Over the past several months I have been reading a lot about how Christians can respond to violence and oppression in our world. We all live in a present evil age, the "now, but not yet" era of the kingdom of God. As such, we experience the pain that comes with experiencing violence in a broken world. The Powers that Be by Walter Wink really opened my eyes to a powerful Christian response to violence in our world... nonviolent resistance. Jesus was against both passive and violent responses to oppression and domination. Jesus introduced a third way, the path of nonviolent resistance.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one example of a follower of Jesus who studied and implemented the path of nonviolent resistance in response to domination systems. He said, "The way of acquiescence leads to moral and spiritual suicide. The way of violence leads to bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers. But the way of nonviolence leads to redemption and the creation of the beloved community."
I am still learning a lot about how to respond to violence and domination systems in our modern world. I am thankful for the leaders who have gone before me who have shown the way. And, I am looking forward to celebrating Dr. King's life at North Way East End on MLK day from noon to 4pm. God is continuing to transform my heart, and God is doing a great work at North Way East End in terms of reconciling people across racial, economic, and cultural barriers.
1 comment:
Amen to that, Brian. Thanks for the post.
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