I admire the continuity, at least on an official basis, of the Anabaptists when it comes to war and peace.
They are overwhelmingly pacifists, some won’t even wear buttons on their clothing so they won’t be mistaken for soldiers. This is historic for them, an expression of their Christian beliefs. Following how they see Jesus’ words they refuse to bear arms against their fellow humans and that includes “popular” wars like WW2. If they have to they’ll go to jail and often suffer the slings and arrows of public opinion for their stand.
This they do no matter who is President, no matter which political party has power, and whether public opinion is for or against them. They ask for no cameras to record them. They do this with no anger or manufactured rancor. Although it has political implications the motivations are from a living faith and not a partisan posturing. This they believe and thus they act, or refuse to act, and accept the consequences. No pinch of incense to Mars and if suffer they must they will.
Too many of their fellow American Christians, in contrast, seem to have an overarching political understanding to which they add or subtract various aspects of faith as proof texts for a pose or a partisan end. They’re for the wars “their” people start, or at least silent about them, but against those of another. They cry for “justice” against a leader with whom they disagree while conveniently ignoring the same things done when their party was in power. They take to the streets claiming to stand for Jesus but only, it seems, when Jesus appears to agree with them. It makes for great TV but like making a shirt from pieces and not the whole cloth the nakedness is quickly exposed. Worse yet they imagine their hurt feelings as a kind of martyrdom.
Across the spectrum we Americans have often sold ourselves out, not to God but to a party or ideology and then attempt to make God our passenger and not our pilot on the journey. We want the show, the crowd, the catharsis, but not the day to day quiet but determined conviction required of people of faith. We want to rule and if Jesus is agreeable, well, He can come along with us on our path to power but few want to serve, to be anonymous, to be humble and be willing to take on the life of actual and not emotional martyrs. Carrying a sign is easy. Washing the Samaritans wounds is hard.
It would be good to return to consistency, to doing everything we do including speaking truth to power not rooted in a “Jesus added” philosophy but rather “Jesus first.” His works our works. His methodology our plan. His suffering ours. His servanthood our power. And if there is glory then it will be His as well. Then, no matter what the waves of history bring, we’ll be something more than just another movement across time.
We’ll be sons and daughters of the Most High and in the end that’s really the only thing for a Christian that matters.
