Students hear from distinguished scholar Marc LiVecche

Liberty University students recently heard from Marc LiVecche, McDonald distinguished scholar of ethics, war and public life for Providence magazine, during his visit to campus Sept. 28. LiVecche’s visit was part of The Institute of Religion and Democracy and Providence magazine’s’s campus outreach program, which uplifts historic Christian teaching about political theology. 

LiVecche’s lecture focused on discussing the moral necessity of just war theory, which talks about how to tell whether or not war is justified. He also incorporated C.S. Lewis’ perspective and literary works into the lecture.  

“Everything that follows in this talk will follow from the fact that the Christian ethical life has a central commitment … to love,” LiVecche said near the beginning of his lecture. “This love commandment is not an option; it’s an absolute mandate.”  

LiVecche discussed how to love all neighbors — even those causing strife or issues — though not everyone can be loved in the exact same way or at the same time. He pulled from Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, where there is blood, battle and betrayal, yet love that coexists with those things.   

“It’s not love despite the battles and the wars, but because it is love, it reveals itself in the rescue of the innocent, the defense of justice and the punishment of evil,” LiVecche said.  

LiVecche then used Aristotle’s analogy of a warhorse trained for battle to paint a picture of meekness in battle and power under submission.  

“There’s nothing weak about warhorses. … Their job is to smash into enemy formations and scatter them,” LiVecche said.  

However, warhorses do this at the command of those who hold their reins, exemplifying power under control instead of the absence of power.  

“’Meek’ is the best summary word for the way that love qualifies but does not abolish the marshal spirit,” LiVecche said.   

LiVecche also analyzed the war dilemma in which one neighbor is wrongly kicking another neighbor and refuses to stop.  

“While it is a Christian duty to love both the victim and the victimizer, we obviously cannot love both in precisely the same way in the same instant,” LiVecche said. “Love and mercy for one neighbor may manifest in its defense and its rescue, while love and mercy for the other neighbor might manifest in its correction.”  

The Helms School of Government hosts an array of events each semester to educate students on a variety of topics. To learn more about the Helms School of Government, visit this website or follow it on Instagram. 

Kristina Smith is the editor-in-chief for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X