Non-Violent Resistance *Warning: Christian Themes*

[Caleb]

[ Jesus' Third Way: A Bible study ]

By Brian Perkins-McIntosh.
Focus

Non-violent resistance is not the same as pacifism, and requires creativity in the midst of conflict.
Scripture
Matthew 5:38-41

Many people dismiss Jesus' teaching concerning retaliation as idealistic, as romantic fantasy or dangerous passivity in the face of evil.

The phrase "turn the other cheek" has come to mean adopting a doormat quality and allowing oneself to get stomped on. It seems to compel one to cowardice, to simple submission in the face of evil, opposition, or injustice. "Do not resist evil" implies that we are to renounce all forms of resistance, and that the tranquil acceptance of evil ought to be the Christian mindset. Going the second mile has come to mean nothing more than working harder, extending yourself in typical Protestant work-ethic fashion, perhaps even collaborating with dominant oppressors.

It seems clear that Jesus' teaching, if viewed this way, is impractical, passive, self-loathing, even suicidal, an open invitation to be bullied and battered, wounded, or even killed. If it is seen as a model for a whole group of people, no wonder many say that Jesus' ethic would never work in the cold, hard world of political leverage, force, and counter-force. But there is another way to understand this teaching.
Questions for Reflection/Discussion

    * When have you turned the other cheek or not resisted evil in a dispute or conflict? How did your actions or words make you feel?
    * Does the church create guilt when it calls on stressed disciples to go the second mile? If so, how is guilt a positive or negative motivational factor in such a call?

Traditional interpretations of this passage lend legitimacy to an ethic of not resisting evil. Augustine, the fifth century bishop and saint, declared that the only self-defence for Christians is no defence whatsoever. Contemporary theologian Stanley Hauerwas has claimed that he dislikes the word pacifism because it too often is equated with passivity, with a take-it-and-do-nothing sentiment.

But Augustine also said that if my neighbour is under attack, then the command to love my neighbour implies that I ought to defend him or her, by force or by arms if necessary. Over time, this led to the just war theory, the militarization of Christian Europe, and the legitimizing of capital punishment. It also has led some pacifists to reject non-violent direct action and civil disobedience-what some now call non-civil obedience-as coercive, antagonistic, and not in keeping with the ethic of Jesus. This dilemma is familiar to many Christians who have pondered the scenario of a life-threatening burglary and have decided that pacifism may be fine for the pacifist, but it doesn't do much for the pacifist's loved ones.
Questions for Reflection/Discussion

    * What's the difference between resistance and non-resistance, self-defence and no defence?
    * If you found yourself in a life-threatening situation, what difference do you think it would make if you were alone or if you were with loved ones (spouses, children, dear friends, etc.)?

The Greek word translated as "resist" means to "stand against." It's a technical term for warfare, describing how opposing armies would march toward each other until their ranks met, when they would "take a stand" and fight. It means more than our word for resistance. It means to resist violently, to revolt, rebel, or repel with force.

The translators who worked for King James when he had his version of the Bible published in 1611 were commissioned, in part, because of marginal notes contained in the popular translation used at the time, the Geneva Bible. These notes, placed beside this scripture passage and based upon it, included an endorsement of the right to disobey a sovereign. The king's translators, therefore, wanted the public to believe that there were only two options: flight or fight. In these translators' words, Jesus commands Christians to "resist not evil," and a succession of translators have followed suit. The New Revised Standard Version, for instance, has Jesus saying, "Do not resist an evildoer." But Jesus is really calling us to refuse to oppose evil on its own terms, exhorting us to neither passivity nor violence, but rather to assertive non-violence. This is captured in the Scholars Version of the sentence, which says, "Don't react violently against the one who is evil."

What follows from Jesus' lips are examples of creative non-compliance, with information on the context of his day:
"Turn the other cheek."

    * If someone degrades or humiliates you by striking you on the left cheek with a backhand blow, turn the other cheek. This deprives the oppressor of the backhand blow, since the nose is now in the way, and confronts them with a dilemma, since only social equals fight with fists. This creative act of defiance does not allow the aggressor to assert his or her dominance, and enables the victim to refuse further victimization by no longer submitting to insult.

"Give up your cloak."

    * In a context of heavy debt loads borne by impoverished peasants, a creditor could take as collateral for a loan a poor person's outer robe, though it was to be returned nightly (see Deuteronomy 24:10-13). In a system that stripped the poor of lands, goods, and even their garments, Jesus counsels the poor to offer their undergarments as well. Since nakedness was taboo, and shame fell less on the unclothed than on the one who viewed or caused it, stripping the debtor brought shame on the creditor.

"Go the second mile."

    * Roman soldiers in the first century could require compulsory service or forced labour from subject peoples, as Simon of Cyrene, who was forced to carry Jesus' cross (Mark 15:21), well knew. Soldiers' bags were very often 60 to 85 pounds and, though degrading, a person could only be required by military personnel to carry one a mile at most. Requiring more was an infraction of military code, and could lead to disciplinary measures of the soldier by the centurion commander. Seizing the initiative, as Jesus suggests, and carrying the pack a second mile would have thrown a soldier completely off balance, getting him in trouble and defying convention.

Jesus offers a series of non-violent resistance tactics as examples of how to reclaim your dignity when you have been violated or humiliated. Of course, you would have to be constantly creative, considering that the oppressive laws, moral codes, and acceptable forms of conduct and punishment would shift if these tactics were exercised too often! In this passage, as elsewhere, his teaching on non-violence is central to his proclamation of the reign of God. The powers-that-be need to be met by the most creative, subversive power-from-below imaginable-a power that is neither passive nor violent.

Examples of this "third way" -- Tolstoy, Gandhi, Dorothy Day, and countless others less known but no less faithful -- oppose evil without mirroring it, resist humiliation without emulating it, and neutralize enemies without doing violence. Our United Church creed calls upon the church "to seek justice and resist evil," though the debate continues about how best to do that faithfully. The potential for non-violent resistance to transform us, our communities, and our world is only beginning to be tapped, but the conflicts in which we are engaged in our own day cry out for just such creative Christian discipleship.

[dead_hobbit]

A christian posting an article with Christian themes!?

Unbelievable!