The War in Ukraine: What Do We Do?
In 2008 I studied in St. Petersburg, Russia. I was an International Affairs major with an emphasis on the Russian language and post-Soviet geopolitics. I went there to increase my fluency in the language and find a topic for my senior thesis.
Days before I left the US, Russia invaded Georgia, seeking to “liberate” the Russia-friendly separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia (though everyone saw the move for what it really was: a response to Georgia’s bid to join the European Union). Analysis of that conflict would form the core of my thesis.
Though I haven’t consistently stayed up-to-date with Russia throughout the years, I have paid close attention to the developments in Ukraine. In light of this, I would like to share some ways that we, as a church, can respond.
UNDERSTANDING
In one sense, all we need to know about this conflict is very clear. Putin is engaged in a tragic unjust war. He has set himself against Ukrainian national sovereignty and self-determination and, with his back against the wall due to his military’s strategic failure, is increasingly targeting civilians. His actions are condemnable and evil.
In another sense, the conflict defies simple explanation. The two nations have a complicated history stretching over 1000 years and it is frequently invoked—and rewritten—by Putin to deny the legitimacy of Ukrainian statehood. An important part of that history is their shared Orthodox Christian faith but since the fall of the Soviet Union the relationship between the Ukrainian and Russian churches has been contentious and acted as a kind of cultural proxy war between the two states, so much so that some leading analysts have called Russia’s invasion a religious war. Furthermore, this conflict is also about the internal politics of Russia—the increasing dissatisfaction with Putin’s leadership and his need to drum up support.
Perhaps the more important context for the conflict is less about Ukraine and more about the relationship between Russia and the European Union. Putin and his supporters view the US and EU as an existential threat to Russia and justify the war in Ukraine as resisting Western hegemony. Though certainly an unpopular opinion, some leading international relations scholars such as John Mearshimer argue that—while Russia is wrong to invade Ukraine—this conflict was inevitable and that the EU’s expansion into Russia’s border nations is a form of brinksmanship.
I say all of this because the Internet has conditioned us to believe that the first thing we should do with regards to a situation like this is to seek out information and try to understand what’s going on. But due to the complexities surrounding this conflict—not to mention the fog of war and propaganda and disinformation coming from all sides—what we usually end up with are overly simplistic and reductionistic hot takes.
For the Christian, though, I think there is a better approach.
First, we need to process this in light of Scripture’s big story (for more on that, come to Sunday Formation). We know that war is a consequence of the Fall, having its origin in Cain killing Abel in Genesis 4. We also know that Jesus has defeated the powers of evil and death and promised us that when He returns He will forever do away with war. Our primary vocation as Christians is to live as God’s already/not-yet people, straddling the line between heaven and earth due to our union with Christ, and proclaiming the good news of the coming King. As we seek to read the news in light of the Good News I think we will have greater spiritual and moral clarity as we are faced with the complexities of war.
Second, we need spend less time doom-scrolling and trying to figure out what’s going on and spend more time living into our Christian calling to be a people of prayer and mercy, practices that root us in the world to come and help us embody it towards those in the world around us. Towards that end, let me invite you to join me in the following.
PRAYING
Pray for Vladimir Putin, that God would convict him of the great evil he has perpetuated in Ukraine and cause him to walk in repentance by providing a clear path for ceasefire and peace.
Pray for the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, that God would grant him safety and give him wisdom as to how to best protect his country and bring an end to this war.
Pray that God would protect all Ukrainians. Pray that non-combatants would not be targeted. Pray that God will provide safety and shelter for those fleeing combat. Pray that he would comfort families who have relatives taking up arms to defend Ukraine.
Pray for the people of Russia, that God would aid them in voicing their disapproval of this war. Pray for the comfort of families who have lost sons and fathers in the war. Pray for Russian soldiers who have been sent to fight a war that, reportedly, many do not want to fight.
Pray for Patriarch Kiril of the Russian Orthodox Church and Epiphanius I, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, that God would use them to broker peace between their two nations.
Pray for all churches in Ukraine, that God would protect them and sustain them as they do Kingdom work through proclamation of the Gospel and tending to refugees.
Pray that in the midst of this conflict God would cause many to put their hope in Christ and trust Him as their refuge and strength.
GIVING
There are a number of ways that you can give directly to organizations connected to City Church or our mission partners who are attempting to help those displaced by the war.
Mission to the World, the missionary agency of our denomination, has a large church planting team that has a long history in Lviv, Ukraine. They are actively providing relief and have partnered with 15 other churches from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine. MTW has set up a crisis fund to aid in this work.
Jake Hunt is the pastor of Do Slovo, a sister church to one of our mission partners, Faith Community Church, in Prague. He writes:
“The first wave of Ukrainian refugees have already arrived in Prague. Our dear friends at Dignity and Bohemian Hostels are housing and feeding them as they recover and begin to sort out their lives, but they only have the funds to provide aid for another week. Click here if you're looking for a direct, on-the-ground way to support what's happening on this side of the world.”
If you have any further questions about how to pray or give, please feel free to reach out to at harrison@citychurchrva.com.
To stay up-to-date on how you can continue to support those serving in Ukraine and those caring for Ukrainian refugees, Mission to the World, the PCA’s missionary organization, has put together this site with blog posts from folks on the ground, prayer requests, and ways to offer financial support.