Religious wars
Should religious war--past, present, and future--be regretted as a lamentable consequence of sin, or is it a necessary evil? How should I answer to someone who considers the church's violent history a stumbling block? I have been talking with some non-Christian friends about our beliefs, and they cite the entry to Canaan, the Crusades, and the post-Reformation religious wars as reasons to not follow God. They say that Christianity cannot be a "religion of peace" when so many have waged war in God's name. Contrarily, some of my Christian friends argue religious war is necessary, especially given the current times. My readings about the Crusades and the post-Reformation wars do not agree on the primary motivations (religion, politics, or a mix of both), so it's hard to refute them, and simply glossing them over or "letting bygones be bygones" doesn't satisfy any of us. The Bible seems conflicted about the nature of religious war; in the Old Testament it was justified and commanded by God, but the New Testament is less condoning. What should I tell them?
“The entry to Canaan” is in a category of war all by itself. God explained to Moses (Deuteronomy 20) and Joshua (Joshua 1) that the Israelites were to conquer the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deuteronomy 34). God is free to do as he pleases (Psalm 115:3). Whatever God does is right (Deuteronomy 32:4).
God is a just judge. On the last day he will sentence unbelievers, body and soul, to hell (Matthew 25:41-46). As a just judge, God can carry out judgment against unbelievers in this life, as he did with the heathen people who were inhabiting the land of Canaan.
The Crusades are in an entirely different category. Pope Urban II called for a crusade in 1095 A.D. in response to a call for help from the emperor of the Byzantine Empire. The stated reason for help was that holy places in the land of Israel had fallen into the hands of Muslims who were also threatening to invade the Byzantine Empire. Unfortunately, the Crusades provided opportunities for many wrong attitudes and actions: work righteousness, power grabs, greed, the merciless slaughter of Muslims, Jews and others whom the church deemed to be heretics—just to list a few.
The Crusades and other religious wars involving Christians are regrettable. Understandably, they do not provide others with an attraction to the Christian faith and life. What they do furnish are opportunities for Christians today to explain to others that the Christian Church has always consisted of sinful people, but people who stand holy and blameless in the sight of God through the faith he gave them in the Savior who lived and died for them.
While God has given governments the authority to wage wars to defend their citizens (Romans 13), he instructs his people to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44) and live at peace with others as best they can (Romans 12:18). God has given governments authority to protect their people from their enemies. God has given his Church the mandate to proclaim his saving word to people who are his natural enemies because of sin and unbelief.