Christian nuclear pacifism and just war theory: Are they compatible?

Abstract

Abstract Christian nuclear pacifists have become a powerful force in the political debate over nuclear weapons and nuclear strategy. These nuclear pacifists have argued that the use of nuclear weapons violates the principles of Christian Just War Theory. They advocate either that nuclear weapons can be possessed but never used or that such weapons must be renounced entirely. This article argues that changes in both technology and strategy on the part of the superpowers have made it possible, in principle, to employ nuclear force within the confines of classical Just War Theory. It demonstrates that: (1) the views of the Christian nuclear pacifists have been shaped by secular strategists who advocate mutual assured destruction—a doctrine that violates the tenets of the Just War tradition, and (2) the logic of the Christian nuclear pacifists is self‐contradictory and at variance with the very moral principles that they claim to uphold.