University of Dayton eCommons

History Faculty Publications Department of History

12-2001 Nonviolent Voices: Churches Make a Witness William Vance Trollinger University of Dayton, [email protected]

Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/hst_fac_pub Part of the History Commons eCommons Citation Trollinger, William Vance, "Nonviolent Voices: Peace Churches Make a Witness" (2001). History Faculty Publications. 32. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/hst_fac_pub/32

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Peace churches make a witness Nonviolent voices by William Vance Trollinger Jr.

T IS OT a propitious tim e to b a pacifist in the statements made by th leadership of th e hi sto1ic p ac . Polls inchcat that over 90 percent of churches clearly indicates that, while th y hav r p at­ Am ericans continue to support the military cam­ edly call d for the p rp trators to b h ld accountable, paign in Afghanistan. Indications of such support they hav not backed away from th ir commitm nt to I nonviol nee. are verywb re, as are the warnings- like the ubiquitous and vaguely threatening "Am ericans Unite" bump r On S pt mb r 13 Judy Mills Reim r, g n ral s er - stickers-that this time of national crisis is not the time tary of the General Board of the Church of th for dissent. Not only are there very few voices in the Brethren, called on members of b rd nomination to mainstream m dia expressing doubts about the wisdom "rememb r who w ar and whose w are." Sh went on: of the current military operation, but a ''This is a time to stand by our b lief a number of commentators have waxed Christians th at all war is wrong .. . L t us, apoplectic over any possibility that there The historic out of our Church of th e Brethren con­ may be those in the land who oppose the victions, continu to witn ss to ' war effort. peace gosp 1 of peac ." In a pair of particularly venomous churches The next day James Schrag, executiv columns Na°t'ional Journal editor and persist in director of th Mennonit Church USA, Washington Post columnist Michael Kelly sent a public lett r to Pr sident Bush , not only derided antiwar protesters as following calling on him to fo rsake th e sort of eye­ those "unhappy people who like to yell the path for-an-eye r taliation that " scalates vio­ about the awfulness of 'Am erika' or inter­ lenc for everyone and do s not work," national corporations or rich people or of Jesus, and urging him inst ad "to s k J sus' people who drive large cars," but he also Gandhi and new way of security rooted in our trust in attacked pacifists as "liars," "frauds" and God and our con e rn for all." In r spons "hypocrites," whose views are "objectively to growing cries "for r tribution, retalia- pro-terrorist" and "evil. " l\.ing Jr. tion and rev nge," a number of Quak r The leaders of some mainline denomi­ organizations issu d a Call for Peace on nations have been rather restrained in September 29, "chall nging those whose their support of a military response to the terrorist attacks. hearts and minds seem closed to th possibility of p ac - In early November the United Methodist Council of Bish ­ ful resolution," and pleading for "peopl of goodwi ll the ops issued a statement observin g that "violence in all its world over [to] com mit to the buil hng of a culture of forms and expressions is contrary to God's purpose for the peac ." world." Still, it appears th at Am erican churchgoers have Eight days aft r this statem nt the U.S . bombing been as supportive of the U.S. military campaign as the campaign began. The Friends G neral Conference, th rest of the citizenry. From the beginning some Ch1isti ans Am erican Friends Service Committee and oth r Quak r have been particularly enthused about countering vio­ organizations responded wi th a joint statem nt in which lence with violence. they observed that the only way to succ din th strug­ In th e midst of all this stand the historic peace church­ gle again st terrorism would be to ngage in "prolonged, es-, and Brethren. From their be­ nonviolent efforts for reconciliation, justice and long­ ginnings in the these groups have refu sed to term economi c development"; in this conviction "w countenance warfare, committed as they are to the propo­ continue to b guided by our hi storic testimony con- sition that is at the heart of th Gospels and at cerning God's call to r nounce war ... w commit our- the heart of wh at it means to be a Christian - that is, to fol­ selves to work and pray for the time . . . promised by God low Jesus is to reject the sword. when 'peoples shall beat th ir swords into plowshares."' Despite th e strong public sen ti men t against such convictions after the terrorist attacks on the World William Vance Trollin ge r ]'1'. 'is associate prof e so r of history at Trade Towers and th P ntagon, a perusal of public the University of Dayton.

C HH I STIA N C E NT U HY D ecemberl2, 200l 18 Echoing these s ntiments, th e Peace and Justic Com­ tions" in response to the terror; the Elizabethtown, mitt e of the Mennonite Church USA proclaimed that, Pennsylvania, has adopted a in st ad of bombing and other forms of violence, "God statement in which they "remain committed to walk in calls us to give bread to our enemies," to do the "unex­ the Jesus way of nonviolent love, in which evil can only be pect d [in order] to stop th e cycle of revenge." And on overcome with redemptive acts of love"; a group of October 22th Church of th e Brethren's General Board Brethren Volunteer Service Workers have issued a state­ adopted a r solution that called "for the immediate ces­ ment in which they "advocate the use of nonviolent sation of military action against the nation of means to settle disputes" and "stand opposed to the in­ Afghanistan," and that called on all Brethren "to cre­ creased drive toward militarization"; on October 7 mem­ ativ ly and nonviolently challenge the prevailing belief bers of local Brethren churches (along with Mennonites that th application of force is the path to enduring and others) organized a peace rally at the state capitol in peac ." Harrisburg, "Sowing Seeds of Peace: Prayers and Peti-

HESE ARE powerful state­ ments at odds with the American main stream, in­ Sojourners Magazine T cluding th religious main­ stream. Anyone who studies religion Celebrating 30 years of faith, politics, and culture. in the United States, however, knows that denominational proclamations can be unreliable barometers of what is going on among the membership. "To find in one But th ere is a good d al of evidence that many Mennonites, Quakers and Brethren r ma.in ard ntly committed magazine both to . One only has to follow th e conve rsations on MennoLink, a col­ excellent re­ lection of online Mennonite discus­ sion groups, to be struck by the num­ porting and ber of Mennonites who ar resolutely and articuJat ly nonviolent, and who commentary, are critical of Arne1ica's past and pres­ ent foreign policy. and also deep In regard to local Mennonite con­ gr gations, there is the example of Christian Ass mbly Mennonite Church (Goshen, Indiana), whi ch has pro­ commitment, pos d a "s ason of solidarity" with Mu slims during Ramadan, in whi ch is inspiring." church mernb rs fast, pray for peace Bob Abernethy, and coll ect blankets to be sent to Religion & Ethics those suffering in Afghanistan. And th ere is a group of D laware Quakers Newsweekly who, at Newark's Community Day ······························· ··· ············· ········································· ·· ···· ···················· ····· ··· · celebration (h Id on September 16), organized a bo~th which, as r ported Order a year of Sojourners today and save $10. by a rnemb r of th Newark Meeting, YES! Please send me a fuU year (6 issues) of Sojourners at the special introductory "featured a circle of chairs surround­ rate of$ l9.95. 0 Payment enclosed 0 Please bi ll me ing a huge floral arrangement and under a canopy bearing a big sign, 'Pray for Peac Here."' Address ______A perusal of the Church of the City/State/Zip ______Brethren Web pages provides clear evidence that a commitment to paci­ E-mail ______fism is not limited to denominational Please allow 4-6 weeks.for delivery of.first issue. headquarters : th e 48 churches of th To order call 1-800-678-9691 Northern Indiana District Confer- nc have join d to urge "th e us e of Sojourners Subscriptions, P.O. Box 2056, Marion, OH 43306-2 156 TCC0 1 nonviolent approaches and interven-

19 C HHl ST IA N CENTUHY Decemberl2, 2001 tions for onviol nt Action," which UNIVERSITY attract dover 300 p op le. of Of course, such sentim nts are DUBUQUE not unanimously hel 1 by members of the historic p ac church s. For THEOLOGICAL xample, in the Octob r 12 issue of Newsline, a Church or th Br thren SEMINARY w ekly newslett r, there wer re­ ports of "tension and cli ss nsion" in "Breth r n congr gations at various points across the count1y ... in r - s the second most heavily gards to issues of pacifism and patii­ A traded commodity in the oti sm." Newsline r port d that in world, coffee is a vital source ef orne churches rn mb rs were income for poor farmers in the "questioning th Brethr n peace position in light of curr nt vents, developin9 world. But as world sometimes putting pastors in diffi­ cef[ee prices have fallen to historic cult positions"; a "f w churches lows, cef[ee-9rowin9 communities postponed love r ast s rvices . ' . have been plun9ed into a crisis. Explo ring amid congregational quarreling." Recent news reports have detailed the Congregational disagreements in tra9ic results - farm ers abandonin9 a Call to M inistry response to th denominational their crops, unemployed farm workers stance on th e military campaign Conference have also been r ported in some crowded in shantytowns,families M nnonite church s (although separated as m embers brave borders there have also been r ports of new­ •. to find work in other countries. But APRIL 4-6, 2002 comers who have b gun attending across the U.S. a 9rowin9 number precisely becaus of the peace posi­ tion ). ef con9re9ations are takin9 action T he U niv ersity of Dubuque in a simple way - by drinkin9 T heo log ica l Seminary, an One can also find diss nters on ecum enica l se minary of the MennoLink and in th e l tt rs sec­ fairly traded ceffee. Throu9h the Pr es byterian Church (USA) , tion of Mennonite periodicals, in ­ Interfaith Ceffee Pro9ram,your seeks to serve the one Cod - cluding the individual who, in the Fat her, Son, and Holy Spirit - community 9ets a delicious cup ef October 16 issu of th Mennonite, and adva nce th e mini stry and ceffee while farmers receive a fair mi ss ion of the church of Jes us criticiz d a rec nt ditorial and as­ price - currently over double the Christ by train ing women and serted that gov rnm nts "have men for fa ithful , compa ss ionate, serv d and will continue to s rve as a world market price - helpin9 them and effective pas toral and lay means by which od s cur s his to provide for themselves and their min istry in con g regat ion s. brand of . . . oft n vio lent justice." families. For more information on The most publicized stat ment of Let us help you ex plore your ca ll clisagr ement with th e pacifist posi­ orderin9for your place ef worship or to mini stry and lea rn how the tion from within th historic peace office, please contact Equal Exchan9e. Uni versity of Dubuque Theo lo gica l Seminary ca n help church s has be n that or National you fu lfill yo ur ca ll in g. Public Radio's Scott imon, who is a Quak r. In r marks at a Septemb r Contact the Seminary Admi ssions 25 United Church of Ch1i st gath er­ Office for mo re informatio n a nd a in g Simon acknowl dged that, while registrat io n fo rm . his support o f military Force in th and els wh ere m ant that w;; 1-800-369-UDTS h was "a Quaker of not particularly e mail: udtsadms c dbq .edu good standing," he was "s till willing ~ web: http://udts.dbq .edu to give first consid ration to p ace­ ful alternativ s." How ver, h fore - INTERFAITH COFFEE PRO GRAM fu lly assert d, in confronting the UN IVERSITY OF Jo ining Fa ith & Fair Trade DUBUQUE forces th at attacked the World Trade 25 1 Revere Street, Canton MA 02021 USA Center and th e Pentagon, th e U.S. 781-830-0303 x228 THEOLOGICAL www.equalexchange.com SEMINARY ha· no sane alternativ but to wage D11/J 11 q11 e, loivt1 war, and wag it with unflinching resolution.

C I IH I ST!A N CE NT U 11 Y December 12, 2001 20 Fellow Quaker David Johns may be more ambivalent prophecies by providing them with martyrs and justifi­ about this prospect than Simon, but he has arrived at a cations." similar conclusion. An assistant professor of theology at Of course, religious pacifists recognize that it is not th e Earlham School of Religion (in Richmond, Indiana) enough to point out that the massive milita1y campaign and a r corded minister in the Religious Society of currently under way will not work, and in fact will do more Friends, Johns was embarrassed at how fast some in his harm than good. That is to say, tlley know that those sup­ own denomination and college responded to the porting the war effort will demand an answer to the ques­ Septemb r 11 attacks with official statements asserting tion: In light of the possibility of further terrorist acts, what that the U.S. should not go to war. As Johns sees it, such would you have us do? But for pacifists such as James statements were not only unseemly in their hast - Juhnke, professor of history at Bethel College (a Mennon­ m mos and family pictures from the World Trade Center ite college in Kansas), there is something "breathtaking" towers were still drifting over Manhattan and we were about folks who have "applied principles of violence and ready to announce to the world what we would and force that have not worked" now demanding solutions would not do-but they grew out of an unattractive com­ from tl1e pacifists: "Asking us to provide a short-term solu­ bination of national self-loathing and utopian pacifism. tion to a problem that long-term militarism has created is a Whil he "was once an absolute paciflst," Johns now be­ little like asking a medical doctor for a short-term solution lieves that "the state may have to use force in this broken for a cancer-ridden patient who has been smoking tobacco world." all his life ." In saying this, Johns admits that he is torn: he is "trying J. Denny Weaver, professor of religion at Bluffton Col­ to follow the Way of the Cross" in his life, and he s eks "to lege (a Mennonite college in Ohio ), puts it this way in his live a life of peaceableness" in all his relationships, but he article "Pacifist Response to 9-11": "It is unfair to assume cannot understand "what unilateral nonviolence would that pacifists, who did not create the situation in tl1e first look like as Am rican foreign policy." So he supports "the place . . . can now be parachuted into tl1e middle of [the current rnilita1y campaign," which he grants "may not be crisis] with a ready-made solution." perfect," but which i something "we need to do" as one More than this, peace church representatives can legit­ component of response to the threat of future terrorist at­ im ately claim that the U.S. government has already clisre­ tacks. garded what would have been the best short-term re­ sponse to the crisis. Juhnke and some (but certainly not all) UT MOST peace church academics and leaders others in the peace church tradition have argued tlrnt the speaking out on the current crisis would demur. best immediate response would have been to establish a As Judith McDaniel, director of peace building genuinely international police force which would have Bfor the American Friends Service Committee, sought-with the least force necessa1y-to arrest those has observed in a brief article on her organization's Web accused of terrorist acts , and which would have brought page, "Is It Punishment or Prevention," there is little evi­ them to an international court for t1ial. But witl1 tl1e mas­ denc that "born bs/war/viol nc are going to put an end to sive and U.S.-dominated military response, and with the bombs/war/violence"; in fact, McDaniel pointedly asserts, talk of American military tribunals, this option is no longer "the bombing of Afghanistan . . . harms more innocent a possibility. people without achieving its alleged goal of stopping fur­ Still, for peace church academics and leaders , the real ther attacks." solutions to terror and war are to be found in responses To r spond to terrorism with violence will actually that go beyond Osama bin Laden and the current crisis. In have the pervers e effect of creating more violence in keeping witl1 many of his Mennonite, Bretlwen and Quak­ the future, according to John Paul Lederach, professor er colleagues, Lederach has argued that instead of "seek­ of international peacebuilding at Notre Dame and dis­ ing accountability through revenge," the powers-that-be tinguished scholar at the Conflict Transformation Pro­ should "pursue a sustainable peace process" in the Israeli- gram at Eastern Mennonite University. As Lederach ar­ gues in "The Challenge of ' Terror," an essay that has got­ Don't be afraid, t n a good deal of attention there is Goo'dNews within the peace community (and that was published in the October 2 issue of the Mennon'ite ), massive bomb­ ing and other acts of violence simply "sustain ... the myth of why we [in the West] are evil, " thus giving terrorists P.O. :Sox 633. Claremont, CA 91711-0633 "gratuitous fu el for s If-re­ (562) 464-9904 • [email protected] generation, fulfilling their

21 C HRI STI AN CENTU HY D ecemberl2, 200l. Palestinian conflict, invest "financially in development, and absorbed in his own b ing th viol nc around him, education and a broad social agenda" in countries where rather than countering that violence." This is how we terrorism is nurtured, and give "diplomatic but dynamic Christians should live our lives: even though nonviolence support" to the Arab League. Weaver and others add to is not necessarily the "most effi cient or effective" response this by proposing that the U.S. end sanctions on Iraq, pull to violence, the fact is that "Jesus [is] calling us ... not to its troops out of Saudi Arabia, and move toward a more return violence" with violence. For Kauffman, nonvio­ equitable distribution of foreign aid in the Middle East (in lence "is the core value" of his life; that is to say, living non­ particular, less to Israel and more to the Palestinians). violently is his "faith statement." , Church of the Brethren peace theolo­ While these are far from mainstream sentiments, e ·pe­ gian, goes beyond specific policy proposals in his essay cially after September 11, the Blad columnist reported in "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand." For a subsequent article that sher ceiv d "a flood of e-mail" in Brown, if the United States could commit itself to refus­ support of Kauffman's comm nts. A month lat r Kauff­ ing to imitate the "evil deeds" of the terrorists, if the U.S. man r ported that he also had r ceived a number of phone would eschew the violence that has marked its calls of appreciation for his remarks , as well as some in­ post-World War II foreign policy, if the U.S. could aban­ quiries about conscientious objection; he also received don its "faith in redemptive viol nee," if the U.S. could positive feedback at th next m eting of th local ecu­ spend as much money on a peace academy as it does on menical organization, as well as an invitation to speak to a the service academies .. . well, there would be some hope United Church of Christ Men's Bibl study group. for a peaceful future. Brown acknowledges that many As Kauffman sees it, there are a good number of main­ folks, including some in the peace church tradition, are line and other Christians who have grav doubts about the skeptical that the "Jesus' way can realistically be applied war on terrorism, and who are op n to the m ssage of non­ to national policies ." Nevertheless, Brown says, in a world violence. It is thus th responsibility of those who are in which we are all vulnerable to terrorist acts, "it increas­ members of historic peace churches to serve as witn ss s ingly seems believable that the responses of Jesus, Gan­ to the conviction that th e commitment to peace grows out dhi and Martin Luther King are relevant to the present of "an understanding of who God is and what God is call­ confusing crisis." ing us to." For Mennonites, in particular, such ngagem nt with NUMB ER OF PEOPLE outside of the peace the wider church and wider culture marks a shift from th church tradition seem to be quite interested in separatism of the past. According to Jam s Juhnke, this what these pacifists are saying and doing. Not engagement is good for both sides: Mennonites are forced Aonly did a recent edition of the Relig·ion ancl to consider how nonviolence relates to issu s of justice and Ethics Newsweekly devote a segment to religious pacifism , how it can be applied in terms of public policy, whil th e but a number oflocal newspapers throughout the counhy broader church must take seriously "our claims that p ace have run stories on this topic. One example involves the is central to the gosp l." Toledo Blade and Richard Kauffman, pastor of the Toledo But Juhnke also points out th at even though Mennon­ Mennonite Church. Sh01tly after the attacks on ites are becoming increasingly engag d with the broader and Washington, Kauffman received a call from a Blade church, they remain connected in a very real s ns with columnist who wanted to know what someone who "is a the and other conservative cousins. For Juhnk , pacifist as a matter of faith thinks about the events." Kauff­ this connection with those who ar separate "r minds us man explained that he and his congregation "take Jesus ... that wear in this world but not of it." That is to say, "we very literally, and very seriously." Kauffman pointed out can remember how to draw lines" between the stat and that "Jesus talks about loving our enemies and praying for the church. As he puts it, M nnonit s, Brethren and our enemies and doing good to those who do evil to us"; Quakers know how tor sist the impulse, too oft n acced­ more than this, on the cross "Jesus allowed himself to die, ed to by mainstream Protestants and Catholics, to "sprin- kle holy water on whatever th state do s." According to Juhnke, "we ]mow who we are." It is hard to s e how a commitment to pacifism will ever be held by more than a small minority of Christians in th U.S ., especially after the Septem­ ber 11 attacks. In his first sermon after the onset of the Am rican If you've moved or are plann ing to move, please let us know . Send us a copy bombing campaign, a local Mennon­ ite minister xhorted his congr gation of your mail ing label and your new address or give us a call at 1-800-208- to "b not asham d" of "your commit­ 4097. Please allow six to eight weeks for an address change to become ef- ment to nonviolence." Generally, fective. T1rnChristianCentmysus sc RI PT 1o N sER v1 c Es members of the peace church s don't seem to be. •

C H RI ST I AN CENTURY D ecember l 2,2001 22