I got a great response from a friend asking clarification about what I think of Christian pacifists. Here’s a bit from her reply that I found particularly good.
I can say that I am acquainted with many deeply spiritual and Christian people-authors, activists, and people I know directly-who are highly motivated for peace, with their ideologies directly informed and shaped by the Gospel of Christ.
In my response to her, I (hopefully) clarified that I have nothing against pacifism as an ideology, but that it can never be based on anything other than a peaceful relationship with God. I think that only pacifism that is based in a Christian worldview of having achieved (by virtue of the cross) peace with God has any real power in bringing about real peace in our world. All other brands of pacifism (and especially the agnostic, New Age, hyper-environmentalist, humanist version so prevalent here in Asheville) are impotent, precisely because they are simply another in a long line of worldviews that ignore our most fundamental problem both as a society and as individuals–our enmity with God. And they are an attempt (just like radical Islam is an attempt) to force others to their way of seeing the world. The bigoted response of these “pacifists” against what they see as bigotry is astounding.
Though I’m not sure where I stand on pacifism as an ideology (I’d most likely fight someone that was trying to hurt my wife or children), I do think that apart from Christianity, there can be no peace. What about you? What do you think? Comment Below.