One of the most divisive issues in politics today is the question of whether or not we were justified in going to war against Iraq. Opinions on the subject range from “we should go to war anytime another country even looks at us crosseyed” to “there is never a good reason to fight a war.” Both extremes are unbiblical. Consider what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes:

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven —

A time to give birth, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to tear down, and a time to build up.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search, and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace.

(Eccl. 3:1-8, NASB)

So how do we identify when it is an appropriate time for peace and when war is call for? Jon Trainer at personal trainer has written an excellent article on the subject of Just War Theory.

Just War Theory (JWT) is a moderating position between these two extremes.  As a doctrine of war it has been developed over hundreds of years. Great Christian thinkers like Ambrose, Augustine, and Aquinas have influenced its formation. The purpose of JWT is to judge the appropriateness of going to war (just ad bellum), and to govern the conduct of forces in war (just in bellum). The first five of the following seven principles define the criteria for going to war, while the last two limit how such a war should be fought.