Holiness and the Way of Nonviolence

During a century that can be defined by the wars that we fight, I beg to ask the question, “What does holiness, and in particular the Nazarene Church, have to say about war?” We have learned to live within a state of perpetual war, and it has become normalized to the point of acquiescence. If we truly believe that God is working to make individuals holy, we ought also believe that God may work to transform whole communities and even the world.
Violence is one of the most potent social institutions of our time, and has been a plague on the human race since Cain and Abel. It destroys relationships, breaks up families, inspires hate, and spurs on revenge. In short, violence fosters even more violence. In Biblical lore, we can read about the story of Samson, whose justification for the 3,000 dead Philistines incites the myth of redemptive violence: “I merely did to them what they did to me” (Jdg. 15:11; NIV). In an age where entire cities can be annihilated by the push of a button, we desperately need to once again hear Jesus’ words, “Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…” and in this way, “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mat. 5:44-45, 48; NIV).
Christianity has had a particularly disturbing violent past. From the cross of Constantine, the Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, Colonialism, and even to the peculiar blend of rhetoric that interweaves religious imagery with political war in the present age, we sometimes forget that our tradition was birthed in the swaddling clothes of nonviolent love. The early Christians could not justify killing because they were called to be holy, a people of God. Justin Martyr put it this way, “We have exchanged our swords for plowshares, our spears for farm tools [Is. 2]…now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the crucified one.”
The Church of the Nazarene believes that the Holy Spirit is working to heal, restore, and sanctify God’s people here and now. Such an act by the Spirit prompts us further and further toward Christlikeness. To be holy is to love as Christ loves, forgive as Christ forgives, and in so doing participate in the redemptive act of the Kingdom of God. It is to this Kingdom that the Church stands as witness. Dr. Carl Leth made this point in last year’s July/August issue of Holiness Today when he wrote, “The healing, transforming reality of God's new creation in Christ is available now. The distinctive message behind our teaching of entire sanctification is its availability, its possibility.” If we believe that God is working to heal the world now and that the church acts as a witness to the possibility of the Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven,” then we must seriously contemplate a stance of Christian pacifism.
I don’t think anyone looks at the violence prevalent in the world and calls it good, but I do think that most of us look at violence as a type of necessary evil. We can’t think of any other way in which to resolve conflict. Our social heritage of militarism has so entrenched our thinking that we can’t imagine a society without violence. We assume the only way to combat terrorism and hate is by sending more troops. The message of those who claim the Lordship of Christ is the possibility of the world as it could be, as it was meant to be as God’s good creation. It is a beautiful act of re-imagining what it means to live as if we are truly created in God’s image.
As a holiness people, we believe that creation is being renewed now, and we are participants in this Spirit act. Is this not what sanctification means? Is it not a renunciation of death, and a turning to the abundant life offered through the resurrected Lord, the One who refused to pick up weapons even when it meant betrayal, torture, and death? It is to follow this pattern that truly exemplifies the Way in which we live in truth and life. It is a denial of the false claim that violence can restore peace. We Christians do not pick up weapons as if history is ours to control; rather we are faithful even if we must be patient for God’s effectiveness.
But this does not mean that pacifism connotes passivity, as if we are to merely wait and hope for the day when violence ceases. No, we are called to actively engage the powers that be. We are witnesses to the Kingdom that is breaking into the world. In war, God is not on the side of a nation-state but on the side of the casualties of war: the orphaned, widowed, homeless, and poor. Our local churches become safe havens of hope. We practice forgiveness because we have been forgiven. We offer mercy because God has been merciful. We offer our food because Jesus has shared his body. Peace has been made possible because of the resurrection, and within the body of Christ we stand against the forces that bring death. May we begin to recognize our unique calling as a people growing in holiness, living in the expectation of peace and love.