Michael Abrahams | Christian perspectives on the Iran war

On February 28, the US and Israel launched an unprovoked bombing attack on Iran. The country was engaged in negotiations regarding its nuclear programme at the time, but the aggressors claimed it was on the verge of manufacturing nuclear weapons, even though US President Donald Trump claimed that their nuclear enrichment facilities were “obliterated” during the 12-day bombing campaign carried out by the US and Israel in June 2025.

Since the war began, there have been massive casualties, with over 3,000 people killed in Iran, including over 100 children when a primary school was struck by missiles on the first day of the conflict, and more than 100,000 displaced. In Lebanon, over 2,000 people have been killed, and in excess of 1.2 million displaced. At least 15 US military service members have also been killed, and over 30 people in Israel. There have also been fatalities in Iraq, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Syria and Qatar.

Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the largest and possibly oldest Christian denomination, and head of state of Vatican City, is an outspoken critic of the war. In his Palm Sunday message on March 29, he referred to Jesus Christ as the “King of Peace” who rejects war and “whom no one can use to justify war”. He lamented that “we cannot forget those who today are truly sharing in his suffering”. When, on the same day, Trump threatened to destroy the Iranian civilisation, Pope Leo said it was “truly unacceptable”.

ECHOS SENTIMENTS

The Pope’s message echoes the sentiments of many Christians and reflects foundational Christian teachings. The Bible portrays Jesus Christ as an advocate for peace, humility, kindness, forgiveness, compassion, and empathy, and one who commanded his followers to welcome strangers, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, and love their enemies.

However, some Christians, including US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, who is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), think otherwise. During a Pentagon worship service in March, Hegseth prayed for “overwhelming violence”, imploring God to “break the teeth of the ungodly” and let them “perish” by the blast of His anger. He has also dismissed “stupid rules of engagement” (the breaking of which may constitute war crimes) and promised to give “no quarter” (refusing to show mercy, sparing no lives, or taking no prisoners, which is a war crime) to the “barbaric savages” of the Iranian regime and called on the American people to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ”.

If Jesus is indeed the “King of Peace”, why would Christians endorse such devastation? For many, contemporary events in the Middle East are interpreted through the lens of biblical prophecy. In the Bible, God had promised the “Holy Land” of Canaan, encompassing parts of modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank, to Abraham and his descendants, the Jews, as an eternal inheritance. In Genesis 12:3, God tells Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse”. Some Christians construe this as a mandate to support the modern state of Israel unconditionally, viewing the Jewish people as God’s chosen and therefore beyond reproach.

Another theological framework influencing such perspectives is the concept of “dispensationalism”, a Protestant idea that holds that human history is divided into different eras, or dispensations, each unfolding God’s divine plan. Many Evangelicals and Christian Zionists subscribe to this philosophy and believe that the current dispensation is coming to an end, but will do so only after great suffering, a period known as “Jacob’s tribulations”, and that Israel is where the tribulations will begin, culminating in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

MORAL GUIDE

Christians often affirm that the Bible is their moral guide and that God is love. But the scriptures contain numerous stories in which wars and battles were ordained, authorised, or supported by God, often in the context of Israel securing or defending the Promised Land or enacting judgment upon other nations. For example, God told the Israelites to destroy the “sinful” nations living in Canaan, such as the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Girgashites, and Jebusites. God also ordered the Amalekites to be eradicated entirely, “men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys”.

Some Christians will explain that those are Old Testament stories and that things changed after Jesus Christ died for our sins. But if Jesus is God, as many Christians believe, he is one with the entity that also prescribed death and destruction. And if you believe the Bible is the word of God and that God could give such genocidal orders, the concept of the “entire civilisation” of Iran being wiped out can be justified if you have been convinced that the empire is evil and is an enemy of Israel.

And this is why I am wary of religion and believe in the separation of church and state. The Bible is a vast anthology of books which can be interpreted in multiple ways, and once an individual believes that God wants them to do something, there is very little you can do to stop them. If their conviction leads them to perform benevolent acts, like sheltering the homeless, that is commendable. But if their belief causes them to endorse or carry out acts of violence, like taking the lives of others, the consequences can be catastrophic. What is also troubling is that sometimes architects of aggression are not believers but have ulterior motives and use religion to manipulate those who do believe to acquiesce.

Regardless of the teachings in any scriptural text, anyone with a functioning moral compass will know that this war is unjust. But try telling that to the Christians who support it.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams