Welcome
Christians for Active Nonviolence is a reclamation project. It is an invitation to Christians from all backgrounds to readopt the way of nonviolence.
In accord with early Christians, we recognize the overarching expression of nonviolence in the teaching and life-way of Jesus Christ. And we desire to imitate that way.
We see nonviolence as an inner posture that is obtained and maintained through modeling Jesus'
methods of nonviolence, and his acts of love and charity.
We see nonviolence as beyond the mere absence of violence. Therefore we do not accept that peace
can be created or sustained by any form of violence.
We do not see Christian nonviolence as anything like a higher form of peace. Nonviolence at base is indivisible. Instead we see all efforts toward the growth and adoption of a nonviolent way of "being," as nourishing the one social human organism.
We encourage active nonviolent resistance, as we recognize that peace is the presence of justice. We encourage nonviolent resistance in love, as a way through fear. As we recognize that peace is the absence of fear.
It is our hope and prayer that "Christian" could again become synonymous with peace-natured.
Finally, we take seriously the charge and the implied admonition of Mahatma Gandhi, that, "the only people on earth that do not see Christ and his teachings as nonviolent are Christians." Therefore we will strive to recognize our inevitable inconsistencies. We are committed to growth and open to new information.
The foundational stuff
From Thomas Merton...
"Christian nonviolence is not built on a presupposed division, but on the basic unity of humankind. It is not out for the conversion of the wicked to the ideas of the good, but for healing and reconciliation." More...
From Walter Wink...
The new reality Jesus proclaimed was nonviolent. That much is clear, not just from the Sermon on the Mount, but his entire life and teaching and, above all, the way he faced his death. His was not merely a tactical or pragmatic nonviolence seized upon because nothing else would have worked against the Roman empire's near monopoly on violence. Rather, he saw nonviolence as a direct corollary of the nature of God and of the new reality emerging in the world from God. More...
Efforts toward Active Nonviolence
- Christian Peacemaker Teams
- A Force More Powerful
- Overcoming Violence
- Film: On the Line
- Fellowship of Reconciliation