In the movie a young girl named Megan prays when the bad guys kill her dog and asks for God to answer them. The Preacher (played by Clint Eastwood) then rides into town saves her prospective father from the bad guys and begins to protect the community. Most guys have seen this movie (I have called it Touched by an Angel for guys) so I'll assume a general familiarity with the movie plot.
Manipulation of Emotions
Standard plan for the plot of westerns results in a manipulation of our emotions. The bad guy does something really nasty to the good guy and/or his family and/or his friends. Then the good guy gets revenge and we are expected to find the process enjoyable.
We should exercise great care and certainly not simply sit and allow our emotions to be moved without the benefit of scripture when we see this type of movie.
Vengeance
“An eye for an eye.” The original intent of Ex. 21:24, Lev. 24:20, and Deut. 19:21 is that punishment should be equitable and should fit the crime. These limitations prohibited exacting a greater vengeance (such as Lamech boasted in Gen. 4:23) or having different penalties for different social classes. Jesus contradicted those who saw in this principle grounds for personal vengeance. Mankind had taken God's law that was given to suppress revenge and used it to justify their actions of revenge.
It takes faith to trust God to make all things right/fair/just in time because we don’t see the end (final just resolution to all wrongs) in this life. However it is also foolish to not trust God because your sense of what is right/fair/just comes from Him and He is perfectly righteous/fair/equitable/just (Deut 32:35). He has said there is a judgment throne but our impatience keeps us from trusting Him and drives us to see revenge.
Romans 12:18-21
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Prov 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
As Christians we need to be careful not to allow a manipulation of our emotions to cause us to rejoice in violence. Even though that is often the objective of some films in which we feel satisfied to see the bad guy get what we think he has coming. Our sense of justice is good but we shouldn’t rejoice to see destruction and violence. I’ve been in theaters in which the entire audience applauds and cheers when the bad guy gets killed or blown up.
I understand that it is make believe and justice is a good thing but keep your heart with diligence and don’t rejoice in the things that are really tragedy.
I'm not sure how aware the movie makers were of what they were doing but if you pay attention in the movie you'll see Preacher has six bullet holes in his back. Six is the number of man and there are six who shot him in the back who appear later in the movie. The movie brings some difficult questions regarding civil government to light. You can ask where civil government is within the context of the movie and how each individual relates to government.
How do you relate to civil government? Is it ok for you as a Christian to serve in government and what does scripture teach about the way you related. The following sections from the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith are very good at drawing together the scriptures related to our behavior as citizens living with a government.
Chapter 24 – 1689 Baptist Confession of FaithIn the case depicted in the movie Pale Rider; there is an absence of government in a traditional sense. “The Government” is not there for the small mining community as depicted in the film. The miners are governing themselves democratically and are being attacked by corrupt men who are outside the law and attempting to use force. Even the Marshal and deputies are corrupt and not part of any legitimate government.
Rewritten in modern English by
Andrew Kerkham, 1st ed. 1999, revised ed. 2001
CIVIL GOVERNMENT
24.1
God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, has ordained civil authorities to be under him and over the people, for his own glory and the public good. For this purpose he has armed them with the authority to use force, to defend and encourage those who do good, and to punish evil doers. (Psalms 82:1; Luke 12:48; Romans 13:1-6; 1 Peter 2:13-14; Genesis 6:11-13 with 9:5-6; Psalms 58:1-2; 72:14; 82:1-4; Proverbs 21:15; 24:11-12; 29:14,26; 31:5; Ezekiel 7:23; 45:9; Daniel 4:27; Matthews 22:21; Romans 13:3-4; 1 Timothy 2:2; 1Peter 2:14; Genesis 9:6; Proverbs 16:14; 19:12; 20:2; 21:15; 28:17; Acts 25:1; Romans 13:4; 1 Peter 2:13-14)
24.2 It is lawful for Christians to accept and carry out the duties of public office when called upon to so. In the performance of such office they are particularly responsible for maintaining justice and peace in accordance with the wholesome laws of the nation. For that purpose they may (in terms of the New Testament) lawfully engage in war if it is just and necessary. (Exodus 22:8-9,28-29; Daniel; Nehemiah; Proverbs 14:35; 16:10,12; 20:26,28; 25:2; 28:15-16; 29:4,14; 31:4-5; Romans 13:2,4,6; Luke 3:14; Romans 13:4)
24.3 As civil authorities are established by God for the purposes given, we ought to be subject to all their lawful commands for the Lord's sake, not merely to avoid punishment, but for conscience' sake. We ought also to make supplications and prayers for rulers and all who are in authority, that under them we may live a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty. (Proverbs 16:14-15; 19:12; 20:2; 24:21-22; 25:15; 28:2; Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-14; Daniel 1:8; 3:4-6,16-18; 6:5-10,22; Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:19-20; 5:29; Jeremiah 29:7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4)
Consequently, you could say that “Preacher” was acting as the agent of the temporary government established by the group of miners. If you want to argue the point you must then argue that he is not acting as a vigilante because we are biblically forbidden to be a vigilante. Even Jesus’ rebuke of Peter when he pulled out a sword was, in a sense, a rebuke of vigilantism.
The movie makes the 'government' established by the mining community very visible. They essentially have a town meeting and Pale Rider essentially describes a war. Stewart taught based on the following material a few years ago just after 9/11 and the Church has worked through these questions in previous centuries.
Hannah More was an acquaintance of John Newton and Wilber Wilberforce as evangelicals working against the slave trade. She was writing about the slave trade but it what she said has wider application. She was troubled about the way people separated doctrines and duties. She said, “it is of importance to point out the mutual dependence of one doctrine upon another, and the influence which these doctrines have upon the heart and life, so that the duties of Christianity may be seen to grow out of its doctrines." We need to make sure that we don't let the duties of our life in any aspect grow apart from the doctrines that God has given us to teach us how to live.
Thomas Aquinas was one of God’s great gifts to the church. It is unfortunate that we hardly mention his name most of the time. We have the shoulders of giants to stand on. We may come to different conclusions about a particular war around the globe but at least we as Christians should be working from Scripture.
Part II, II, Q. 40This is probably “Preacher’s” biggest problem with Aquinas and just war theology. While there is no government in an immediate sense there is a government present in a larger sense. The problem they are having is that the federal and state governments are not active in the frontier where they are living.
These notes are based on a selection from the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, Second and Revised Edition, translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province, 1920. This translation is now in the public domain.
Augustine says in a sermon on the son of the centurion [Ep. ad Marcel. cxxxviii]: "If the Christian Religion forbade war altogether, those who sought salutary advice in the Gospel would rather have been counseled to cast aside their arms, and to give up soldiering altogether. On the contrary, they were told: 'Do violence to no man . . . and be content with your pay' [Luke 3:14. If he commanded them to be content with their pay, he did not forbid soldiering."
I answer that, In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary:
First, the authority of the sovereign by whose command the war is to be waged. For it is not the business of a private individual to declare war, because he can seek for redress of his rights from the tribunal of his superior. Moreover it is not the business of a private individual to summon together the people, which has to be done in wartime. And as the care of the common welfare is committed to those who are in authority, it is their business to watch over the common welfare of the city, kingdom or province subject to them. And just as it is lawful for them to have recourse to the sword in defending that common welfare against internal disturbances, when they punish evil-doers, according to the words of the Apostle (Rm. 13:4): "He beareth not
the sword in vain: for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil"; so too, it is their business to have recourse to the sword of war in defending the common weal against external enemies. Hence it is said to those who are in authority (Ps. 81:4): "Rescue the poor: and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sinner"; and for this reason Augustine says (Contra Faust. xxii, 75): "The natural order conducive to peace among mortals demands that the power to declare and counsel war should be in the hands of those who hold the supreme authority."
Secondly, a just cause is required, namely that those who are attacked, shouldNaturally in a western the cause of the good guy against the bad guy is well established but we can’t just ignore the spiritual consequences of what we are watching because what we watch has an impact on us and doctrine is supposed to have an impact on us and on our actions. One technique that westerns often use is to make the bad guy so bad that we lose sight of any mercy or pity that we might otherwise feel. It makes the suffering of the bad guy satisfying. God says that vengence is His but we take pleasure in vengence that we judge to be right and just.
be attacked because they deserve it on account of some fault. Wherefore
Augustine says (QQ. in Hept., qu. x, super Jos.): "A just war is wont to be
described as one that avenges wrongs, when a nation or state has to be punished,
for refusing to make amends for the wrongs inflicted by its subjects, or to
restore what it has seized unjustly."
Thirdly, it is necessary that the belligerents should have a rightful intention, so that they intend the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil. Hence Augustine says (De Verb. Dom. [The words quoted are to be found not in St. Augustine's works, but Can. Apud. Caus. xxiii, qu. 1]): "True religion looks upon as peaceful those wars that are waged not for motives of aggrandizement, or cruelty, but with the object of securing peace, of punishing evil-doers, and of uplifting the good." For it may happen that the war is declared by the legitimate authority, and for a just cause, and yet be rendered unlawful through a wicked intention. Hence Augustine says (Contra Faust. xxii, 74): "The passion for inflicting harm, the cruel thirst for vengeance, an unpacific and relentless spirit, the fever of revolt, the lust of power, and such like things, all these are rightly condemned in war."While “Preacher” fits this criteria pretty well you might object to his methods as in some cases cruel but they certainly provide such a bunch of bad guys and in this case attempt to motivate “Preacher” purely by rightful intention. In fact the movie makers stress Preacher's reluctance to take up his guns again.
To have recourse to the sword (as a private person) by the authority of the sovereign or judge, or (as a public person) through zeal for justice, and by the authority, so to speak, of God, is not to "take the sword," but to use it as commissioned by another, wherefore it does not deserve punishment. And yet even those who make sinful use of the sword are not always slain with the sword, yet they always perish with their own sword, because, unless they repent, they are punished eternally for their sinful use of the sword.So did “Preacher” act lawfully. He was only commissioned to use the sword by the provisional government of those citizens under attack by the corrupt marshal and deputies as directed by LaHood.
It is necessary sometimes for a man to act otherwise for the common good, or for the good of those with whom he is fighting. Hence Augustine says (Ep. ad Marcellin. cxxxviii): "Those whom we have to punish with a kindly severity, it is necessary to handle in many ways against their will. For when we are stripping a man of the lawlessness of sin, it is good for him to be vanquished, since nothing is more hopeless than the happiness of sinners, whence arises a guilty impunity, and an evil will, like an internal enemy."Preacher really wasn’t seeking to bring anyone into a prosperity of peace that he was at war with. Vengeance was also part of his motivation. However, he did tend to leave the bad guys alone except when they attacked him or one of the small mining community.
Those who wage war justly aim at peace, and so they are not opposed to peace, except to the evil peace, which Our Lord "came not to send upon earth" (Mt. 10:34). Hence Augustine says (Ep. ad Bonif. clxxxix): "We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore, in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace."
Article 3Preacher makes extreme use of ambushes … and you can’t fault him for that. What seems prohibited by Scripture is to lie to an enemy. For example, waving a white flag and then shooting your enemy when he comes out is forbidden since it is a lie. Scripture never teaches that you can lie. In fact, only Rahab gets away with it and that was when she was still a prostitute and before she began to live with the Children of Israel.
Whether it is lawful to lay ambushes in war?
Objection 1.
It would seem that it is unlawful to lay ambushes in war. For it is written (Dt. 16:20): "Thou shalt follow justly after that which is just." But ambushes, since they are a kind of deception, seem to pertain to injustice. Therefore it is unlawful to lay ambushes even in a just war.
Objection 2. Further, ambushes and deception seem to be opposed to faithfulness even as lies are. But since we are bound to keep faith with all men, it is wrong to lie to anyone, as Augustine states (Contra Mend. xv). Therefore, as one is bound to keep faith with one's enemy, as Augustine states (Ep. ad Bonif. clxxxix), it seems that it is unlawful to lay ambushes for one's enemies.
Objection 3. Further, it is written (Mt. 7:12): "Whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them": and we ought to observe this in all our dealings with our neighbor. Now our enemy is our neighbor. Therefore, since no man wishes ambushes or deceptions to be prepared for himself, it seems that no one ought to carry on war by laying ambushes.
On the contrary, Augustine says: "Provided the war be just, it is no concern of justice whether it be carried on openly or by ambushes": and he proves this by the authority of the Lord, Who commanded Joshua to lay ambushes for the city of Ai
Joshua 8:2. And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
The object of laying ambushes is in order to deceive the enemy. Now a man may be deceived by another's word or deed in two ways. First, through being told something false, or through the breaking of a promise, and this is always unlawful. No one ought to deceive the enemy in this way, for there are certain rights of war and covenants, which ought to be observed even among enemies.
Secondly, a man may be deceived by what we say or do, because we do not declare our purpose or meaning to him. Now we are not always bound to do this. You ought to conceal plans from the enemy. Concealment is what is meant by an ambush which may be lawfully employed in a just war. Nor can these ambushes be properly called deceptions, nor are they contrary to justice or to a well-ordered will. For a man would have an inordinate will if he were unwilling that others should hide anything from him.
Preacher finally finishes Stockbridge with 7 shots – the number of completion in Scripture. The movie has some moral problems apart from the issues of government and just war. Preacher's morals are still not Christian. However, I think that they way in which the movie can cause us to remember Aquinas and Just War Theory are instructive and can help us keep those concepts clear in our mind as we live as citizens of the United States.
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