Following the way of Jesus has never been easy, but few matters of Christian discipleship are more difficult and agonizing to sort through than those concerning violence. The following links are intended both to inform Christians regarding aspects of their heritage of which they may be unaware and to encourage thoughtful and prayerful reflection as Christians seek to discern together how the body of Christ is called to live in the world as a witness to God's ultimate purposes.
Although it is difficult to discern what most "typical" people are thinking and feeling in the days following the tragic events of September 11, here are two responses that likely resonate with many, many people.
Time Magazine: The Case for Rage and Retribution
Michael Kelly: "The Trouble with Pacifism"
Sentiments such as these
are not only widespread, but they are also entirely understandable. Yet
Christians must still face squarely the difficult matter of whether and to what
extent being a follower of Jesus requires a willingness to lay down tools of
violence and seek grace-enabled ways of responding to violence that bear
embodied witness to God's new creation in Jesus Christ.
Such questions are crucial in the
present situation, not least because most of the current references to
"pacifism" (from the Latin word for "peace") automatically
(but wrongly) equate it with "passivism" (doing nothing). But Jesus never calls
us to "do nothing" in the face of evil; rather, he calls us to do the more
difficult thing, the thing that we can only do if God empowers us with
divine grace and strength, which is reach out to our enemies and love them as
God loved God's own enemies. The so-called "peace churches" in
the United States are still trying to bear witness to this possibility in the
current context, even though they
admit that it is very difficult to do so. (By the way, many people in the
Christian Churches/Churches of Christ do not realize that their churches, like most "restorationist"
movements, were advocates of non-violence in their earliest days and were considered by
many to be part of the "peace churches." For example, see Craig
M. Watts' excellent collection of essays, Disciple
of Peace: Alexander Campbell on Pacifism, Violence and the State.)
One obvious barrier to considering
this possibility seriously is that we too often assume (if not insist) that the
world can be neatly divided between the just and the unjust, the civilized and
the barbarians, the good and the evil people, and it's likewise clear which side
all of us are on. For example, I find it difficult to imagine what it might mean to reach out
in love to "them" because I assume that they are so entirely different from me and
from you, so utterly and unimaginably wicked. Yet we might question whether this
widely-assumed story is consonant with the truth that God tells us about
ourselves in Scripture, in Jesus Christ, and especially in and through the
cross. Here, the recent reflections by Jim Forest might
helpfully remind us of a crucial part of our Christian self-understanding that
we dare not forget.
The first, "We Have
Met the Enemy and He is Us," was delivered in June 2001; the second, "September
11 and the Reverence for Life," in November of 2001.
In a similar vein, Christians must in humility approach this recent crisis with
an honest willingness to explore the connections between global injustice and
terrorism. Such an exploration in no way excuses terrorism (anymore
than the recognition that the injustices created by the Treaty of Versailles
contributed to Hitler's rise excuses his reign of terror), but it might
keep us from too conveniently assuming that the only injustices that need to be
addressed are those perpetrated by terrorists and the countries that harbor
them. Along this line, we might do well to reflect on the essays by Rabbi
Michael Lerner ("A
World Out of Touch With Itself: Where the Violence Comes From") and
David Clark of The Guardian ("To
Explain Is Not to Excuse"), as well as a recent essay in the Charlotte
Observer by a local pastor ("I am
against this war"). We might also do well as Christians to listen
to some of our brothers and sisters around the world who often see these matters
in a different light. For example, Vinoth Ramachandra, who is the IFES
Regional Secretary for South Asia (IFES is InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's
sister organization in other countries), has written An
Open Letter to American Students and the American Church. Likewise,
Peter Storey, a theologian from South Africa, penned a very powerful letter
to his friends in the United States two days after the events of September
11.
Another significant barrier is that
many Christians have not reflected theologically as deeply about violence and
its necessity as they have other forms of temptation and sin (such as sexual
sin.) The result is that the views of many Christians about violence
reflect primarily their formation as citizens of a culture steeped in violence
and its portrayals in the media. In other words, because every culture
instills a sense of what is "possible" and "realistic," most
of us find the words of Jesus about non-violence and love for enemies to be
"impossible," "idealistic," and therefore
"unrealistic." But what does such a judgment say about our view
of God? Are we actually willing to admit that Jesus commands us to love
our enemies but that it isn't possible? Does Jesus ever command us to do
anything that he doesn't also promise to empower us to do? Perhaps what we
need most is a transformed imagination, an imagination that does not too quickly
assume that what Jesus instructs us to do cannot be done.
One place to begin having one's
imagination transformed is to familiarize oneself with those parts of the
Christian tradition that have consistently tried to take seriously Jesus'
teachings about love of enemies. The amount of the material available
about Christian non-violence and love of enemies on the Internet is
voluminous. If you are interested in learning more, here are a few places
to begin:
Overview
of Pacifism and Biblical Nonresistance (J.C. Wenger)
"Blessed Are the Meek: The Roots of Christian Non-Violence" (Thomas Merton)
Overview of the Christian "Just-War" Tradition
These represent, of course, just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. For those interested in pursuing the matter further, you might visited one or more of the following web sites hosted by Christian and interfaith groups committed to educating people in the way of peacemaking.
Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
Mennonite Church Peace and Justice Committee
Writings on Christian Nonresistance and Pacifism from Anabaptist-Mennonite Sources
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Last updated: 03/06/08