Forgotten Strength
Christian non-violence could answer our troubled moment.
A Nation on Edge
A week has gone by since the failed assassination attempt on former president Trump. I don’t have much to say about the event itself. Whatever motivated him, the young gunman chose to do evil that day. It cost him and at least one other person their lives. It left our nation, and likely much of the world, on edge.
For a small number of people, it’s their job to respond quickly and publicly to emergent events. Many others, of course, volunteer their snap reactions. Personally, I’m grateful that when history happens, I can take some time to think. And to pray. Sometimes it takes a while to make sense of how to respond to the senseless.
Taking Time to Think About Non-Violence
What I’ve chosen to share here is only a portion of what I’ve written this week. Since the subject I’m moved to write about is Christian non-violence, I want to pace myself. One reason is that the topic is vast. Another is that it’s confusing. In part, that’s because when a lot of people hear “non-violence” they immediately think “pacifism.” Below, I’ll point to Bible passages that help us tell the two apart. Yet another reason I want to move gradually on this terrain is because it’s just such a thorny topic. I want to choose my words as carefully as I can.
The connection between my usual focus, AI, and what I’ll offer here is indirect, but significant. That’s because AI is already being used in weapons and war. It’s urgent that we think about the ethics—and practical consequences—of force and non-violence. The path we choose in the next few years could set a trajectory for an era when fewer and fewer life-and-death decisions will be made by humans. That said, I’m going to let AI sit in the background for now. Right now, we need to build a foundation for our thinking and actions. The connections to emerging technology will become clear enough with time.
Non-Violence Is Biblical and Practical
The Bible, and the New Testament in particular, has a lot to say about living peacefully whenever possible and leaving vengeance to God. One example among many is Romans 12:18-19:
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.”
Far from a pie-in-the-sky ideal, non-violence is practical and effective. If you believe that Jesus Christ could have called on legions of angels to rout his captors (Matthew 26:53), you already recognize this. Instead of defending himself with force, Jesus chose to fulfill the Scriptures. He accepted death on a cross. An act of non-violence made everlasting life possible for sinners.
Christian non-violence has delivered here-and-now victories as well. Consider one of the greatest triumphs in American history: the Civil Rights Movement. Overwhelmingly, the leaders in that struggle were Christians. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, is far and away the best known example. Many other influential figures in the movement also openly linked their faith to the civil rights cause, including Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth, and Fannie Lou Hamer. John Lewis, a civil rights activist who went on to serve in Congress for over three decades, put it this way:
"The civil rights movement was based on faith. Many of us who were participants in this movement saw our involvement as an extension of our faith. We saw ourselves doing the work of the Almighty. Segregation and racial discrimination were not in keeping with our faith, so we had to do something."
Yet while Christian non-violence has proven its potency, there’s still a lot of confusion around what it is and isn’t.
Biblical Non-Violence Is Not Absolute Pacifism
Understandably, Christian non-violence is often confused with pacifism. Because of this, many people reject the idea before giving it serious consideration. While pacifism can take different forms, its most absolute expression insists that all war and violence are wrong.
The New Testament doesn’t seem to go that far. Jesus’ interaction with the centurion in Matthew 8 is relevant. Centurions were officers in the Roman army; suffice it to say that a pacifist could never have held the post. After he heals the centurion’s servant, one could have easily imagined the Prince of Peace asking the soldier to resign his position. Instead, Jesus praises the man’s faith and sends him on his way.
Romans 13 also seems to rule out uncompromising pacifism. Reminding believers that they are not exempt from government authority, it warns, “If you do wrong, be afraid, for [the ruler] does not bear the sword in vain” (Romans 13:4). This passage is one of the most debated in the Bible, and thorough consideration of it is well beyond the scope of this post. But I think it’s safe to say it poses a challenge to pacifism.
It’s important to remember these Scriptures involve specific contexts like military service and state power. We can imagine many circumstances that they don’t directly address. A Christian might ask, “Can I use force to protect my family?” Similarly, a believer could point to a scenario where an armed citizen stopped an active shooter and saved lives, asking, “Should some Christians arm themselves to protect the vulnerable?” We could ask many such questions, but I don’t think the Bible answers them directly. As a result, believers will offer varied responses and approaches. Because of this, I want to pursue an understanding of Christian non-violence that allows for personal conscience in areas where the Bible is unclear or silent.
Relevant Scriptures Challenge Us
Scripture offers plenty to challenge every one of us on this subject. Here, I’d like to let the Word speak for itself. The Bible offers an abundance of passages that can shape our vision of non-violence. What I’ll offer here is just a starting point, a small sampling of what Scripture has to say on the matter. As you read each passage, take a moment to think about it. Pray and ask the Lord what it would mean, in practical terms, to live by those words to the fullest.
One example is when Joseph, responding to his brothers who sold him into slavery, chooses mercy over vengeance:
But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:19-20)
Another is when David spares Saul, who had just tried to kill him:
David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’? Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. (1 Samuel 24:9-10a)
The New Testament is rich with passages that urge us toward mercy and non-violence:
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:43)
And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:51-52).
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)
After his conversion, the apostle Paul stopped violently persecuting the church and embraced a life that often put him on the receiving end of brutality:
Five times I received at the hands of the Jews forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. (2 Corinthians 11:24-25a)
What Form Would Christian Non-Violence Take Today?
Let’s make the two-thousand year leap back to the present. God’s Word has a power all its own. It can urge our hearts and minds toward possibilities yet unformed. And that’s needed. Because for now, we’ve got a conundrum: I think it’s urgent for American Christians to recover a vision for non-violence. Yet I have no idea what practical form that would take right now.
Let me be plain about the disconnect I’m seeing. At the risk of painting with a broad brush, many in our day who hear “non-violence” and respond with interest are not Christians. On the other hand, relatively few believers, as best I can tell, give the idea much thought. For many, this is simply because their neighborhoods are largely free of violence and the concept seems unnecessary. Other Christians, especially those who conflate the concept with pacifism, reject it as weak or impractical.
We have to take small steps and pray that the Lord will help us to build out Christian values for this tough subject. As you read your Bible, pause when you come across verses that relate to non-violence. Ask God how you might change to live in obedience to those words. Might the Lord use small changes in our mindsets and actions? Dare we hope that he would grow them into something that could bring healing and moral clarity to our desperate country? We have to pray the answer is yes.