What Is Just War Theory? | Exodus 22:2-3

In this episode of the Right Response podcast, the hosts discuss the Christian tradition of just war theory, tracing its development from Augustine to Aquinas and explaining why it matters for distinguishing justified killing from murder. They outline core criteria for going to war (jus ad bellum)—legitimate authority, just cause, right intention, last resort, proportionality, probability of success, and discrimination between combatants and non-combatants—and for conduct within war (jus in bello), including proportionality and humane treatment of prisoners. Applying these principles to modern conflicts, they highlight difficulties posed by preemptive war, imperial and economic motives, and technologies like drones. They also address Christian pacifism, arguing for a distinction between personal ethics and public duties of the civil magistrate, and conclude with Isaiah 2’s vision of a future where nations “learn war no more.”

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