the myth have turned it into a patriotic event which actually symbolises our continuing role as cannon fodder to the bidding of foreign powers.’

The greatest lesson from EASTER, unlike ANZAC, is the importance of Christ-like self-sacrifice, which is so full of love for the other, in conflict, it does not take the life of an other, but it gives its life to save others. ‘By this we know love: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for others’. (1John 3.16)

Christ-like self-sacrifice is distinctive in that it is based on self-care and self-control. Peter writes ‘Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example – that you might follow in his footsteps!’ (1 Pet.2.21) The word used in this sentence for example means the perfect line of writing at the top of an exercise book, that anyone learning to write, needs to learn to copy. He is saying ‘when it comes to practicing self-sacrifice, we need to copy Christ’. If we are to copy Christ when it comes to self-sacrifice we need to notice Jesus practiced self-sacrifice in the context of self-care and of self-control.

In terms of self-care, Jesus looked after himself well. He worked hard, but he regularly took time out to rest. He knew how to party with his mates eating and drinking so heartily his critics called him ‘a glutton and a drunkard’. (Matt.11.19) Sure he eventually got himself killed when he took a stand from which he couldn’t back down, but if you read the text assiduously you’ll notice that if he was threatened Jesus preferred to run away and fight another day if he could. (Luke 4.30).

In terms of self-control, Jesus made it very clear, that when it came to ‘laying down his life for his friends’ (John 15.33) no one made him do anything he didn’t want to. He said explicitly and repeatedly ‘no one takes (my life) from me, but (I choose to give it) I lay it down of my own accord.’ (John 10.18) He said: it’s my choice!

Thus if we are to copy Christ, we need to remember that we need to practice self-sacrifice in the context of self-care and self-control. For our sacrifice to be Christ-like it needs to be motivated by love – for others and also for ourselves – because we are to love others as we love ourselves. For our sacrifice to be Christ-like it needs to be our choice. No one else’s. We should never sacrifice anything under any pressure from anyone else, especially under pressure from our governments and our commandants.

Dave Andrews