The book has grown out of an initiative of the Biblical Research Committee (BRC) of what is now the Inter-European Division (EUD).The BRC of the EUD has been able to produce this valuable book, addressing an issue that we as a church face, providing much needed biblical, historical and ethical perspectives on this issue.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a long and rich history of being a Church that affirms peace, seeks reconciliation and has encouraged a noncombatant stance. In a time when wars and war-like conflicts are on the global rise, there is an urgent need to reflect more fully on the role of Christ’s followers as conscientious agents of peace and as conscientious objectors to all forms of violence. By candidly looking at the biblical evidence in the Old and New Testament and by learning from Church History and our own history, the authors of this book address various challenges of military service and try to recover the spirit of the early Christian Church and of Jesus Christ on this issue. The book has grown out of an initiative of the Biblical Research Committee (BRC) of what is now the Inter-European-Division (EUD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA). The authors, who come from Europe, Africa and North America, reflect the international composition of the SDA Church. The need was felt to address this pressing question in order to give guidance and orientation, especially to our young people who are increasingly faced with issues about military service and who seek to know what the Bible has to say with regards to war and the bearing of arms. It contains the most complete list of all official Church documents on war and military service that were published by the SDA church from its beginning to the present as well as a comprehensive list of major publications and resources that were written by Seventh-day Adventists. It will be the definite reference work on this subject for years to come.

Contents:

1. Violence and War in the Old Testament (Barna Magyarosi)
2. War and Nonviolence in the New Testament (Johannes Kovar)
3. Ethnicity, the Church, and Violent Conflicts (Kwabena Donkor)
4. Military Service and Just War: An Historical Overview (Zoltan Szallos-Farkas)
5. Pacifist, Conscientious Cooperators, or Combatants? The Seventh-day Adventist Loss of Clarity on War and Military Service (Douglas Morgan)
6. Adventist Opposition to War in Europe: Cases of Nonconformity and Conscientious Objection (Daniel Heinz)
7. Ethical Challenges in Military Service (Frank Hasel)
8. Psychological Effects of War und Pastoral Care (Andreas Bochmann)
9. Adventist and Military Service: Conclusions (Frank Hasel)

Appendix:
- Official Seventh-day Adventist Statements on Noncombatancy, War, and Peace
- Bibliography of Seventh-day Adventist Literature on Peace, War, and Military Service

Die Autoren präsentieren einen Überblick über die adventistische und allgemein christliche Stellung zum Kriegsdienst in der Geschichte sowie Erwägungen aus pastoraler Sicht – und Reflexionen zum Thema Kriegsdienst in der Bibel. Es zeigt sich, dass Adventisten von Anfang an kriegskritisch waren und trotz sich ausdifferenzierender Positionen in ihren Reihen die ursprünglich gewaltfreie Haltung (meist „Nichtkämpferstandpunkt“) am meisten mit dem biblisch-christlichen Ethos zu vereinen ist. Eine ausführliche Bibliographie zum Thema Adventisten und Krieg/Gewalt/Militär sowie eine Übersicht über mehrere Dutzend adventistische Verlautbarungen runden das Buch ab.

Eine sehr ausführliche Buchbesprechung auf Deutsch findet sich hier: Adventists and Military Service (Buchbesprechung Deutsch)