Today a Norwegian right-wing Christian (Christian at least according to initial reports) killed nearly 90 people, teenagers, in fact. Some have responded that this is the result of extreme gun control, insisting that if these teens had just been armed, then they could have fended off their attack. Maybe so, though it seems unlikely that teenagers would be carrying guns. However, I think it brings up a greater point. When I tell people that I’m a pacifist, they say things like, “What about Hitler?” What about Hitler? The problem with this reactionary thinking is that it is just that: reactionary. Pacifism's greatest hurdle is not that it would let Hitler take over the world. Rather, pacifism's strength is that Hitler never would have risen to power in the first place.
How powerful could the church’s witness be if it retained a non-violent position? Instead of having to ask “What about Hitler?” We should ask “How did the most Christianized nation in Europe let Hitler come to power?” The church failed. It was, and still is, filled with members of societies who are more of the world (whatever world they are a part of it), than they are a part of Christ. So-called Christians care little for the actual teachings of Christ. They care about their own petty and simplistic understanding of the world, a sort of cowboy-code, where everything is extremely rigid (men are men, women are women, good is good, and bad is bad), with little explanation of why, other than vague references to "common sense." This world creates people capable of murdering children, and societies where people do nothing while children are murdered, all in the name of some one's good, whether that is ethnic purity, national expansion, stopping terror, etc..
Non-violence is powerful because it resists the power of violence, not through passivity, but through purposeful activity. Jesus laid down his life on the cross in a way that was meaningful. He could have died several times, but those particular times would not have had the impact they did (even apart from the resurrection). Pacifists don’t just die stupidly. Rather, we risk death to stop evil. We act in ways that are “as cunning as snakes, but as innocent as doves.” This means that we act thoughtfully, and without engaging in evil. We “do not overcome evil with evil, but overcome evil with good.” We don’t blow people up, but seek reconciliation in all things. This, however, means that we must be trained and prepared. Those who call themselves Christians should train in the arts of conflict resolution, psychology, and even martial arts, so as to disarm attackers without causing permanent harm.
Jesus did not live by a sword made from steel, but the double-edge sword that was his tongue. We must destroy the forces of evil through words, through logos, but we must also be willing to engage in acts of non-violent resistance that may cost us our lives. We do not kill for our beliefs, but we are willing to die, if necessary, to stave off evil and proclaim God's good, that is, unconditional love for the world, every little bit of it.
