In considerations of the Christian tradition on war and peace, “just war” is often presented as the majority position over and against the minority stance of pacifism or Christian nonviolence. Such a presentation of church history, however, does not recognize the fact that just war teaching always limited violence to adult men in police or military units. This actually excluded the vast majority of Christians from the use of violence, simply by virtue of their being women, children, clergy, monastics, or everyday citizens not engaged in a just war or police action. What is more, it was assumed for most of the church’s history that participation in acts of violence—even acts deemed “just”—was a concession to the ways of the world that no doubt led Christians to sin. The church made provision for repentance and reconciliation—not celebration—when soldiers came home from battle. Even when war seems inevitable, our hope is not in military victory but in the reconciliation of all things through Jesus Christ. When God’s people hold onto the hope of reconciliation through the peculiar way of the cross, we interrupt the assumptions of a culture of violence. But the truth is that all of us—not just soldiers and police officers—are well practiced in the use of worldly power. Those of us who come from positions of privilege in society lean on the silent power of money and social norms, trusting in systems of control that have favored people who speak our language or share our skin color. At the same time, people who live with their backs against the wall resort to subversive acts of violence, carving out a space for survival by manipulating the fears those who seem to be “in control.” We can see these dynamics at work in local and international political negotiations. And, if we pay attention, we can see the same habits worked out between husbands and wives, parents and children, bosses and co-workers, pastors and congregations. In the world that is passing away, violence rules. But in the new world that has already begun, Jesus shows us a better way. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove ☀
peace
Jesus lived a life and died a death committed to peace. In life, he taught his followers to offer creative non-violent responses to any violence inflicted against them. He offered forgiveness to those burdened with sin and guilt. He befriended the outcasts and marginal members of society. He confronted those who oppressed the poor and condemned those who practiced injustice. He showed love to his enemies and persecutors. When faced with torture and death, he did not call upon his followers to rise up in revolt. Rather, he accepted suffering willingly. His resurrection demonstrates the triumph of good over evil, of nonviolence over violence. If I claim to follow Jesus, I must commit myself to his way of peace. This is non-negotiable. Peace is at the heart of Jesus’ message and ministry. It is central to the Gospel of Christ.
Esther Epp-Tiessen (via changingmyperspective) (Source: roflstoffle)
It is not enough to say ‘We must not wage war.’ It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. Martin Luther King Jr. ☀
I was attending a conference on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, a conference focused on the education of black children, when I heard in my hotel room the first raucous news from CNN announcing the murder of Osama bin Laden; then came the words and images of the celebrations that followed. I become almost physically ill; and after attempting to express my distress to my deeply empathetic companion, I began to write these words:
Dear Martin, we hear you, again, wisely, lovingly warning us that the triumph of militarism leads surely to the defeat of humanism and democracy, to the loss of soul.
The CNN anchor calls this time of the killing “the president’s finest night.” Oh, beloved Barack, are the brutalized crowds mocking you when they gather in front of the White House and chant, “USA, yes we can”? Have “we”—you and us—now created a more just and compassionate nation, a more perfect union? Have “we”—you and us—contributed to the building of a new world that takes us beyond the ancient, bloody goals of retribution, of killing for killing, of destroying our enemies?
My beloved younger brother/son, what are you teaching the nation, this very needy nation? I feel something deeply tragic in all of this. I am terribly saddened to hear that the keepers of conventional wisdom are praising you for your “gutsy decision” to return evil for evil. What are we teaching our children, my dear son? What is the lesson for all the young men of the black and brown street communities? Could it be that our first president of color shows us how to deal with our enemies, demonstrates what it means to have “guts”? Will you now glory in this “victory”? (And what are the lessons here concerning what “victory” really means and how it is achieved?) And where do you think Jesus was? Where do you think Gandhi was? Where do you think Fannie Lou and Martin were when you went forward, locking arms—and steps—with your/our “intelligence community,” not even suggesting, as you sometimes sadly do, that some evils are necessary? But instead, apparently rejoicing and accepting praise for your “gutsy” decision to render and eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a death for many deaths.
People who believe in war leave all behind, prepared to die: what price are we prepared to pay to be a people who believe in peace? Those who keep faith to the end will know their weakness the best. God, grant me the courage; help me, that I may plant seeds of peace. Jim Wallis ☀
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