Peace churches

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Peace churches are Christian churches, groups or communities advocating Christian pacifism. The term historic peace churches refers specifically to four church groups: the Church of the Brethren, the Mennonites, Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

Many peace churches teach that Jesus advocates nonviolence, and that his followers must do likewise. Some vary on whether physical force can ever be justified in self-defense or protecting another, as many adhere strictly to nonresistance when confronted by violence, but all would traditionally agree that violence on behalf of a country or a government would not be permissible for Christians.

History

There has always been at least a faction of people supporting nonviolence in all large Christian groups, but certain churches have consistently supported nonviolence since their founding. Besides the three historic peace churches, these include the Amish, Hutterites, Old German Baptist Brethren, Old Order River Brethren, and others in the Anabaptist tradition, Doukhobors, Molokans, Bruderhof Communities, Schwenkfelders, Moravians, and even some groups within the Pentecostal movement. Several other smaller groups have been peace churches, including some now extinct or nearly so, such as the Shakers. These groups have sometimes differed with each other, and among themselves, about the propriety of taking a non-combatant military role, such as unarmed medical personnel, or performing non-battlefield services that assist in war, such as manufacturing munitions. One faction might state that Jesus would never have had any objection to helping those who were hurting and in fact did so himself, while another might state that those doing so, in a military context at least, free up a person who does not object to violence then to fill a direct combat role and hence indirectly are contributing to further violence.

At one point, active membership in, and acceptance of, the beliefs of one of the peace churches was a requirement for obtaining conscientious objector status in the United States and hence exemption from military conscription or, for those already in the military, honorable discharge as an objector. However, after a series of court rulings this requirement was later dropped in the United States and one can claim conscientious objection based on a personal belief system that was not necessarily Christian or even religiously-based.

Peace churches, especially larger ones with greater financial resources, have traditionally attempted to heal the ravages of war without favoritism. This has often proven controversial in and of itself, as when the Quakers sent large shipments of foods and medicines to North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and also to U.S.-embargoed Cuba. The American Friends Service Committee and Mennonite Central Committee are two of the denominational aid agencies set up by the Quakers and Mennonites respectively.

In the 1990s, the Quakers, Brethren, and Mennonites came together to create Christian Peacemaker Teams, an international organization that works to reduce violence and systematic injustice in areas of conflict. The CPT is viewed by some as a response to criticisms that peace churches rely on states and militaries to protect them from forced dissolution.

Other Churches and Christian groups expressing nonviolence

Community of Christ

Although non-credal and not explicitly pacifist, the Community of Christ (fka RLDS) has emerged as an international peace church through such ministries as the Community of Christ International Peace Award, the Daily Prayer for Peace, and campaigns to support conscientious objection to war.

Churches of Christ

Once containing a relatively large nonviolence faction, Churches of Christ are now far more conflicted. Contemporary Churches of Christ, especially those that hold with the teachings of David Lipscomb, tend toward weak nonviolence views. This means that they believe that the use of coercion and/or force may be acceptable for purposes of personal self defense but that resorting to warfare is not an option open to Christians. However, conservative members of the Church of Christ reject this position and do not consider themselves supporters of nonviolence.

Jehovah's Witnesses

Another group that deserves mention in the context of peace churches is the Jehovah's Witnesses. Even though this group does not consider itself to be a church per se and objects to the use of that term to describe it, the Witnesses believe and teach that no one who follows God has any right to lay down his life on behalf of the state, and that to do so in fact constitutes idolatry. Early Jehovah's Witnesses were expected not to shoot to kill where they were compelled to participate as combatants. Whereas they had purchased Liberty Bonds for financial support to the allied cause in World War 1 a practice of neutrality was later assumed. Their position may be summarised as neutrality rather than pacifism.

Fellowship of Reconciliation

As noted above, there are peace groups within most mainstream Christian denominations. The Fellowship of Reconciliation was set up as an organization to bring together people in these groups and members of the historic peace churches. In some countries, e.g. the United States, it has broadened its scope to include members of other religions or none, and people whose position is not strictly for nonviolence. However in other countries, e.g. the United Kingdom, it remains essentially an organization of Christian nonviolence.

Notes

External links

Who are the Historic Peace Churches (HPC)?
Historic Peace Churches - article in Ecumenical Dictionary
Every Church a Peace Church - organization working to create more peace churches
Writings on Christian Nonresistance and Pacifism from Anabaptist-Mennonite Sources
Pacifism And Biblical Nonresistance
NonResistance.Org
Cascadia Publishing House - Anabaptist-related publisher of Historic Peace Church materials
Historic Peace Churches in Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia

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Last updated on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 15:25:41 PDT (GMT -0700)
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