2023-01-14 Gospel and Culture - Nonviolence

📘 Christian Nonviolence

Here are my notes from the Antioch Church Gospel and Culture forum on nonviolence / enemy love from 2023-01-14. Points saying "I", "me", "my", "Aaron" are specifically my reactions and thoughts to the discussion as I was listening or reflecting.

This discussion was led by Dr. Gerry Breshears, professor of theology at Western Seminary: Gerry Breshears, Ph.D. - Western Seminary.

Broad categories of Christian positions on involvement in violence

Pacifism

• Romans 12. Also Sermon on the Mount - "Turn the other cheek", "don't resist the one who is evil"
  • Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them... Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
    • This is very direct teaching.
• This was the position of the early church until the time of Constantine.
• Rejection of violence in all forms:
  • Christians should not be soldiers or policemen
  • Christians should not use violence for self-defense or resistance
• Pacifists would say "Trust God", be like Jesus. Give up your life rather than take a life.

Non-resistance

• Romans 13 discusses the place of government as appointed by God. Christians should be subject to government (as long as government is pursuing good policy, more on that later).
• In this view, a Christian can serve in the military because of their duty to the government.
• A Christian can serve in the military only as a non-combatant.
• This particularly applies if they have been legally conscripted.

Just war

• Genesis 14 - describes Abram's defense of Lot and the reaction of the priest Melchizidek. Though Abram was not always a perfectly moral man, Melchizidek seems to have approved of the action.
• This point of view developed in Christianity around the time of Constantine.
• This view holds that there are certain wars in which Christians are obligated to fight:
  • War must be declared by a legitimate government
    • For example, not a paramilitary organization or even a government member not speaking for the government itself
  • War must be an act of last resort
  • War must be fought for a just cause.
    • For example, WWII and the Russia / Ukraine war both seem to have a clear "right vs wrong" nature (the latter is a war of aggression by Russia, and defense by Ukraine).
    • Not a war like Vietnam, which was morally complicated.
  • War must be fought using moral means
    • For example, the fire-bombing of Dresden is problematic
• I'm using the term "war" here but this can be extended to violence in general.

Crusade

• Admittedly not a great term for this.
• In this view, Christians can join in a preventative strike to prevent an aggressor from obtaining advantage.
  • For example, Israel's pre-emptive strikes on Egypt in the 1967 war.
  • Note to self, I think many Christians who claim to be "just war" proponents would actually fall into this category (i.e., a misuse of the term).

General Discussion

Short notes from the general discussion / Q&A following the above presentation.

• The above outline represents points on a spectrum. This is a difficult topic philosophically, morally, and biblically. In addition, our views can change over time as individuals.
• Pacifism is not passivism. You resist evil but not by causing harm. In a crisis situation you could body-check someone, or sacrifice yourself.
  • Also, pacifism is primarily active, and can be used for the purposes of calling shame on the aggressor. E.g., MLK
  • I think this view is more about how we live out lives day to day, outside of the crisis moment. We advocate for peace and try to change the culture. Yes, it does impact our reactions to violence when confronted, but we live our lives as peacemakers.
• Genesis 9 discusses capital punishment under the Mosaic system. We should also account for the teachings of Jesus.
• We cannot take the Bible seriously without acknowledging that God does enact vengeance. We are told in Romans 12 to repay evil with NO evil and not to take vengeance, but to leave it to God.
  • I would say that God would be within His rights to take vengeance but prohibit me from doing it. In fact I would expect him to be better at it than myself, including discerning the proper time and place to do so.
• As a note, Jesus and John the Baptist didn't tell soldiers to leave the army
  • This is a complicated issue biblically
• Ephesians 6 - armor of God - This is a reference to spiritual fighting, not violence. The song Onward Christian Soldiers also reflects this (aaron note, check this)
• Today's Christian nationalism in America (e.g., Christian flag) was birthed during the Cold War era, in response to Communist atheist USSR. This is also the time that "Under God" was added to the Pledge of Alliegance.
• We should remember that as Christians, our primary citizenship is in the Kingdom of Heaven and our first duty is to it.
• Some key scriptures and points that Christans agree on across these views:
  • Romans 12 - We are not to avenge ourselves with violence. This does not necessarily preclude self-defense.
  • Matthew 5 - Do not resist an evil one
  • Romans 13 - Governments are established by God
    • Note: This passage is discussing the Roman government. If it was talking about the theocratic system of Israel's OT government, I think we could reasonably consider this passage not to apply to us - but it's talking about worldly governments.
    • This passage was written by Paul, who did sometimes refuse to submit to government Acts 16 v 35
    • This passage does MORE than say that we should always obey government. It discusses the point of government:
      • to deter bad conduct
      • to carry out God's vengeance on the wrongdoer
      • We should discern when government is behaving badly.
      • Even if we accept this role of government, Christians still should decide their involvement in it with regard to violence.
• Christians should be known for forgiveness and peacemaking (note peacemaking is active)
• When we study these various views, we should look to the best examples of each. For example, we should ignore people who are weak or cowardly pacifists, or bloodthirsty "just war" proponents.
• In the spur of the moment, our instincts take over. We should have this discussion now so we're prepared to act according to our beliefs when a crisis comes.
• Book: Scott Rae - Moral Choices. get the longest version, and the most recent edition where he corrects some wrongs from earlier editions.
  • Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics by Scott B. Rae - I'll read it, but watch for some inconstencies as noted in some reviews.

Conclusion

Speaker: what is his position?

• Jeremiah 21 verse 12 - Be actively involved in justice issues and protect the innocent.
• Speaker: He has an essentially pacifist view, but in an immediate crisis can use the minimum force necessary to prevent violence. This could be a sin! Sometimes there is no sinless way out of a situation, and we must do the least wrong thing to resolve it. We should still confess that action as a sin.
  • I think this is important to remember. We should not become desensitized to commiting wrongs even if they are necessary at times; we should remember they are wrong even when done toward good ends.
• Aaron thoughts: This is a position specifically on physical violence. Are there principles here that can be extended to other areas of our lives? Verbal violence?
  • Is mocking ever OK? Making fun of someone or their position if it differs from mine on an issue? Posting memes that mock others?
    • Rebuke is different from mocking and is OK, in my view. must be personal and kind when it's targeted at an individual. When I say something unkind it ceases to be true
  • Again these questions may be outside the scope of this discussion on violence. I think they're related but would accept different answers.