Article 22: Peace, Justice and Nonresistance - living out the only death that leads to real peace

In Article 22: Peace, Justice and Nonresistance we come to a topic full of divergent opinions and definitions among Mennonites let alone among the broader Christian church. And yet here we see the accepted and historic teaching position of the church, a teaching position with roots not only in scripture but also in the first Anabaptist confession of faith, The Schleitheim Confession. But what do we really mean by the words peace, justice and nonresistance?

As Ephesians 2:14-18 tells us, Jesus, himself is our peace. Through Him, one humanity is created and peace is established because God has reconciled "both sides" to Himself through the cross. As much as we try to demonize "the other guy," the reality is that all people have the same chance at reconciliation with God that we do. Through Christ, all people have equal access to the Father through the Spirit. Thus peace is not just the absence of conflict. It is about the reality of reconciliation.

Which is why our understanding of justice is so important as well. In a world full of evil and atrocities, justice tends to be defined primarily as punishment doled out to those who have committed wrongs. Punishment and restitution for wrongs committed is certainly a part of justice and yet 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 calls us to so much more. It reminds us that while God does model punishment, God also models grace and reconciliation for us. Rather than always giving us all that we deserve, God works at reconciling with us and calls us to reconcile with others. This requires us to look at the bigger picture and to see how our everyday choices may create injustices in the lives of others that lead to painful responses and conflict. If we are to be a people of reconciliation, we must also be a people of just living not only justice/retribution seeking.

And yet, we are called to a nonresistant approach to living at peace and seeking justice. Though we are often reminded of the Old Testament teaching of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth in circumstance of injury and harm, Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:38-42 that we should not even resist an evil person. Instead, we should turn our other check, give our coat also, or go the extra mile. This is very counter to our cultural myths about the need for violence to bring about peace and justice, and yet it is Jesus who teaches us this. Given our Anabaptist practice of reading all of scripture through the lens of Jesus, this leads us to believe that we are called to living this higher standard; a standard not of inaction, but of reconciling, nonviolent action.

Thus in this article on peace, justice and nonresistance, we are called to a higher standard and to something bigger than ourselves. In a world full of death and a cacophony of calls for more death in the names of peace and justice, we are called to live under one name and to live out one death, that of Jesus and His reconciling death. After all, His is the only death that leads to real peace.