A Conditional Justification of War

Archbishop William Temple on Just War Theory

William Temple wrote that “War is a monstrous evil; of that there can be no doubt” and “it certainly follows that we ought all to be doing our utmost to abolish it.”

However, Temple, who was the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942-44, also wrote in justification of Britain’s involvement in the Second World War.

Temple wrote, “In the world which exists, it is not possible to take it as self-evident that the law of love forbids fighting. Some of us even hold that precisely the law commands fighting.”

In the case Nazi Germany, one can nobly intend to resist and overthrow Nazi tyranny by force of arms and secure a greater measure of freedom that is itself can be considred “a way of loving the German.”

Temple cast aspersions on pacifists who enjoyed the cover of the Royal Air Force and food supplies that came into Britain guarded by the British Navy and yet would not assist in the defence of Britain.

In his mind, “The Kingdom of God uses the services of both - of the Good Samaritan and the Good Centurion.”

William Temple was what we might call a Christian Realist, rejecting both pure pacifism and uncritical militarism. Drawing on natural law and the just war tradition, he argued that states bear a moral responsibility to restrain evil, and that war, while always a tragic evil, could be a lesser evil than allowing aggression or injustice to go unchecked. He insisted that Christian ethics must engage political realities rather than retreat into the luxury of an idealism disconnected from the travesties and tragedies of the real world.