WALLACE S. JUNGERS
This book, “War and Christian Principles” is another collection of e-mails that Mr. Jungers wrote in 2004 to his friends, who are interested in the morality of Christianity.
This collection of his e-mails is but a snapshot of time amidst an on-going dialogue. There is, however, one event that dominates: the war on Iraq. Some highlights of the war, including the Marines assault on Fallujah, the abuses at the prison in Baghdag, and the beheading of Nicholas Berg, among others, are discussed.
The bulk of the material comes from Mr. Jungers’ explanation of the “Just War Theory”, as initiated by Augustine, and perfected by Thomas Aquinas. He contends that some principles of the Just War Theory now need to be updated due to the change in the nature of modern warfare: from conventional arms used against the standing armies of World War II--to the special forces used against the terrorists of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
Just as the US Army is taking on the look of the Marines, and the Marines are becoming more like Special Ops, so, too, does our ethic need to be changed to keep up with the morality necessary for guidance during asymmetrical warfare, he argues.
All this requires new thinking about how we can be Christians, using Christian principles to protect ourselves against non-Christian, world-wide terrorism. We must begin to think like Special Ops, and go to the enemy before the enemy has the opportunity to come here, even if that means crossing national boundaries.
Christ’s Sermon on the Mount principles must be recast into a body ethic flexible enough to allow for a realistic defense in this new age.
Wallace S. Jungers, S.T.B., is a graduate of Woodstock College in Theology, where he studied under the renowned theologian, John Courtney Murray. He also has been awarded degrees in Philosophy, Ph. L., and in Chemistry, B.S.
Mr. Jungers taught Chemistry at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia and at Loyola College in Baltimore.
With this book, “War and Christian Principles”, he continues his research into Christianity, which he began with his other books:
Jesus Christ in Glory (Rev. 2nd Ed.),
St. Paul, St. John and St. Augustine,
Reflections on Christ in Glory,
Prayers of Early Christianity,
Of the Holy Spirit,
Resurrection,
The Beautiful One,
Augustine Latine,
The Evidence of Christianity,
The Confessions of St. Augustine,
The Passion of Jesus Christ,
Ancient Christian Prayers,
The Victory of the Early Christian Martyrs,
Epistles From a Modern Christian, and
Letters to Companions in Christ.
From the viewpoint of a modern Christian, Mr. Jungers has been explaining the New Testament to believers who are searching for a better understanding of the “vera et sincera” (true and honest) deeds of Jesus of Nazareth. Well versed in Greek and Latin, Mr. Jungers translates from the Greek text of Mr. Kurt Aland et alii (4th Ed), called UBS4.
As an advocate of the modern trend of “Praying the Scriptures”, Mr. Jungers brings life to these ancient documents, which form the basis of the Christian Faith.
He lives in La Mesa, California with his wife, Sue, who is the retired long-term principal of Mt. Carmel Academy in Chicago. They have two married daughters, Jane and Jennifer, and three grandchildren, Jane’s Kurtis, and Colin, and Jennifer’s Amber.
Recently, Mr. Jungers’ wife, Sue, wrote these words to a friend, who had inquired about Wally:
“Describing Wally is really very easy.
He is not at all complicated or complex.
In fact, he is a very simple man.
He is always smiling, loves his wife, and daughters, and grandchildren.
You can set your watch by him. When he was in Chicago he got up at the same time every day, meditated and prayed regularly, read scripture and scripture scholars, wrote about the early Church, swam for an hour, had a half a glass of wine and three crackers with cheese while watching Tom Brokaw, ate dinner, watched TV and went to bed at 9:00 every night.”
Who sits on his little mountain in California
And tries to find more ways to love God and his family.”
This book, “War and Christian Principles” is another collection of e-mails that I wrote in 2004 to my friends who are interested in the faith and morality of Christianity.
I am a member of a group of ex-Jesuits who regularly correspond by e-mail with one another on matters of faith and morals. There are presently two list-serves, one on the East coast made up mainly of Maryland and New York ex-Jesuits, and the other on the West coast with former members of the California and Oregon Provinces. There are about 300 members who receive these mailings, and about twenty to thirty who engage in active dialogue.
It has been said that if you put three Jesuits in a room you will get five opinions on any given subject. The dialogue among the ex-Jesuits is brisk and brutal: no one gets a free ride on any opinion. Everything is up for debate. The topics range over all the spectra: the sex abuse scandal in the Church, homosexuality, gay marriages, Republicans vs. Democrats, the war on Iraq, liberal interpretations of the Bible vis-a-vis fundalmentalistic views, etc. You name it and we will talk about it.
This collection of my e-mails is but a snapshot of time amidst an on-going dialogue. There is, however, one event that dominates: the war on Iraq. Some highlights of the war, including the Marines assault on Fallujah, the abuses at the prison in Baghdag, and the beheading of Nicholas Berg, among others are discussed.
The bulk of the material comes from my explanation of the “Just War Theory” as initiated by Augustine and perfected by Thomas Aquinas. I contend that some principles of the Just War Theory need to be updated due to the change in the nature of modern warfare: from conventional arms used against the standing armies of World War II to the special forces used against the terrorists of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Just as the US Army is taking on the look of the Marines and the Marines are becoming more like our Special Ops, so, too, does our ethic need to be changed to keep up with the morality necessary for guidance during asymmetrical warfare.
Our new enemy is militant Islam armed with AK-47’s, RPG’s and mobile mortars. Their trademark was stamped upon the West at the beheading of Nicholas Berg in Baghdag on May 8, 2004. That message is:
“Mothers and wives of American soldiers…
You will not receive anything from us
But coffins after coffins…
Slaughtered in this manner.”
So, as one can see from the Table of Contents, the subject matter for these e-mails is the war on Iraq and the morality of pre-emption that lead us into that war.
My antagonists are those on the list-serve who claim that it was unjust for the United States to invade Iraq under the pretext that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and was willing to use them against the West. I, on the other hand, try to make the argument that, even though the suspected WMD were later not found, the US and Britain still had ample reason to eradicate the regime of that brutal dictator. You and later history may be the judge of whether my arguments are well founded.
For your general reference, I have added my “Chronology of Early Christianity” at the end. This chronology is uniquely my own, meticulously put together by my reading of the “Ecclesiastical History” of the church historian, Eusebius. I have copied out from the documents preserved by Eusebius certain historical tidbits on the apostles Paul, Peter and John among others that give a new perspective on the lives of these early Christian leaders.
The internet discussions continue on a daily basis. I should hope that some future books will be written by me on the successful conclusion to the war in Iraq and, hopefully, to peace in the Middle-East.
Wallace S. Jungers,
Date
