Responsible love

Russia’s ruthless invasion of Ukraine has confronted Ukrainian Christians with some hard moral questions.

Halfway through an eight-day visit to Ukraine to encourage YWAM workers and other believers with colleagues Dick and Ulla Brouwer, Romkje and I are being made aware of how much we Europeans are indebted to the sacrifices, the resilience and the commitment of Ukrainians.

In conversations with pastors, theologians, historians, soldiers, chaplains, educators, bereaved family members and ‘ordinary’ believers, we are hearing Ukrainians wrestling with issues that many Western Christians have long discussed only in theory.

Should believers remain pacifists when their cities are bombed? When defending families and freedom requires force, what does faithfulness to Christ look like? How should churches relate to political power?

Innovation, humour, solidarity, and sheer perseverance have enabled the nation to rise above relentless attacks and a harsh winter – resilient rather than defeated. In reality, Ukraine under pressure is emerging as a global leader across multiple fronts: military innovation, digital governance, civic mobilisation, and societal resilience. Ukraine is not merely defending itself – it is helping to reshape how nations endure and adapt amid the turbulent politics of the 21st century.

Most importantly, Ukraine is becoming a laboratory of ethics for the global church. One influential voice in this discussion is historian Yaroslav Hrytsak (see my interview with Yaroslav here). His central claim is that absolute pacifism can become morally irresponsible in the face of violent tyranny.

Peace is the ultimate goal of any moral society, Hrytsak affirms. But that peace must not be confused with passivity. When a powerful aggressor seeks to destroy a nation and erase its identity, refusing to resist may actually enable greater injustice.

Hrytsak frames the war not primarily as a nationalist struggle but as a defence of moral order itself. Ukraine, he argues, is resisting a system built on lies, repression and imperial domination led by Vladimir Putin. If such aggression succeeds, it does not merely harm Ukraine; it undermines the principle that truth and freedom matter in international life.

Ukraine is therefore on the frontline of the battle for the soul of Europe – and of the West.

Sacrificial protection:

The question is no longer simply, ‘Is violence wrong?’ Rather it becomes: ‘what responsibility do we bear toward those who are vulnerable to violence?’

From this perspective, refusing to defend civilians may itself be a form of moral failure. A society that abandons its citizens to brutality in the name of moral purity risks turning peace into a form of indifference.

This argument resonates deeply with many Ukrainian Christians. Until now some Protestant communities had pacifist leanings, influenced by Anabaptist traditions and life under Soviet militarism. But the reality of invasion has forced a re-examination.

Many believers now view military service as an act of sacrificial protection rather than nationalist aggression, echoing Jesus’ words in John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

At the same time, most Ukrainian churches refrain from condemning those who choose a pacifist path. Instead, a broad moral consensus has taken shape: some Christians serve by defending the nation in military roles, while others serve through chaplaincy, humanitarian aid, and care for refugees, widows, and veterans. Both expressions are recognised as genuine acts of love for one’s neighbour.

Cautionary lesson:

The war has also reinforced a vital conviction among Ukrainian Christians: the church must never become a tool of political ideology. They are deeply aware of how religious language can be distorted to justify imperial ambitions. Both Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow have portrayed Russia’s war as a defence of a sacred Christian civilisation. In response, theologians around the world – Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant – have warned against this dangerous merging of nationalism and faith, whether in the form of Russky Mir or American Christian nationalism.

Ukraine’s experience offers a sobering lesson: when Christianity becomes tied to a political agenda, it loses its prophetic voice. Instead of speaking truth to power, it ends up legitimising it. Yet the Ukrainian story also carries a message of hope. Churches and Christian organisations across the country have become hubs of remarkable civic service. Believers have mobilised to provide refugee shelter, medical care, trauma counselling, and humanitarian aid on a large scale. Faith has moved beyond private devotion into active, public responsibility.

This may be the deepest insight emerging from Ukraine’s laboratory of ethics. Christian faith is not simply about maintaining moral purity or winning political arguments. It is about responsible love in the real world, even when the choices are painful and imperfect.

In the end, Ukrainian Christians are reminding the global church of a difficult truth. Peace is not merely the absence of conflict. It is the presence of justice, truth and the protection of the vulnerable.

Even in the midst of turbulence.

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WEEKLY WORD brought to you by Jeff Fountain – jeff@schumancentre.eu via gmail.mcsv.net

(Reported News by Jeff Fountain, 14th March 2026)