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Bishop James Monte Stanton, Episcopalian Diocese of Dallas comments on war:

The War We Face

There is no such thing as a holy war. War is evil and sinful. Always. THis is so because war always falls far short of what God wills for his creation.

But sometimes war is justified. Because we live in a fallen world, where evil men terrorize and oppress others and use force to threaten, destroy and dehumanize others, sometimes force must be met with force.

Christian teaching in this area is simple: those who use force to counter terrorism and oppression:
must be a legitimate authority and
use force for just ends
Such and authority must seek every route to resolution of disputes before military force is used.
This authority must use only the amount of force necessary to end the threat.
And insure that all possible steps are taken to protect against loss of innocent life.

I am persuaded that the President and Congress satisfied these classic guidelines in what has become known as the "just war theory". Others do not. But frankly, it does not matter what I or any of us think at this point. The God of history, the God of justice and peace, will judge whether in the end our cause is just. Only God can do so.

We as Christians in a nation at war can only watch and pray.

We do not pray that God will be "on our side".

What we pray for is that these hostilities will come to a speedy end. We pray that God's purpose will be served even through the pains, uncertainties and strife we find ourselves in. We pray for our President and the leaders of this nation.

And we pray for those whom we see as enemies or who see us as enemies. We pray that even in the madness and evil or war, wisdom and generosity of spirit will arise.

We pray for our sons and daughters, our friends and neighbors, and persons unknown to us who have been called upon to bear the burdens of war. And we pray that as a people we will preserve our sense of the preciousness of life and liberty, and our commitment to share the blessings of God's graciousness to us with all.

Let us lift up ourselves and our world to God in intercession. Let us repent of all bitterness, hatred and willfulness in our personal and national life.

And let us, as we give thanks for the self-sacrifice of our Lord upon the cross, seek to give ourselves and our nation the more fully to God's mercy.