Christian Unity and War
I struggle with the issue of war and peace. I'm pro-peace, but not necessarily a pacifist. The Disciples are not a historic peace church, but we have had a strong peace witness from our earliest days. At the Council on Christian Unity/Disciples of Christ Historical Society dinner Michael Kinnamon told us that while he had voted to refer the resolution on Christian Unity and Peace for further study, he hoped that at the next General Assembly we could affirm the premise that peace and unity are inseparable. Our difficulty in passing such a resolution is that we are formed by our society, and in times of war it's difficult to say no.
Edgar DeWitt Jones, founding pastor of the congregation I now pastor, and a leader in the ecumenical movement in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, spoke to this issue. In a reflection on the Sermon on the Mount, he wrote:
Then Jones goes on to say that he himself had lied by taking a part in "propagating falsehood during the period we were at war. I believed it be the truth, of course." Since this book was published in 1932, with World War I as its context, I don't know how he responded to World War II. But, at least here he made clear that while in his natural state he was a militarist, intellectually and spiritually he was "anti-militaristic." Of course, when society and congregation is pushing toward militarism, it's hard to buck the trend -- as he himself admitted.
With that as a background, let me share with you the resolution, which we will be asked to study before hand and then adopt in 2011.
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Edgar DeWitt Jones, founding pastor of the congregation I now pastor, and a leader in the ecumenical movement in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, spoke to this issue. In a reflection on the Sermon on the Mount, he wrote:
Much of the so-called Christian world is still anti-Christian in many of its systems, customs, and practices. Take the one fundamental issue of war, which is still accepted and resorted to by Christian nations, although lately "outlawed" on paper. War cannot be conducted without duplicity, lies, slander. The night before Woodrow Wilson made his address to Congress, taking us into the World War, he, in a conference with Frank Cobb, editor of the New York World, spoke his heart. As a student of history he said he knew what it meant to take the nation into war. Then he added, "From no on we shall not be able to tell the truth." And of course, it turned out as he predicted. We know now that the German atrocities were not true, that they were deliberately fabricated in order to awaken an intense hatred, without which successful wars cannot be fought. (Edgar DeWitt Jones, Blundering into Paradise, Harper and Brothers, 1932, pp. 18-19)
Then Jones goes on to say that he himself had lied by taking a part in "propagating falsehood during the period we were at war. I believed it be the truth, of course." Since this book was published in 1932, with World War I as its context, I don't know how he responded to World War II. But, at least here he made clear that while in his natural state he was a militarist, intellectually and spiritually he was "anti-militaristic." Of course, when society and congregation is pushing toward militarism, it's hard to buck the trend -- as he himself admitted.
With that as a background, let me share with you the resolution, which we will be asked to study before hand and then adopt in 2011.
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WHEREAS, Disciples founder Barton Stone, who insisted that "unity is our polar star," also declared, "Nothing appears so repugnant to the kingdom of heaven as war;" and
WHEREAS, Disciples founder Alexander Campbell taught that the church is the "one Christian Nation composed of all the Christian communities and individuals in the whole earth" and insisted that when Christians of differing countries fight each other in war this sets Christ's kingdom against itself; and
WHEREAS, J. W. McGarvey long time professor and president of Lexington Theological Seminary - then College of the Bible - appalled at the prospect of Christians killing each other in war, declared, "I would rather, ten thousand times, be killed for refusing to fight, than to fall in battle, or to come home victorious with the blood of my brethren on my hands;" and
WHEREAS, Disciples of Christ leader and pioneer of the ecumenical movement Peter Ainslie proclaimed that war offers "the most spectacular display" of the divided church's "false interpretation of religion;" and
WHEREAS, Disciples of Christ throughout our history have affirmed the unity of the church as a sign of the wholeness of the human family and that war represents the greatest rupture between humans and communities; and
WHEREAS, Disciples of Christ have not always made explicit the intimate connection between our commitment to Christian unity and our opposition to war as part of our larger witness in working for peace;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) meeting in Indianapolis, IN July 29-Aug 2, 2009 affirms the conviction of those forebears who saw that the pursuit of Christian unity entails the repudiation of war; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Assembly acknowledges that an expression of our pursuit of Christian unity, the Disciples of Christ have a strong tradition of opposing war; and
FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED that this Assembly strongly urge Disciples as they work and give leadership in ecumenical bodies to highlight peacemaking as an expression of Christian unity.
WHEREAS, Disciples founder Alexander Campbell taught that the church is the "one Christian Nation composed of all the Christian communities and individuals in the whole earth" and insisted that when Christians of differing countries fight each other in war this sets Christ's kingdom against itself; and
WHEREAS, J. W. McGarvey long time professor and president of Lexington Theological Seminary - then College of the Bible - appalled at the prospect of Christians killing each other in war, declared, "I would rather, ten thousand times, be killed for refusing to fight, than to fall in battle, or to come home victorious with the blood of my brethren on my hands;" and
WHEREAS, Disciples of Christ leader and pioneer of the ecumenical movement Peter Ainslie proclaimed that war offers "the most spectacular display" of the divided church's "false interpretation of religion;" and
WHEREAS, Disciples of Christ throughout our history have affirmed the unity of the church as a sign of the wholeness of the human family and that war represents the greatest rupture between humans and communities; and
WHEREAS, Disciples of Christ have not always made explicit the intimate connection between our commitment to Christian unity and our opposition to war as part of our larger witness in working for peace;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) meeting in Indianapolis, IN July 29-Aug 2, 2009 affirms the conviction of those forebears who saw that the pursuit of Christian unity entails the repudiation of war; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Assembly acknowledges that an expression of our pursuit of Christian unity, the Disciples of Christ have a strong tradition of opposing war; and
FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED that this Assembly strongly urge Disciples as they work and give leadership in ecumenical bodies to highlight peacemaking as an expression of Christian unity.
Comments
In fact, as Rene Girard has shown, nonviolence is central to proper understanding of the cross and resurrection at the center of our faith. Christians who take up arms demonstrate a basic misunderstanding of our faith. Campbell knew that, instinctively, it seems, but his hatred of creeds and his desire for unity made him unwilling to insist on Christian pacifism for others: though he had no such inhibitions on believers' baptism, weekly celebration of the the Lord's Supper, congregational polity, etc.
The Stone-Campbell tradition is one of RESTORING the original NT church -- but more emphasis was put on restoring the orignal church polity than on restoring the original pattern of discipleship.
This would help by far-
Hillary Rodham Clinton called it "a great regret" that the United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/06/AR2009080603763.html
David Mc
I accept that there are those who believe that violence is the only way out of a struggle. Christians, as a body, and as individuals, should always decry violence as a solution to any problem. Sure our leaders may resort to violent methods but that is no reason for Christians to be in support. we are in all circumstances: peace makers. We mus never loose sight of this responsibility..Others will take up the banner of war and violence . with or without our help. But we should, we must assert our faithfilled position and pray for peace and wholeness, here at home and there where there is no peace - wherever we send our forces.
John