No Christian Can Use The Sword?

"No Christian could be a magistrate nor could he use the sword to punish or to kill anyone,

for he had no scripture for such a thing."

- Felix Manz -

(The Anabaptist Story. William R. Estep)

Resisting War As Christians

"If everyone was like you, brother, how good it would be! There would be no war, and no whites and no Reds!"

Arresting police officers after the trial of a "non-resistance" Christian who refused to take up arms and kill other men.

- Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn. The Gulag Archipelago. 

Study War No More

Down By The Riverside

I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside

I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield
Down by the riverside
I'm gonna study, study, war no more

I ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
I ain't gonna study war no more

I ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
I ain't gonna study war no more

I'm Begging You To Stop Carrying My Bag

You can show that you have rights and deserve respectable treatment easily enough without fighting to insit on it. You can resist or refuse and suffer arrest. 

By going the second mile you are putting the soldier in the place of being accused of oversteping his authoriry. 

He is humbled and humiliated and now you are in a position of equality, or more -  the law may now permit you to punish him. 

Even I have human right too. See we are both equal humans. You could be charged for resisiting to carry thr bag, to prove human dignity. The better is not resist and show the truth of it in a non violent and messy way. 

"Going the second mile was a response to Roman military rules. A soldier could demand that a member of the local populace carry the soldiers heavy pack. But the Romans were relatively enlightened occupiers. To prevent undo hardship on any one person impressed into service, the rule banned the soldier from coercing more than one mile out of any commoner. In that context, Jesus suggested that when commandeered to carry a pack, the commoner should carry it a second mile. Once into that second mile, the commoner has put the soldier into the awkward position of breaking his own regulations and eventually may bring him to beg the commoner not to carry the pack. All three of these commands (turn cheek, give undergatement alao) from Jesus or suggestions by which a person in the disadvantage position could turn the tables and gain the upper hand against a supposed social Superior, yet without using violence."
- J. Denny Weaver. Becoming Anabaptist 

Turn The Left Cheek Means Treat Me As Equal.

Jesus's injunction to not resist an evildooer... means to not resist VIOLENTLY. There are other effective ways to resist and get your nessage across than violent ones. 

Jesus's teaching of non retaliation are not saying we should put up with inhuman and unjusy treatment. There is a way to resist  that exposes evil and injustice in the one perpetuating it. You can be nonviolent, and perfectly expose agression on their  part and expose their view of their Supperiority over you. 

Now treat me as an equal.  

Non-resistance does not mean you permit others to use you as a doormat. There are ways to demand human respec without retaliation. 

"To hit the right cheek, as specified in Matthew 5:39, and aggressor has to use a backhand. In the mores of that time, the left hand was considered unclean and would not be used in public. The right-handed, backhanded slap was an insult directed at a supposed inferior....  retaliation by the one being struck would give legal justification for punishment. Jesus suggested that instead of retaliating, the one struck should turn the other cheek. Turning the left cheek was not only a refusal to cower under the insult; it also denied the power to insult. It left the aggressor with a target that could not be reached by another backhand; the turned left cheek can be hit only by the closed right fist. But striking the inferior with a closed fist makes him or her the equal of the aggressor, which denies the point of the insult. "In that world of honor and shaming (the aggressor) has been rendered impotent to instill shame in a subordinate." Following Jesus's injunction not to retaliate in kind would thus lead to the socially inferior person gaining the upper hand."
- J. Denny Weaver. Becoming Anabaptist 

No Peace With A Devil

"And what Bonhoeffer now knew would make him feel more alone than ever because many in the church and ecumenical world were expending great energies toward ending the war. But Bonhoeffer was not. He now believed that the principal goal was to remove Hitler from power. Only afterward could Germany negotiate for peace. Knowing what he knew, any peace with Hitler was no better than war. But he couldn’t say such things , even in ecumenical circles. This was when he began to realize that he was already part of the conspiracy to remove Hitler."

Eric Metaxas. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.

Ain't Going To Study War No More

Hymn "Down by the Riverside" - Louis Daniel Armstrong

"I'm gonna lay down my Sword and Shield
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield
Down by the riverside
I'm gonna study, study, war no more
I ain't gonna study war no more
Ain't gonna study war no more
I ain't gonna study war no more."

Christianity Too Meek For Hitler

"It’s been our misfortune to have the wrong religion. Why didn’t we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? The Mohammedan religion too would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?"

—A DOLF HITLER

Lay No Hands On A Man Or Woman

"The fearful danger of the present time is that above the cry for authority . . . we forget that man stands alone before the ultimate authority and that anyone who lays violent hands on man here is infringing eternal laws and taking upon himself superhuman authority which will eventually crush him."  BONHOEFFER

(Eric Metaxas. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy)

No Clergy Congregations and Pacifism in Canada

Second, and of equal importance, the later anti-conscription stance of some in the Church of Christ tradition led to an important qualification as to what a church and a minister are in Canada. On 30 August 1943, Justice Maclean of the Court of King’s Bench of Saskatchewan decided in favour of Clarence Allen Bien by granting exemption from military service. It was determined that the Church of Christ was a “religious denomination within the meaning of the National War Services Regulations entitling a minister there of to exemption from compulsory military service under the Regulations.”

The Court recognized that the group conducted a formal order of worship on Sundays where members “sing hymns, read portions of Scripture [and] engage in prayer.” The minister was recognized as such even though Church of Christ ministers were generally unsalaried, did not undergo any prescribed procedure for ordination and were often without formal training. Bien made his living through farming. However, he had apprenticed for three years (the case suggests that most did) as a preacher, had been recommended as a preacher by his church (or two ministers) and had acquired the right to marry church adherents under the laws of Saskatchewan. The Court found that there was no bishop or moderator; however, there was a general secretary that coordinated marriage approvals.The Court decided that Bien was in fact a “minister” or evangelist with the Churches of Christ and was exempt from compulsory service. This decision has been particularly important as it has been referred to in order to determine whether a group constitutes a church and is eligible for military service exemption (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses) during the war or more recently for exemption from taxation. The ruling is especially useful in church contexts with littledistinction between clerical and lay roles."

~ Must We have War Again? A Preliminary Explorationof Pacifism in the Restoration Movement in Canada Through the Pages of the Gospel Herald (1936-1940)
RUSSEL PRIME

Restoration Movement Churches of Christ In Canada Resisted War

Non-Violence Positions in Restoration Movement Churches of Christ in Canada.

"Church of Christ found itself a co-belligerent alongside other groups much more fundamental and liberal than itself. Like the seventy-five pacifist United Church ministers held up as an example in the Gospel Herald of December 1939, many of the vocal evangelists and leaders of the Church of Christ movement shared a common ethic and belief: war was wrong.

Although the Churches of Christ were small, its pacifist believers counted as an important constituency of the anti-war religious movement – what Socknat has termed “the major resistance to military service in the course of the twentieth century.” They assisted in this struggle even with their small number and despite the possible minority perspective that they represented within their own movement."

~ Must We have War Again? A Preliminary Exploration of Pacifism in the Restoration Movement in Canada Through the Pages of the Gospel Herald (1936-1940)

RUSSEL PRIME

You Could Not Dance But YOu can Love Your Neighbour

Non-Violence Positions in Restoration Movement Churches of Christ in Canada.

"The imperative towards non-violence went beyond opposition to bloodshed and fighting. The idea extended to basic treatment of others, whether they were a next-door neighbour or people of other ethnic backgrounds. These Christians took the teachings of Jesus seriously and were able to apply the principles to their own contexts......
Indeed, they were very liberal on the subject of neighbourliness and ethnicity while being fairly closed, according to today’s standards, about
dancing and other social activities. These believers were striving to live as faithful Christians in a complex world." dancing and other social activities. These believers were striving to live as faithful Christians in a complex world."(John Carlos Baily of Ontario - became Gospel Herold editor in 1939)

~ Must We have War Again? A Preliminary Exploration of Pacifism in the Restoration Movement in Canada Through the Pages of the Gospel Herald (1936-1940)
RUSSEL PRIME

Christians Should Not Assist War (Canada)

Non-Violence Positions in Restoration Movement Churches of Christ in Canada.

"As the war unfolded in 1939, Bailey became the informal contact point between congregations and government. He advised the government about the existence of some conscientious objectors among Church of Christ congregations and published information about the proper procedures for young men to follow in order to be exempted from service.For instance, in October 1940, Bailey published a copy of his letter addressed to the Minister of National Defence and two replies to that correspondence. At this point, conscription has not yet been put in place, and it is unfortunate that the microfilm copies of this paper at Acadia’s library do not extend beyond 1940, for it is not possible to see for ourselves how Bailey and others reacted once conscription was imposed. We are also left without knowing the later editorial policies of this paper as the conflict continued and worsened. Did it change to a more nationalistic stance as the American Church of Christ papers had done under pressure during the First World War?

There is little doubt that the reality of war changed the tone of the debate for and against military service. Rather than asking the question of the Christian attitude to war as Bailey had in 1936, by December of 1939, the Gospel Herald addressed the question, “Shall We Fight For Our Loved Ones”?Nationalism, duty and ridicule became elements in the debate.Even in the face of potential jeering, the writer (probably evangelist Gordon J. Pennock) was unrelenting in his stance. Christians should not assist the war willingly even when regarded as cowards. Christians must stand for what they believe and “right from the start, be determined not fight even if it means that we must go to jail or face the firing squad.” His implication was that Christians should not be cowards as well. However,he does admit that “if conscription comes to Canada” he “can see no reason why Christians should not go willingly and work in the Red Cross”as Bailey had suggested.
This attitude to war is in keeping with the findings of Socknat as the war progressed and as conscientious objectors declared themselves. Socknat concludes that “the majority of COs in the camp were members of millennial sects or the Conference of Historic Peace Churches; consequently, they viewed alternative service simply as the price they had to pay to remain true to their faith.”
(John Carlos Baily of Ontario - became Gospel Herold editor in 1939)

~ Must We have War Again? A Preliminary Explorationof Pacifism in the Restoration Movement in Canada Through the Pages of the Gospel Herald (1936-1940)

RUSSEL PRIME

Serve In Non- Violent Positions If Conscripted To War

Non-Violence Positions in Restoration Movement Churches of Christ in Canada.

"Bailey would work towards no war; however, he had no problem with the Government’s use of voluntary service. His difficulty lay with conscription or forced service. In the case of volunteering, he reasoned that to do so would forsake the assembly of Christians. Therefore, Christians should not volunteer to kill others in war for they would be forsaking the local assembly. However, if conscription were imposed, the Christian would have no option but to obey the government (e.g., meaning that Christians would be forced from attending the local church). But, obeying the government means that the Christian could be away from the local assembly but still should not fight. Christians should endeavour in such a situation to be excluded on religious grounds and take up alternative service options."

(John Carlos Baily of Ontario - became Gospel Herold editor in 1939)

~ Must We have War Again? A Preliminary Exploration of Pacifism in the Restoration Movement in Canada Through the Pages of the Gospel Herald (1936-1940)

God Did Not Say "Love The War Makers"

Non-Violence Positions in Restoration Movement Churches of Christ in Canada.

"He also tries to address the apparent conflict with state authority that a pacifist stance creates by raising the issue of honouring the King of the Dominion of Canada. His position is that he “would rather live in Canada, in the
British Empire than any place in the world,” but to “condemn the viciousness of war is not surely dishonorable is it? The Bible says, Honour the king. God didn’t say ‘love the war makers.’ Our gracious Sovereign doesn’t want war any more” than God does."  (John Carlos Baily of Ontario - became Gospel Herold editor in 1939)

~ Must We have War Again? A Preliminary Exploration of Pacifism in the Restoration Movement in Canada Through the Pages of the Gospel Herald (1936-1940)
RUSSEL PRIME

War is Good For Business

Non-Violence Positions in Restoration Movement Churches of Christ in Canada.

"In 1936, Bailey based his opposition to bearing arms in war on two grounds: on the command not to murder or kill others and on the economic greed that war represents. He asks, “Can a Christian kill his fellow men and be guiltless?” Bailey believes that killing others in war makes believers no better than criminals. The carnage of the Great War – “those
that came back were gassed, maimed in every conceivable way” – shocks and saddens him. He also appeals to parents, asking them should their sons “die as rats to fill the coffers of the already rich?" Here he raises his
second argument: “how international financing kept both sides in the field” to make money. He feels that such a “nauseating” scene “shouldopen the eyes of the people to the solemn truth that war is a racket.” (John Carlos Baily of Ontario - became Gospel Herold editor in 1939) second argument: “how international financing kept both sides in the field” to make money. He feels that such a “nauseating” scene “shouldopen the eyes of the people to the solemn truth that war is a racket.”(John Carlos Baily of Ontario - became Gospel Herold editor in 1939)

~ Must We have War Again? A Preliminary Exploration of Pacifism in the Restoration Movement in Canada Through the Pages of the Gospel Herald (1936-1940)
RUSSEL PRIME

You Go To War With The Intent To Kill

"Moses E. Lard of Kentucky, editor of Lard's Q u a r t e r l y , believed that Christ under no circumstances permitted his followers to go to war. Lard attributed the cause of war to men's lusts. War violated God's will for peace and was opposed to the Christian principles of love and good will toward all men. A Christian could not go to war innocently for the very act of going into battle announced an intent to kill. Lard believed that if the government ordered a Christian to go to war, he should refuse, and "if the state arrest him, let it be so, if the state even shoot him, be it so; never let him go to war."

(Johnnie Andrew Collins. PACIFISM IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST: 1866-1945.
A dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of Middle Tennessee State Universityin partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree Doctorate of Arts. December, 1984)

Violence Was Tolerated

"Although a majority of the southern conservativesdid not accept Lipscomb's belief in total non-involvement, many did believe that the church should remain silenton politics and social reform. The majority of the Disciples continued to vote, a few held office, and many would serve in future wars. A few leaders of the Churches of Christ prior to 1945 strongly reflectedLipscomb's pacifism and reluctance to participate inpolitical action. But within the Churches of Christ
there was toleration for those with differing viewpoints and this issue was never made a test of fellowship."

(Johnnie Andrew Collins. PACIFISM IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST: 1866-1945.
A dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of Middle Tennessee State Universityin partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree Doctorate of Arts. December, 1984)

Subject or Citizen Of Your Nation?

Lipscomb distinguished between a citizen and subject.A subject to a government was in passive submissionand was required only to pay his taxes and live a quietand peaceful life. The citizen exercised all the privileges and responsibilities of a full participation in political affairs. A citizen was obligated to carry out all the functions of the government, including fighting for the government. It was inconsistent to vote and hold political office and yet claim to be anti-political and anti-war. Lipscomb said: "if you are going to share the honors and emoluments of the governments,
be men and bear its burdens. There is no half-way ground."

(Johnnie Andrew Collins. PACIFISM IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST: 1866-1945.
A dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of Middle Tennessee State Universityin partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree Doctorate of Arts. December, 1984)

We Look More Like Warriors Than Peace-makers

In the Gospel A d v o c a t e , W. H. Goodloe lamented the fact that the Disciples of Christ were as deeply involved as others in the political excitement. This zeal, Goodloe wrote, if directed towards evangelization would convert the whole country in a few years. Instead, Christians were involved in talk of war demonstrating that "Christians are more under the dominion of the prince of this world than the dominion of Christ.""

(Johnnie Andrew Collins. PACIFISM IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST: 1866-1945.
A dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of Middle Tennessee State Universityin partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree Doctorate of Arts. December, 1984)