Summary

In November, 1997, the General Boards of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church approved a statement responding to growing concern about violence in North American society. The full statement, some 30 pages in length, includes biblical and theological reflection, as well as specific calls to the church for action. Published together with a guide for congregational study and action, it can be ordered from Faith & Life Press or Herald Press (see end of document).

Summary statement

As Mennonites in Canada, the United States, and Puerto Rico, we have been affected by the violence which is pervasive in our world. While we affirm a commitment to peace and nonviolence, we have frequently tolerated and even benefited from some forms of violence. We have wrongly accepted, at least in part, the "myth of redemptive violence," the belief that good ends can come from violent means.

We define violence as the human exercise of physical, emotional, social, or technological power which results in injury or harm to oneself or others. Any form of human violence, whether mild or extreme, is an expression of evil.

One of the most basic issues in the Bible is how one deals with evil, and with violence in particular. The main direction of both the Old and New Testaments is toward nonviolence and reconciliation. We believe that God's love is greater than God's wrath. No violence committed against us, or those we love, justifies our committing violence in return. No suffering, not even death, can separate us from the love of God. The process of forgiveness is the way through suffering. When we choose the way of loving enemies, we are becoming transformed into the image of Christ. All violence is fundamentally incompatible with the reign of Jesus Christ. Jesus calls us not to resist evil with violence, to forgive rather than to seek revenge, and to be peacemakers.

We experience violence in five ever-widening circles, from individual to global.

1. Violence may be directed against the self in various destructive behaviors. We call the church to counsel, nurture, and lead people away from all self-destructive behaviors. We also call the church to cherish and uphold the value of every human life.

2. We confess that, while we affirm a commitment to peace and nonviolence, many of us have allowed violence in our homes and in our churches. At the heart of nearly all violence in close relationships is the desire to control or use another person. We affirm the congregations and church agencies that have begun to respond to this form of violence. We call the church to move beyond denial and disbelief of domestic and professional abuse, and to make the church a safe place for victims and survivors of abuse.

3. Violence has long been part of leisure and entertainment. Violent content in entertainment is increasing and has become more explicit and is often linked to sex. Society is becoming desensitized to the harmful consequences of violence. We call the church to advocate for and help create more choices in entertainment that are not based on violence.

4. Fear of violent attacks in public places has also grown. The increase in gangs and gun violence has led to a demand for larger police forces, more prisons, and harsher sentences. Structures and institutions are violent when economic classes, races, and ethnic groups are pitted against one another. As an alternative society, the church can proclaim and demonstrate a different way. Many programs of healing and hope already exist within Mennonite circles and can serve as models. We call the church to create and support more programs of restorative justice and to teach the skills that enable people who are personally threatened with violence to respond nonviolently.

5. Violence is also hurting the global community. Major armed conflicts continue in nearly 40 countries. This armed violence is the result of nations' unrestrained pursuit of self-interest, and of the structural violence present in the world economic system. We call the church to restrain our own material desires and ambitions and promote a fairer distribution of the world's resources. We also call the church to be steadfast in our refusal to participate in, train for, pay for, or directly profit from the use of military violence.

As members of the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church, with God's help, we commit ourselves, our congregations, and our church agencies to be communities of nonviolence, demonstrating and proclaiming the life of peace to which Jesus Christ calls us.

Complete statement available

The full statement "And No One Shall Make Them Afraid" is included in the booklet, A Mennonite Statement and Study on Violence, published by Faith & Life Press, Newton, Kansas. Designed for congregational and group study and action, the booklet includes:

The full statement on violence, including Biblical and theological background

Personal stories of Mennonites dealing with violence
An extensive bibliography
A six-session action/reflection guide

Order from:

	Faith & Life Resources	1 800 245-7894
	Your local Christian bookstore

Price: $8.95 U.S. and $12.25 Canadian