The views expressed in these blogs belong to the authors, not necessarily LICC. In this series, we’re hosting a conversation in blog form, bringing diverse perspectives into dialogue.

Editor’s introduction

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. … 
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’
(Matthew 5:5, 9) 

By God’s grace, this will ultimately be so. But right now, we need courage to hold on to this hope and wisdom to model another way, as the risk of world war seems to grow daily.

Currently, there are over 40 countries locked in conflict that destroys lives and devastates community and creation alike.

As international conflict escalates, how would Jesus have us seek shalom wherever we stand?

That’s the question this five-part blog series explores. Our contributors include military advisors, global relational peacebuilders, educators, humanitarian aid workers, academics, activists, and political aides. Some work overseas, directly engaging on the frontline. Others are serving on UK soil, dealing with the repercussions of unchecked violence come home to roost.

The articles are designed to help you become a ‘wise peacemaker’ where you are. Each author models how to:

• Listen to what’s going on and why as wartime impinges on their context and calling
• Imagine what should be going on, with biblical insight to join God’s peace-full mission
• Create practices and a response of healing action that brings God’s shalom near
• Communicate the gospel that Christ reigns even over dictators, without firing a bullet

The series also accompanies our Wisdom Lab: Peacemaking in Wartime event, at which the authors will deliver a TED-style talk and engage in honest dialogue that will help us squarely face war’s consequences in a Christlike way.

Kicking off the series is Prof Dr Joshua Searle, Professor of Mission Studies at the Theologische Hochschule Elstal in Germany and founding Chairman of Dnipro Hope Mission. Here he addresses the Russo-Ukrainian war and what it means to follow the Prince of Peace in the face of aggression, maximising shalom and minimising unnecessary force.

Dr Dave Benson, Director of Culture & Discipleship, LICC

Witnessing to peace amid Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine

My frontline story

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally challenged my convictions about what it means to follow Christ in a time of war. But before I explain more about that, let me share a bit about my personal connection to Ukraine.

As a Northumbrian by birth and temperament, I first visited Ukraine in 2011. For me it was love at first sight: I fell in love with Ukraine in a double sense – both with the breathtaking beauty of the country and with a beautiful Ukrainian girl, who is now my wife. Although I now live in Germany with my family, I still have family and close friends in Ukraine, which intensifies my grief and anger at the devastating destruction inflicted on this dignified and courageous nation by the Russian invasion.

Back in 2012–13, during our first year of marriage, my wife and I worked as missionaries in Eastern Ukraine, based at Donetsk Christian University (DCU). Just a few months after our return to the UK, in 2014, Russian paramilitaries invaded Crimea and Eastern Ukraine and occupied the DCU campus, where I used to work. All the DCU staff and students were threatened with execution if they did not comply with the orders of the Russian soldiers, who forced them at gunpoint to leave everything behind in an instant. The Russians converted this peaceful Bible seminary into a place of violence. The seminary became a military barracks, and there are credible reports that Russian troops used the basement rooms to torture people.

The Russian invasion of Crimea and the Donbas region in 2014 created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, leading to nearly two million refugees fleeing westward to cities, especially Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, in order to escape the violence. In response to this disaster, in 2016 my wife and I and a few close friends founded a charity called Dnipro Hope Mission (DHM), based in the UK. The charity is dedicated to serving displaced and demoralised Ukrainians whose lives have been shattered by the barbaric Russian invasion. Our work grew steadily as more churches in the UK began to catch our vision and support our ministry.

In February 2022, when Russia launched a brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we were completely overwhelmed by urgent needs and requests. We continued to support our friends and ministry partners in Ukraine in their life-saving work. Although we are a small charity, relying entirely on volunteers, we have been able to assist around 120,000 people each year since 2022 through our various frontline ministries.

DHM is delivering life-saving medications to disabled residents in care homes, providing food and water to thousands of elderly people sheltering in basements, and offering pastoral care to Ukrainian soldiers bravely defending their country on the frontline against the Russian invasion. I’ve travelled to Ukraine several times, leading small teams primarily from the UK and the USA to visit some of our ministry partners who are giving life-saving and life-enhancing support to countless suffering Ukrainians.

Alongside my humanitarian work with DHM, I am also active in Ukraine as a theological educator. My calling often takes me to teach at various seminaries and universities. On my travels it has been striking to observe how many Ukrainian pastors who received a seminary education have felt ill-equipped to meet the demands of the war. A significant part of the problem (as I see it) has been an overemphasis on abstract doctrine and systematic theology – primarily imported from North America and Western Europe – at the expense of a prophetic and practical theology that emerges from suffering and struggle. The imported Anglo-Saxon models of theology have proven to be inadequate to addressing the hopes and fears of a Ukrainian population burdened by the corrupt and malign legacy of Soviet and Russian authoritarianism.

Since the onset of the war, I’ve noticed that Ukrainian seminarians have quietly set aside the extensive tomes of German and Anglo-Saxon systematic theology in favour of a more visceral theology that reflects the perspective of the prophets, particularly from the Old Testament. In their quest for peace and justice, Ukrainians have turned to this prophetic tradition, which emphasises that God values directness and honesty over polished theological, missiological, and ecclesiological concepts. The theological understanding they seek cannot be fully conveyed through academic conferences or seminars; it emerges from the daily experience of encountering truth through their collective trauma, grief, and indignation at the Russian invasion.

As with my Ukrainian friends, the war for me isn’t just an abstract event. Even though I don’t live with the constant threat of death from Russian missiles, the war has deeply affected my sense of purpose and life’s mission. The war has compelled me to engage with the gospel’s call for reconciliation and just peace, while reflecting on what it means to be a wise peacemaker in this critical time.

The ongoing war has also deepened my awareness that being a disciple of Jesus involves not only personal faith but also an active engagement in promoting peace and justice. I have been prompted to think more deeply about the nature of war and its roots in the fallen condition of sinful human nature, which I consider to be a necessary part of any wise response to the conflict.

Prof Dr Joshua Searle teaching in Ukraine

Understand: the nature of war and its spiritual roots

Throughout the history of human civilisation, the capacity to kill and maim one another has been a persistent aspect of human interactions, from prehistoric times to the present day.^[1] With the advent of modern technology, the killing capability of human beings has increased immeasurably to the extent that nuclear-armed states now threaten each other with mutual assured destruction. In light of the real threat of global conflict and escalating tensions, it’s more important now than ever that followers of Christ devote their whole lives to the coming of the kingdom of God and its vision of peace.

Yet as Christians we recognise that war isn’t just a series of battles fought between armies: it’s also a manifestation of deeper spiritual realities. From a theological perspective, we see that war stems from the corruption of human nature due to sin.^[2] War reflects a spiritual condition that is fundamentally alienated from God’s intentions for peace, justice, and reconciliation. War emerges from the hostile impulses inherent in unregenerate human beings, who are often shaped by societal norms and political ideologies that glorify aggression and dominance. The propensity to engage in violent conflict is a basic instinct of fallen human nature, as not only the Bible, but also leading political philosophers like Thomas Hobbes observed centuries ago.^[3]

Therefore, being a wise peacemaker in the world today means understanding that war is not just a political issue or a matter of international affairs and diplomacy. It is also a spiritual problem that reveals the malign activity of fallen powers and principalities (Ephesians 6:12) in our world. These powers not only direct human beings to kill each other, but also perpetuate false ideologies, based on historical distortions and outright lies, that motivate people to commit mass murder. A tragic example is the Russian imperialistic propaganda (produced by the Russian state and amplified by both the Russian media and the Russian Orthodox Church), which portrays the mass killing of Ukrainian civilians as a holy war fought in defence of ‘Christian values’.^[4]

Listen: what’s going on and why?

For my Ukrainian friends, war is not a matter of theological speculation, but rather the all-consuming reality that dominates every aspect of their lives. During a recent trip to Ukraine, I met a Mennonite friend of mine, Pastor M^[5], who was serving as a military chaplain with the Ukrainian armed forces. When I first met Pastor M in 2020, he was leading a small Mennonite congregation in Eastern Ukraine.

When I met him more recently, he was wearing full combat dress. He said that if he were put in a situation where he needed to take up arms to defend the lives of the soldiers under his care, he would not hesitate to use a weapon with lethal effect. When I pressed him on the issue of how he reconciled this willingness to kill with his Mennonite pacifist principles, he stated that, ‘Those beliefs are no longer tenable. Putin has cured me of my pacifism.’^[6]

This view of Pastor M is not necessarily representative of the wider Mennonite community in Ukraine, but the recent experience of war has forced Ukrainian Christians to address fundamental questions about what it means to follow the peaceful way of Jesus in the midst of a cruel and barbaric war.

Just how cruel and barbaric the war has become was made apparent to me during conversations with a Ukrainian friend of mine, who works now as a surgeon in a field hospital just behind the frontline in the Donetsk Region. She showed me some truly horrific photos that show the obscene cruelty of war – images that I will never be able to erase from my mind. The pictures showed what shards of hot steel, travelling at supersonic speed, can do to human flesh, killing and maiming young men in the full flower of youth and vitality.

Given the scale of the devastation and carnage caused by the war, it might seem reasonable to consider a unilateral capitulation of Ukraine to the Russian aggression. Clearly it is desirable that the killing should stop. However, given the current geopolitical situation, we need to ask what peace in Ukraine would mean in practice. Russian political, religious, and military leaders repeatedly state their intention to eradicate Ukrainian statehood and to force the Ukrainian people to live under the corrupt and murderous tyranny of Putin’s Russia.

Moreover, if anyone doubts how Russian occupying forces treat Ukrainian civilians, it suffices to read about the documented massacres that have taken place in numerous Ukrainian towns, particularly in Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, and Kherson, as well as the forcible abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.^[7] These crimes against humanity serve as grim reminders of the brutal nature of the Russian invasion and the futility of trying to negotiate with a Russian regime that is prepared to murder civilians in pursuit of its aggressive territorial ambitions and ideological goals.

And the Russian conditions for peace wouldn’t just result in the annihilation of the Ukrainian people’s right to exist, but a unilateral Ukrainian capitulation would create the conditions for further Russian military expansion into other European countries, leading to a nuclear conflict between Russia and the countries within NATO, effectively sparking World War III.

The situation is thus much more complicated than we might like to think. Self-righteous appeals of British Christians to Ukrainians simply to stop resisting and to seek reconciliation with an enemy that is intent on the mass killing of its civilian population is neither a realistic nor a morally acceptable solution. It ignores the harsh realities of aggression and the historical precedents of appeasement, which have shown that yielding to tyrants only emboldens further acts of violence and expansionism. My Ukrainian friends believe that a lasting peace can only be achieved through a recognition of Ukraine’s sovereignty and security, support for its right to self-defence, and a collective commitment from the international community to uphold the principles of territorial integrity and human rights.

As Pastor M put it to me, to pray for peace in Ukraine is not simply to pray in an abstract way or to simply wish away the conflict. Rather, since an enduring peace requires the collapse of the Russian economy and the destruction of its military might, to pray in good faith for ‘peace in Ukraine’ means precisely to pray for this specific outcome.

To ‘love your enemy’ in this case means to prevent him from doing evil by taking the weapon out of his hands. Pastor M’s experience emphasises the internal struggle of balancing pacifist convictions with the necessity of self-defence amid violent conflict. Even among Mennonite communities, with their long-established pacifist principles, the harsh realities of war have prompted a re-evaluation of what it means to follow the peaceful way of Christ.

Joshua in Ukraine with DHM partner, Pastor Oleksii, who works as a military chaplain to Ukrainian troops on the frontline.

Imagine: what should be going on?

As I seek to respond to these challenges in accordance with my Christian beliefs, I find much wisdom in the Bible. I regard the Bible not only as a source of authority that inspires my respect, but also as a source of creativity that fires my imagination. Not just particular isolated texts, but the whole narrative of Scripture provides a framework that helps me to envision a different reality, where peace, justice, and reconciliation are not merely abstract aspirations, but realistic goals that are grounded in God’s original intent for creation and his promise of a new creation.

The Old Testament prophets, as foretold by Isaiah, envisioned a peaceable kingdom that embodies justice and peace in a fallen and violent world. Through Christ’s redemptive work, the gospel makes known a kingdom characterised not by domination and violence but by shalom (שָׁלוֹם). This ancient Hebrew word signifies not merely the absence of conflict, but a positive state of wholeness, healing, and harmony among all of creation.

Jesus makes it clear that the peace he gives is not the same as the peace that the world has to offer (John 14:27). Jesus’ peace is a gift of the Spirit and can never be obtained by violent means. This peace is the result not of earthly political arrangements, but of the infusion of the kingdom of God into the life of the world.^[8]

In a world marked by violence, I draw hope from this broader biblical narrative, which encompasses creation, fall, redemption, and the anticipation of a new creation. War reminds us that the world today is not as God intended it to be. God calls us to actively participate in the work of reconciliation and to recognise that whole of the human past, present, and future is riven by the experience of pain and suffering in the centre of which stands the cross. As Christians today we are motivated to engage with a world yearning for peace while recognising that ultimate peace will only be achieved when Christ returns in glory to establish his kingdom of justice and peace on Earth.

Create – how will I respond?

Being a wise peacemaker in the context of the Russian war against Ukraine requires practical action rooted in Christ’s teachings and an awareness of broader issues. Since war reflects an underlying spiritual sickness, mere political activism and diplomatic efforts are insufficient for lasting peace. We must address the deeper issues of sin and deception that drive aggression.

In my personal life and ministry, I seek to promote a culture of justice and peace that upholds human dignity and the sanctity of life. This involves striving to embody humility, gentleness, self-denial, and solidarity in my daily interactions. These Christlike qualities are essential for building trust and respect in relationships, even though I often fall short of these ideals.

The spiritual disciplines play a significant role in sustaining my commitment to peace. Meditation on the biblical texts that express the vision of shalom helps me to align my outward-facing ministry with God’s intentions. With my friends and fellow trustees at DHM, I regularly intercede for peace in Ukraine, which helps to create bonds of peace and respect among ourselves and with our friends who are suffering in Ukraine.

My ministry with DHM, especially my trips to Ukraine, have highlighted the necessity for Christians to address the moral implications of war with sincerity and courage. I see it as my calling not only to assist Ukraine with humanitarian aid, but also to raise awareness about the deeper issues at stake in the war, especially unmasking the malicious and dehumanising ideologies employed by the Russian regime to justify its war crimes against the Ukrainian people.

Currently, it feels insensitive and counterproductive to discuss reconciliation with my Ukrainian friends regarding the Russian invaders. Genuine reconciliation requires that the perpetrator acknowledges their wrongdoing and expresses a desire to make amends – qualities that are clearly absent in Russia’s behaviour at this moment in time.

Therefore, the peacemaking ministry of DHM is focused on providing pastoral care to our Ukrainian partners. We organise retreats where they can find emotional and spiritual support. We also aim to build a resilient community that can confront the challenges they face together with courage and hope.

Joshua in Ukraine with DHM partner, Pastor Vasyl, and his wife, Larisa.

Communicate – what’s the good news?

In times of war, it’s crucial to express the gospel message in ways that connect with people’s lived experiences, particularly those facing daily pain, loss, and uncertainty. The trauma from the war has left deep emotional scars on millions of Ukrainians, making them often more receptive to a gospel centred on peace and justice. It’s essential that the good news we share reflects God’s desire for shalom amidst the prevailing violence.

In my encounters with our Ukrainian ministry partners, I try to contextualise the gospel message of redemption and healing by framing it as a response to the suffering caused by war. This approach requires me to recognise how many pastors have felt ill-equipped to address these challenges, largely due to an overemphasis on abstract doctrine and systematic theology, which has manifestly failed to address the real needs of millions of suffering people. Instead, I am challenged to draw from the biblical prophets, who brought a word of hope to God’s people that was born out of suffering and struggle.

The gospel we share must be firmly rooted in the lived experiences of the Ukrainian people. The theology I teach must arise from the daily suffering endured by a population subjected to the injustices of the Russian invasion and war crimes against Ukrainian civilians. When I teach in Ukraine and listen to my colleagues, it often feels as if their theology is written in the blood of countless innocent victims of the barbaric Russian invasion.

Despite the immense suffering, I remain hopeful that one day Ukrainians will live in peace and dignity, and that the churches and seminaries will play a vital role in rebuilding not only physical structures but also the sacred bonds of trust and unity that are essential to community life. By affirming that the gospel provides not only hope for personal salvation but also a vision for the healing of nations, we can encourage our Ukrainian friends to envision a future where peace is restored, relationships are mended, and communities are rebuilt in faith, hope, and love.

Joshua T. Searle, PhD
Joshua is Professor of Mission Studies at the Theologische Hochschule Elstal in Germany, and founding Chairman of Dnipro Hope Mission

Discussion Questions

1. What moral dilemmas are presented in the article regarding the balance between pacifism and the need for self-defence, particularly in the context of Christian ethics?
2. How can the gospel inform a more nuanced understanding of peacemaking in times of war, as outlined in this article?
3. How can churches and individual Christians outside Ukraine (especially in the UK) respond to and support those affected by the war in Ukraine?
4. How has reading this article deepened your understanding of conflict and peacemaking, and what actions will you take in response in your everyday life?

Endnotes

[1] Margaret MacMillan, War: How Conflict Shaped Us (London: Penguin, 2021).

[2] Martyn Lloyd Jones, Why Does God Allow War? A General Justification of the Ways of God (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1939), 82.

[3] Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, or the Matter, Form, and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiastical and Civil (London: Routledge, 1889), 63–65. Hobbes’ Leviathan was first published in 1651.

[4] I have written about this at length: Joshua T. Searle, ‘A Theological Case for Ukraine’s European Integration: Deconstructing the Myth of Holy Russia vs. Decadent Europe,’ International Journal of Public Theology 16, no. 3 (2022), 289–304.

[5] For security reasons, I will refrain from disclosing his real identity.

[6] Joshua T. Searle, ‘“Putin has Cured Me of My Pacifism”: Ethical Issues Confronting Mennonites in Light of the Russian War against Ukraine,’ Anabaptism Today 5, no. 1 (April 2023) 14–23 (available here). [Ed. See also, John Heathershaw, ‘Theological Response to the War against Ukraine: A Reply to Joshua Searle,’ Anabaptism Today 5, no. 2 (January 2024), 56–66 (available here).

[7] Yaroslav Trofimov, Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence (London: Penguin, 2024), 157.

[8] Stanley Hauerwas and John Berkman, ‘Violence’, in Paul A. B. Clarke and Andrew Linzey (eds.), Dictionary of Ethics, Theology and Society (London: Routledge, 1996), 869.

Helpful resources

Books:

– John Heathershaw, Security After Christendom: Global Politics and Political Theology for Apocalyptic Times (Cascade, 2024)
–Richard Ottinger (ed.), Religious Elements in the Russian War of Aggression Against Ukraine: Propaganda, Religious Politics and Pastoral Care, 2014–2024 (Ibidem-Verlag, 2025)

Articles:

– Joshua T. Searle, ‘He Who Saves One Life Saves the World Entire,’ in Baptist Times, 10 January 2023 (available here)
– Joshua T. Searle, ‘We Cannot Walk in Your Shoes, but We Can Do as Jesus Did and Wash Your Feet,’ in Baptist Times, 26 January 2024 (available here)

Podcasts/Media:

– ‘The Russia–Ukraine War: Evangelical Voices,’ Eastern European Institute of Theology 2hr YouTube, 22 March 2022 (available here)
– ‘The Fight to Survive: Ukraine Virtual Event with Taras Dyatlik,’ Open Eyes 1hr YouTube, 21 February 2023 (available here)