Nonresistance

Christians should consider that pacifism, which is the belief that violence cannot be justified under any circumstance, is interpretable from Christianity. While this is a strong stance, there are compelling arguments connecting faith and nonresistance. John Howard Yoder lays out the argument that violence is an offense directly against God that cannot be justified. Just War Theory is often raised as a sway for Christians to commit to nonviolence except in certain circumstances. Even if violence could be moral, just war theory does not work, especially in this modern age. Pacifism can result in suffering and even death, but striking back is never justified. As a Christian you may have to accept this violence. One of the fundamental parts of…

substantial link between abolitionism and feminism” during their brief foray into the public realm of abolitionist politics. Consequently, Sarah and Angelina Grimké unabashedly addressed racism and racial prejudice against African Americans in both the southern states of America, and amongst northern abolitionist circles. Williams further reveals that the Grimké sisters’ 1837 New England lecture tour ignited a nationwide debate “about the role and status of women in the antislavery movement.” …

“[People] find it difficult to grasp the idea of nonresistance”(Doc G). There is an adequate amount of evidence from historical examples that nonviolence can be an effective and conclusive method of social action, and this can be shown through Gandhi and and King’s strategic methods. Gandhi brought independence to India and King brought civil rights to the United States. Ultimately, deep religious conviction was the underlying source of nonviolent success. Gandhi was a Hindu and believed…

philosophy to consider mentioning, is the Holy Trinity; it involves the sign of a cross and all three divines in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is performed in churches when receiving the Eucharist and means the body of christ, in memory of Jesus’s last supper opposed to being a sacrament. Mennonites understand and follow the essentials of Jesus’s teachings which helps them set ethical guidelines, in order to succeed and reach salvation. (Zavada, 2016. Byrne, 2016;…

their lives for 8-12 hours at a time — simply to pray, worship and study God’s Word.” Therefore, Christendom during the early church, the Anabaptists, and the modern day’s house and underground churches, display obedience to the command of Jesus to become and make disciples. Just like the early church and the Anabaptist, the underground and house churches are showing love and nonresistance to all relationships, especially their enemies. Though the underground and house churches in different…

of the worlds most impactful spiritual movements, Taoism. A philosopher and a scribe in the Chinese Zhou Dynasty as well as an older contemporary of Confucius; however, each leaving conflicting legacies in regards to their theories and beliefs. Originally written in Chinese, the ‘Tao Te Ching’ is an ancient collection of eighty-one short stanzas written in free verse poetic style, ranging from practical advice to universal wisdom, from which I have chosen three that have the utmost influence on…

Before the American Revolution really kicked off, all the colonists from different social classes had to become angry. This soon happened as the majority of the people, including the middle class, became increasingly displeased about the mounting taxation, giving rise to the popular phrase, “no taxation without representation,” coined by Jonathan Mayhew. Mayhew was a minister in Boston, Massachusetts, who like Washington and many other notable figures, greatly opposed the Stamp Act. In a fashion…

Not only does he use the same final chapter title, “The Continuing Compulsion,” but at some points their ideas and rhetoric are nearly the same. However, Unruh does not actually add on to Horst’s theological work nor contribute any of his own theological analysis. Instead, he merely repeats Horst. One such example is Unruh borrowing a line from Horst to finish his book: “As long as Mennonites seek to be a true brotherhood of believers and endeavor to implement their convictions of peace and…

In An Appeal to the Women of the Nominally Free States, Angelina specifically acknowledged the plight of the African American woman. She humbly articulated, “we are aware of the prejudice you suffer daily, but entreat you to bear with us in our folly.” Angelina then entreated her African American “sister” to be “willing to mingle with us whilst we have the prejudice, because it is only by associating with you that we shall be able to overcome it.” Additionally, the Grimké sisters and other…

Anabaptist church today, this representation would not be totally accurate. In reality, the Anabaptist church in America today has fallen far from the passion and zeal in ministry, nonconformity, and purity that the early Anabaptist church demonstrated. While recognizing cultural changes do shift the practical focuses of organizations, one must still look honestly at where the church as has become lukewarm and even nonexistent. Personally I believe that greatest failure has been in the area of…