June 2, 2026
Review of Andrew Garnett, Christians & the Roman Army: Lessons for Today (Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2024), ix + 146 pgs.
Is the relationship between the early Christians and the Roman army relevant to twenty-first-century Christians in the United States ? Andrew Garnett thinks so.
According to the book's back cover, the author is a Baptist pastor in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, "which has the largest concentration of military bases of any metropolitan area in the world." The author's "doctoral study focused on the relationship of the early Christians to the Roman army." He "has traveled extensively throughout the former Roman empire and has led groups to Rome to explore early Christianity." According to the book's introduction, he pastors "a relatively moderate Baptist church" that is not "filled with service members" (p. 3). The author says he writes as "an interested outsider" who has "never served in the armed forces (p. 101).
The book's layout is straightforward. After the introduction, there are six chapters (each ending with questions for reflection), an appendix with practical ideas for military ministry, and a bibliography. As the author explains in his introduction, the "first half of the book sets the stage by giving a historical introduction" and the second half addresses the core question: "How did the first Christians relate to the military, and what can we learn from their experience" (p. 5). Although this is not an academic work, each chapter contains footnotes, mainly to reference the sources of quotations. The first half of the book is enhanced by 23 images relevant to the Roman empire and its army. Many of these are photos taken by the author during his travels.
Garnett believes that "the relationship of the early church to the Roman army is one of the most important stories for our churches, for our mission in the world, and for the cultural context in which we find ourselves" (p. 1). He mentions three groups of people who may find the book helpful: those with a church near a military base, Christians in the military, and "anyone who is looking for a breakthrough in our polarized climate" (p. 4). He maintains that the polarization in society is mirrored within our churches, identifies two types of churches, and claims that "both perspectives are reflected in the early church" (p. 2).
"Conservative" churches "are often supportive of their country, of the need for military force, and of the members of the armed forces whose careers are built around employing this force" (p. 2). They "see no contradiction between state-sanctioned violence and their faith: members of these churches often equate Christianity with their country-a phenomenon that is called Christian nationalism" (p. 2). To be a faithful Christian "is to support the country and, particularly, to support its service members" (p. 2).
The members of "moderate" or "liberal" churches "often recognize that their primary allegiance is not to a nation but to the kingdom of God that Jesus describes" (p. 2). They "generally appreciate their country, but they are wary of excessive patriotism," and "recognize that the kingdom Jesus envisioned was generally a peaceful one" (p. 2). Although they "may feel pressured to give lip service to 'supporting the troops,'" they "may feel deeply uncertain about welcoming human warriors into a kingdom of peace" (p. 2).
These generalizations are much too broad, and especially regarding conservative church members and Christian nationalism and liberal churches and welcoming military personnel.
Chapters 1-3 of the book provide a good historical overview of the Roman empire, the early churches, and the Roman army.
In the Roman empire, "almost everyone was religious" (p. 16) and "government was inherently religious" (p. 15). Garnett makes an important point that "in the ancient world, almost no one thought that religion was separate from public life" (p. 15).
Garnett's description of the growth, worship, and diversity of the early church is adequate, but I take issue with his claim that "woman occupied many leadership roles" (p. 29).
The Roman army "was one of the most important aspects of the Roman state," and "the dominance of the army affected all of society" (p. 51). Soldiers took an oath of loyalty to the emperor, were trained to employ violence, and were free to plunder and exact vengeance. But as Garnett also points out, "The army mandated a considerable number of religious observances" (p. 68). Therefore, "to serve in the army was to be immersed in this mixture of violence and pagan religion" (p. 72).
In chapter 4 Garnett takes up the of Christian responses to the Roman army. He categorizes these into six different approaches:
- Avoiding direct comment on the army
- Opposition to Christian military service
- Outline steps for soldiers to become church members
- Recognize the complexity of Christian military service
- Restate the faith for new contexts
- Help soldiers find meaning in their service
The first approach is that of the New Testament and early church leaders. As Christianity grew with the Roman empire, the second approach seems commonsense based on the Roman army's mixture of violence and pagan religion. So, as Garnett says: "For the first few hundred years of the Christian faith, most church leaders opposed Christian military service" (p. 83). There were three categories of objections: "Christians should not swear the oath of loyalty to them emperor, that army religion was incompatible with a Christian life, and that warfare and killing were inappropriate for Christians" (p. 83). The other approaches show the downward progression toward accommodating soldiers.
Garnett's overview of the American military in chapter 5 is inadequate. He explains the different branches of service, why and how people join the military, types of military personnel, deployments, following orders, military families, and combat. He rightly points out that "it is not natural for most people to kill someone; the military works hard to condition people to use violence when necessary so that service members will be ready to kill without hesitation" (p. 113). He discusses the negative physical, mental, and moral results of combat. What is missing here is any mention of what the American military actually does: police the world, regime change, engage in offense and call it defense, kill people who are no threat to the United States, make widows and orphans, fight immoral, unnecessary, undeclared, and unjust wars, and carry out reckless, belligerent, and meddling foreign policy. These things should be more than enough to keep Christians from joining the military.
Garnett believes that "we can learn from the success and the mistakes of the early church and do better than they did" (p. 119). He provides ten lessons "inspired by the early church's experience with the Roman army" (p. 119):
- A church's relationship to the military can be complicated.
- The church is the place for difficult conversations.
- Our view of the military is shaped by our context.
- Service in the military can be complicated for Christians.
- Service to country should be kept in perspective.
- The church has much to offer service members.
- The best outreach to service members offers something unique.
- We need a pastoral approach, not a moralistic one.
- There can be value in silence.
- If we voice our moral convictions, we need to do so carefully.
These are "guiding principles for churches who want to be at their best" (p. 133).
These lessons are inadequate. The Early Church opposed Christian military service because of loyalty oaths to the emperor, pagan religious practices in the army, and the violence and killing that was part of military duties. The fact that later Christians compromised and became more accommodating of soldiers doesn't change the biblical nature of the Early Church's opposition to the military.
The real lesson here is that just as the Early Church opposed Christian military service on solid biblical grounds, so twenty-first-century churches should do likewise even though some of the reasons for such opposition may be different.
Churches can minister to military personnel the same way they minister to any other group. But Churches can minister to Christian military personnel by showing them that the actions of the U.S. military are foreign to New Testament Christianity, encouraging them to leave military service as soon as they are able, and doing "violence to no man" (Luke 3:14) while they are in the military.