Violence Will Never End Violence

“Hamas is a prisoner to a logic of hate; Israel to a logic of faith in force as the best response to hate. One must continue to search for a different way out, even if that may seem impossible.“
–The Vatican

Principles

1. As a PACIFIST, I believe not only that war is evil but that in almost all situations aggressive, creative nonviolence is better able to bring about justice. This is evidenced by numerous movements and even nonviolent coups in the last century.

2. As a CHRISTIAN, I give my allegiance not to any nation-state, but only to the very political entity that is the transnational Body of Christ. Thus the situation in the Middle East (and in every similar scenario) becomes not an issue of 'what countries should get what land?', but rather of 'how do we establish justice and peace for the victims on all sides?'

Application

Many argue that peace in the Middle East is unachievable because humanity is fallen. But it is utterly wrong in any theological-political argument to consider humankind's inherent sin while ignoring God's love and redemption. This is made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, an event as 'impossible' as the attainment of peace. As Jesus said (John 16.33), 'I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.' The manifesting of God's kingdom through the Incarnation, and the action of that kingdom through Christ's Body, makes peace not only possible but practicable. This is seen in the example of not just Jesus himself, but in the political movements of MLK and others. Nonviolence IS a viable alternative to war, a reasonable methodology for justice. And while war has 'collateral damage', nonviolence does not create more injustice through its actions.

The idea that "the ends justify the means" is perhaps the most morally bankrupt ethic in existence. It is dangerous, for it promises a false justice that does not require just action, a false peace that does not require the rejection of violence, a false love that does not require opposition to hate, and a false righteousness that does not require the end of sin. It is utterly in opposition to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

These principles make it clear that we cannot see either Hamas or Israel as being in the right. Rather, as the Vatican has said, we must reject both Hamas' hatred and Israel's faith in violence as the only response to hatred. A third way IS possible.

In the current Middle Eastern crisis, there are no 'good guys'. But because of the situation at hand, we must call first and foremost for an end to Israel's violent aggression, for it is that aggression that is creating the most injustice at this time. Only then can terrorism be addressed, only then can justice come for both Palestine and Israel; for violence will never end violence.

Israel and Palestine

My approach to the current crisis then, as a Christian and as a pacifist, is this:

A. Christians must BE the Church and embody God's kingdom in a world diametrically opposed to it. We must pray for peace and work for nonviolence, that justice may be achieved. This may take many forms; perhaps the best I have encountered is that of the Christian Peacemaker Teams.

B. The United States must end its material and financial support of Israel's military while calling for justice on all sides.

C. The UN must demand an end to violent aggression and terrorism, dispatch peacemakers, and help to achieve lasting justice for both terrorized Israel and occupied Palestine.

Jesus Christ was a light in the darkness of the world, a witness to peace among nations obsessed with warmaking, and a opponent of oppression in the midst of economic, racial, and imperialistic injustice. We, as his Body, must call for no less.