Show Notes
In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland presents a positive case for Christian nonviolence as a faithful response to the teachings and example of Jesus. Building on previous critiques of Just War Theory, Derek argues that Christian nonviolence, in contrast to pacificism is not an ethical principle or social strategy. Rather it is a virtue formed through following Jesus.
Christian nonviolence is rooted in the gospel announcement that Jesus has become King through his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Followers of Jesus are therefore called to resist that which does harm and embody peace through enemy-love, forgiveness, reconciliation, and co-suffering love. Drawing heavily from the Sermon on the Mount, Derek reflects on Jesus’ commands to love enemies, turn the other cheek, and become peacemakers
The episode also addresses common objections to Christian nonviolence surrounding questions of self-defense, military service, and Romans 13. Derek argues that Jesus fundamentally reimagines violence through the lens of the kingdom of God, refusing the way of the sword even in his own arrest. While maintaining deep respect and compassion for soldiers and veterans, he distinguishes opposition to war from opposition to those who serve.
Finally, Derek highlights the remarkable story of Desmond Doss, whose courageous service during World War II demonstrates that Christian nonviolence is not weakness, but costly faithfulness to Jesus in the midst of violence.
Key Takeaways
Christian nonviolence is a virtue shaped by discipleship to Jesus.
Nonviolence differs from pacifism, which can exist apart from Christian faith.
Jesus consistently taught and modeled enemy-love and peacemaking.
The Sermon on the Mount reframes violence, retaliation, and justice.
Violence perpetuates more violence.
Jesus refused the way of the sword and healed rather than harmed.
Romans 13 addresses governing authorities, not Christian participation in war.
Christians can honor soldiers while still opposing war itself.
Christian nonviolence is active, courageous, and rooted in love.
Scriptures Mentioned
Matthew 5:9
Matthew 5:21–22
Matthew 5:38–48
Matthew 26:52
Luke 22:35–38
Luke 22:47–51
Romans 12
Romans 13:1–4
Acts 10:1–48
Matthew 28
Books & Resources Mentioned
A Field Guide to Christian Nonviolence — David Cramer & Myles Werntz
Hacksaw Ridge (2016 film)
Has Peaceable and Kind been meaningful to you? Support the show by:
Leaving a review
Giving us a 5-star rating on your podcast app
Sharing this episode with a friend
Order Derek’s new Bible Study Series, God in the Neighborhood: Book 1: Incarnation: 8 Lessons on How God Meets Us || https://amzn.to/42jSZAs Book 2: Crucifixion: 8 Lessons on How God Saves Us || https://amzn.to/459bNUk Book 3: Resurrection: 8 Lessons on How God Restores Us || https://amzn.to/40T0sp0
Check out the Merch Store: derekvreeland.com/merch
Learn more about Derek’s work as a pastor and author: derekvreeland.com
Interact with Derek on Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky, or Facebook
Transcript
Welcome back.
To another episode of Peaceable and Kind.
I am your host, Derek Vreeland.
And if you are new to Peaceable and Kind, welcome.
We are sowing seeds of peaceableness and kindness.
our world and if you haven’t subscribed already please get subscribed right here wherever you’re listening to this podcast and leave a rating and review and let me know
What you think about the Christian content we are producing here.
In the last episode, I laid out my critiques of just war theory.
At the time of this recording, the United States and Israel’s war with Iran is ongoing
And so I talked a little bit about just war theory in an episode I entitled Questioning the Just War Assumption.
And so I thought it would be good to follow up that episode with what is my case for Christian nonviolence?
Now, there is much more I could say, but I was trying to hone down this episode to what I think is most important in terms of
Laying out what I believe about Christian nonviolence, and then answering some of the questions that I’m asked over and over
So in this case for Christian nonviolence, let me start by simply defining terms because different people use different terms differently.
And so for me, Christian nonviolence is the practice of doing no harm as a follower of Jesus.
Now, when I define Christian nonviolence like that, I think most Christians would say, yeah, that sounds about right.
If we’re following Jesus,
who came not to steal, to kill, and to destroy, who but who came to bring life, then if we’re his followers, we shouldn’t be
Creating destruction or harm as his followers.
But of course, Christian nonviolence becomes a much more controversial
and complex topic when it is discussed in terms of nations going to war
Christians participating in war, in warfare, uh, Christians who are engaging in acts of violence.
In a defensive posture or to protect the innocent.
But before I get to answering all those questions, I want to simply lay out
why I believe Christian nonviolence is an essential part of following Jesus.
So if Christian nonviolence is the practice of doing no harm as a follower of Jesus,
It does beg the question about violence itself.
When we say do no harm and non-violence, what exactly is that?
Well,
Nonviolence is not violence.
So let’s go to the dictionary to get a good working definition for violence.
And so for me, that’s Merriam Webster
Don’t talk to me about the Oxford English Dictionary.
Don’t talk about all these free dictionaries on the internet.
When I want to look up a definition to an English word, I go to Merriam Webster.
And so in Webster’s dictionary, violence is defined as the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy
So, if we take that definition of what violence is, and we apply that to my definition of Christian nonviolence,
Then we can expand that definition a little bit to say that Christian nonviolence is the practice of following Jesus
by resisting physical force to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy, and also seeking to establish peace through co suffering love
forgiveness, reconciliation, and acts of kindness.
So Christian nonviolence historically
Is not only resisting physical force, but it is also the practice of establishing peace without coercion.
It is working on behalf of justice.
And remember, justice for Christians is God’s work of setting right a world gone wrong.
So Christian nonviolence is not only resisting something, but it’s also promoting something.
It is promoting peace
But peace that is nonviolent.
So establishing peace, establishing justice through co-suffering love
Yes, I use the word suffering.
And I think that’s why a lot of Christians get uncomfortable with Christian nonviolence because it does open up the possibility.
That for us to love our neighbors, it might include suffering.
So Christian nonviolence is establishing peace through not only love, but the practices of forgiveness
reconciliation and acts of kindness, that is doing good to our enemies.
And Christian nonviolence is not a moral principle as much as it is a virtue.
Which is why I distinguish Christian nonviolence from pacifism.
When people ask me, are you a pacifist?
I say no
Pacifism is a moral theory that doesn’t even really require Jesus.
I mean, you can be a pacifist without being a Christian.
Gandhi was a pacifist.
So I think in the 20th century, I think he’s one of the most outstanding
characters that we saw on the world stage practicing pacifism.
And so I have respect, because of course pacifism is also a nonviolent theory, but
I don’t practice Christian nonviolence because I’ve subscribed to a theory.
Pacifism, though it has its value, doesn’t really describe my position.
Because Christian nonviolence, it’s not a principle.
It only makes sense in the context of the Christian gospel.
So you can’t extrapolate the virtue of Christian non-violence away from the gospel, from the Christian story.
I’m not interested in determining what is the most reasonable ethical theory out of all the ethical theories that have ever existed in human history.
I am interested in Jesus.
I’m interested in the gospel.
The only reason I am talking about nonviolence is because I am a Christian.
And so this position of Christian nonviolence only makes sense as connected to the gospel story.
That is the announcement that Jesus has become king through his birth and life and death.
Resurrection and ascension.
You cannot remove what we believe and practice related to nonviolence from Jesus and the proclamation of the gospel
Stanley Hauer was who has had a deep impact on my theology and my thinking about the church and discipleship.
How Howard Wass famously said, Christians are called to nonviolence not because we think nonviolence is a strategy to rid the world of war.
But rather in a world of war, as faithful followers of Christ, we cannot imagine being anything other than nonviolent
Howard Wass here is saying that Christian nonviolence is not a strategy, or as I said a moment ago, it’s not a moral principle.
Christian nonviolence is a result of Christian discipleship.
And so pacifism is a principle, but Christian nonviolence is a virtue.
That is, it’s a good habit.
That as we practice nonviolence, we become a non-violent people
I think I mentioned this book in the previous episode, but I highly recommend chapter two in David Kramer and Miles Wernt’s book, A Field Guide to Christian Nonviolence.
Chapter two in that book
goes into great detail about the practice and the habit of nonviolence that is Christian nonviolence as a virtue.
So if I’m going to lay out my case for Christian nonviolence, it starts where everything starts in the Christian life and faith.
It starts with Jesus.
He told his disciples in Matthew twenty-eight, this is before his ascension, Jesus tells them to go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations.
of all the ethnos, of all the people groups of the world, teaching them, well, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey all I have commanded
Jesus laid out his commandments, many of them, in the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew five, six, and seven.
And so this is where I build my case for Christian nonviolence.
It is in the context of the teachings of Jesus that we are commanded to obey.
So here are some of the things that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, particularly in Matthew chapter 5.
I’m going to walk through a number of verses and passages in Matthew chapter 5
So we can see what Jesus taught.
Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes
The Beatitudes, again, are not universal principles.
The Beatitudes are the rhythms of the kingdom of God.
Jesus is announcing who is most blessed, who is most fortunate in the kingdom of God.
And it’s not what most people expected.
You wouldn’t think in a successful kingdom, these are the good people, the blessed people, the fortunate people.
But among those who are blessed in the kingdom of God is the peacemakers.
Jesus says, this is Matthew 5.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Who’s blessed in the kingdom of God?
Not the warriors, not the warmongers
But the peacemakers.
So in these opening announcements, which I believe are the the it’s the vibe, it’s the rhythms of the kingdom of God.
It is those who work for the things that make peace.
Then Jesus goes on.
This is Matthew five, twenty-one and twenty-two.
Jesus says,
You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, you shall not murder, and whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.
But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment.
And if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the counsel
And if you say you fool, you will be liable to the hell of fire.
Jesus here is emphasizing
what was taught in the Mosaic Law about not murdering, not killing, not taking human life,
But Jesus says it’s more than that.
It’s not only murder, but the anger in our heart.
This is why I say Christian nonviolence is a virtue and not a principle.
Because virtue is about how our practices form a certain disposition in our heart.
Virtue is how our behavior shapes our character.
And Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount
Is reimagining and re-establishing the law for the renewed people of God in the new covenant
And in it, Jesus is interested not only in our behavior, but in the condition of our heart.
So those who are blessed in the kingdom of God are peacemakers.
Those who are following and walking in his ways are not only committing acts of murder, but they’re also ridding anger from their hearts.
Then Jesus goes on to say, I’ll pick it up, Matthew five, thirty eight.
Jesus said, You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer
But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.
And if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat
Give your cloak as well.
And if any one forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
Give to every one who begs from you, and do not refuse any one who wants to borrow from you.
Now, the Mosaic law made provisions for retribution.
When Jesus says you’ve heard it said, an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, he’s quoting from the Mosaic Law.
People heard it
Because most people weren’t reading the law.
They were hearing it read in synagogue.
But Jesus is saying in the Mosaic Law, in the old covenant, there was this provision.
Someone pokes your eye out, you can poke their eye out.
If they break one of your teeth, you can break their teeth
But Jesus again is re-imagining a new way of being the people of God.
He says, no more eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.
He says,
Do not resist an evildoer.
If you get struck on one side, turn the other cheek.
Now this has been a hotly debated teaching among Jesus because it frightens some people.
Does this mean that we are supposed to be doormats?
What about people who are trapped in an abusive relationship?
Do they just stay in the home of an evildoer?
Getting beat up day after day?
Certainly not.
Jesus is not teaching that we should be staying in an abusive relationship.
Jesus is teaching
That we don’t retaliate.
So he doesn’t say stay in an abusive relationship with an evildoer so that you’re getting struck on the cheek every day
Not at all.
For those who are experiencing abuse, violence, I’m thinking of domestic violence, you need to get yourself out.
You do not need to stay in the home of an abuser.
But in the same sense, you are not to retaliate
You are not to go after an abuser with violence because that abuser has committed acts of violence against you.
Again, Jesus is taking what was the law of Moses, and again, not so much abolishing it
But because Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, he is the new lawgiver for a new covenant
Hey friends, I want to pause this episode for just a moment to let you know that Resurrection, 8 Lessons on How God Restores Us, the third and final book in the God in the Neighborhood Bible study.
study series is out now.
Go to the show notes for ordering information.
This is important to understand how Jesus is reimagining what it looks like to be the people of God, to live in covenant faithfulness.
Because some people want to set aside the peace teachings of Jesus because of what’s said in the Old Testament.
They’ll say, well, yeah, Jesus talked about loving your enemies and turning the cheek, but
Look what God commanded Joshua to do in the slaughter of the Canaanites.
And as followers of Jesus, that’s not how we interpret Scripture.
We do not let the Old Testament interpret Jesus.
Rather, it’s the other way around.
Jesus is the living Word of God.
who helps us to interpret the written word of God.
One of the early principles of of biblical interpretation that I learned.
is simply the New Testament interprets the Old Testament, not the other way around.
And then if we skip down two verses to Matthew 5, 44,
Here is where I believe Jesus is laying out his case for the practice of nonviolence.
Let’s pick it up in verse 44.
Jesus said,
You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his son rise on the evil and on the good.
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have
Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect
This, I believe, is one of the most challenging teachings from Jesus
Loving your enemies becomes a test case for the quality of your love
Jesus says, if you just love those who love you, what kind of reward do you expect?
Loving people who love you is easy
Loving people who hate you, that’s hard.
Loving your enemies.
This is challenging.
Just reading these verses again and hearing Jesus once more, I am reminded
of how challenging this is.
I’m not saying that any of this is easy.
In fact, I wish Jesus hadn’t ever said this.
If Jesus had counseled with me before preaching this sermon, I would say, Jesus, that whole enemy love thing, people really love
Hating on their enemies.
So can we have a uh it’s okay to kill your enemies, you just gotta love everybody else.
Because this is not popular, this is not easy.
But Jesus says that when we love our enemies, we’re being like our Father in heaven.
We’re being true children of God.
When we are, again, not warmongers, but peacemakers.
When we love our enemies
We are being perfect as God is perfect.
Now, the word perfect, don’t let that throw you off.
Perfect is not without blemish or mistake.
And perfect here means mature.
Don’t get tripped up on the word perfect.
It doesn’t mean without mistake or flaw.
Perfection.
where Jesus here says, be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect, is really talking about maturity.
Really, be mature, therefore, as your heavenly father is mature.
And you can think about it like this.
In our immaturity, as the Old Testament, Old Covenant people of God, killing enemies was justifiable because we were we were kids in this covenant back then.
But now that we have grown because Jesus has come, we have matured in this new covenant, we are learning the more excellent way of love.
Because when you’re immature, you’re going to love those who love you.
That’s easy.
But you’re going to be hating on your enemies.
But now that we are reaching maturity in Jesus,
We recognize that love is not only that which we extend to our friends and our family, but even to our enemies.
Now, that really is my case.
That’s my case for Christian nonviolence.
It’s what Jesus is teaching in Matthew chapter 5.
But
I mentioned those questions.
People always have questions.
Like, what about self-defense?
Now, Jesus doesn’t teach self-defense, but does what Jesus teach us?
prevent us from acts of violence to protect oneself?
What about protecting innocent people?
What about war and military service?
Well, I think to answer those questions, I think we have to look at other things that Jesus said.
Because some people would argue, yeah, Jesus is fine with self-defense.
That’s why he told his disciples to
Go buy a sword.
This is in Luke 22 at the arrest of Jesus.
And often I hear people say this as a justification for bearing arms.
Why Christians should carry a firearm with them.
They’ll say, well, Jesus told his disciples to go buy a sword.
He wanted them armed for self-defense.
So let’s look at these verses.
Luke twenty two, verses thirty-five and thirty-six.
Jesus said to them, When I sent you out with a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?
They said, No, not a thing
He said to them, But now the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag, and the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one
Now, if you take that verse, Luke 22, 36, in isolation, there are people who do that and they’ll say, see, there it is.
Jesus wants us armed so we can do some killing of the bad guys.
But hold on a second.
Don’t take one verse out of its context.
Read the whole context
Because Luke tells us why Jesus tells his disciples to go buy a sword in the next verse, verse 37
Jesus says, For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, and he was counted among the lawless.
And indeed, what is written about me is being fulfilled.
Jesus told his disciples to go get a sword because a particular verse needed to be fulfilled
That Jesus was accounted among the lawless.
And lawless gangs of the first century, like lawless gangs today, don’t walk around unarmed.
Therefore, Jesus wanted the swords, so his band of followers and disciples would be
considered lawless, that they would be considered revolutionaries, and Jesus himself would be counted among the lawless
Let’s read on so you can see what happens.
Verse 38.
They said, Lord, look, here are two swords.
And he replied, It’s enough
Two swords for twelve guys is not really the way to amass an army to go into battle.
Jesus did not want each of his disciples to have a sword on their thigh.
Rather, the two swords would be enough for him to be considered
counted among the lawless.
Then skip down to verse forty seven.
This is Luke twenty two, forty seven through fifty one.
While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them.
He approached Jesus to kiss him.
But Jesus said to him, Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?
When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, Lord, should we strike with the sword?
Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear
But Jesus said, No more of this, and he touched his ear and healed him
So this is the arrest of Jesus when he’s being betrayed by Judas.
And the disciples, two of them at least, had a sword.
The disciples said, Should we strike?
Should we kill?
Is it time to start the revolution?
And Jesus answer to the question, Should you kill?
Should you strike with the sword?
His response is no
No more of this.
So Jesus arms his disciples simply to fulfill prophecy
He did not arm his disciples in order for them to actually use it to take human life.
Should we strike with the sword?
Jesus says no more of this.
Should we, as followers of Jesus and the kingdom of God, engage in violent acts?
Jesus says, No more of this.
Jesus is not the destroyer.
He is the healer.
Jesus never carried a sword because he had no need for it.
He wasn’t a warrior
Jesus was a healer.
Now, in Matthew’s gospel, we have this one line in this same story of Jesus’ arrest.
And we’re told that Peter is the one who cuts off the uh the servant’s ear.
And in Matthew 26, 52.
We read this, Jesus said to him, put your sword back in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
If you live by the sword, you die by the sword.
If you live by violence, you will die by violence.
And why is that
Violence produces violence, which produces violence, which produces violence.
Now again, I’m answering the question about self-defense.
And I’m not going to answer it specifically as much as just give you more context.
around the teachings of Jesus so that you can see how this works out.
I’m not going to tell you whether or not
you you are able or whether it’s permissible for you to commit acts of violence and and self-defense because ultimately you’re going to need to seek the Lord and follow your own conscience
But I do want you to hear more of what Jesus taught.
And so in Matthew 26, he’s teaching this principle, live by the sword, die by the sword.
That killing bad guys only produces more bad guys.
And I think it has to be something that we reject
That violence only produces more violence, even in situations where we think it might be the only solution
But I believe that Christian non nonviolence should be our position, should be our default position, because if you think violence is always on the table, you’ll be looking for violent solutions.
But if you start from the core of Christian nonviolence, you’re going to look for nonviolent solutions to problems.
So, for example, in self-defense, there is a way to defend yourself without violence.
And I think those solutions are only possible if you start from a perspective.
Of Christian nonviolence.
Now, other people will ask questions about the moral obligations of nations
Right?
Some people will say, well, Romans chapter 13 says that governing authorities are God’s servant and that they do not bear the sword in vain.
So some Christians would say, yeah, we as Christians, okay, he’s telling us to put away our sword, but God has put the sword in the hands of the state.
And they do not bear the sword in vain.
Now, I’ve often put these the gospel teaching with Romans 13 together.
And in my mind, the church should be the moral conscience of the state.
And if
God has put the sword in the hands of the state, then the church should be like the voice of Jesus to Peter in saying to the state, put away the sword.
I don’t believe it’s our position as followers of Jesus to be clamoring for war and violence.
Rather, we should be the voice of moral constraint.
So if we look at this passage in Romans chapter 13, it really seems to me that this is speaking of a Christian’s
relationship to the ruling authorities as citizens under the jurisdiction of those authorities.
There’s nothing in this text that mentions military action between
to rival nations.
Also, the context of Romans 13 is Romans 12
Where we read commands to live peaceably with all, to never avenge yourselves, feed your enemy, overcome evil with good.
So the questions that come to mind when I consider Romans 13 in the context of Romans 12 is shouldn’t followers of Jesus be modeling and teaching?
this kind of peace as a witness to ruling authorities?
Shouldn’t we be calling ruling authorities to submit themselves to King Jesus and his teaching of enemy love?
Again, I leave those as questions.
I’m not going to answer as much as I am going to present the teachings of Jesus and then ask more questions.
But I will
address one more uh question and that is what about Christians serving in the military?
Because in Acts chapter ten, Cornelius, who is a Roman centurion,
Becomes a Christian.
And Peter doesn’t say, okay, you can become a Christian, but first you have to stop being a soldier.
This is often cited as evidence.
that a person can be a soldier and still remain a Christian.
And so for me, I take no issue with Christians who want to serve in the military.
My critique of war is not a critique of soldiers, particularly veterans
Men who come back from armed combat often carry with them the wounds of war and what they need from followers of Jesus
is a healing community.
They need a safe place to heal.
Because sometimes their wounds are visible.
But more often than not, veterans carry wounds of war that are hidden.
And I’m deeply troubled
Deeply burdened by the suicide rate among veterans and PTSD, post-traumatic stress syndrome
Which is so prevalent among veterans.
And so my opposition to war shouldn’t be understood as an opposition to soldiers.
Those who serve in the military are due our love and respect and empathy and prayers.
particularly veterans who come back with their wounds.
I am saddened
When peace activists take out their frustration with military leaders on soldiers.
Soldiers don’t deserve that.
And if they’re going to heal up, they need a community, they need a family that will embrace them.
And I believe that’s the Jesus way.
I do believe that the Jesus way is not to wage war.
But the way of Jesus is also not waging war against veterans who are struggling with more than I will ever understand.
And so to me, this is a case of holding things in tension in the Christian faith, because on one side, there is a a active love and care for people involved in war.
and on the other hand a direct opposition to war itself.
And so I’m not giving a lot of
answers or advice, but I would say to Christians considering military service, there are plenty of ways to serve in the military that don’t require you to engage in violence
Uh there’s combat medics and surgeons and military nurses.
There’s chaplaincy.
I considered that when I was in college.
In the early 1990s, I had met a guy at a college ministry, my freshman year of college, who had served in Iraq.
as a a chaplain’s assistant and he talked to me about all the ministry opportunities.
I considered it.
I I considered being a military chaplain.
Um, there’s also logistics and supply, there’s communications, there’s uh engineers, there’s intelligence, there’s transportation, there’s
There’s a lot of roles that don’t require you to engage in violence.
And to me, one of the most notable stories of Christians serving in the military is the story of Desmond Doss.
And for me, DOS stands out as one of the clearest modern examples of Christian nonviolence lived out in the midst of war.
His story was told in the 2016 Oscar-winning film Hacksaw Ridge.
And in the movie, Andrew Garfield plays DOS.
If you haven’t seen the movie, highly, highly recommend it.
I can’t believe it’s 10 years old.
But check out Hacksaw Ridge.
It’s going to tell you the story of Desmond Doss.
He was born in 1919.
He grew up in a Christian home.
And Daws developed a deep conviction that Christians should not take human life.
It was for him the commandment, thou shalt not kill, in addition to the teachings of Jesus that shaped his conscience from an early age.
Then World War II began, and Doss believed that he should serve his country.
He sensed that it was his duty.
But he refused to carry a weapon or kill another human being.
Instead, he enlisted as a combat medic
His commitment to nonviolence made him an outsider in the army, as you can imagine.
Fellow soldiers mocked him, they questioned his loyalty, and they viewed him as a coward.
Yet Doss remained steadfast.
He was a believer in Jesus, who believed in the peaceable ways of Jesus
And so he refused to bear arms as an act of Christian discipleship.
He believed following Jesus required him to preserve life rather than to destroy it.
And that conviction was put to the test during the Battle of Okinawa on Hacksaw Ridge in 1945.
And this is the climactic
uh part of the movie Hacksaw Ridge.
Because after an intense amount of fighting, American troops were forced to retreat.
But Daw stayed behind alone and unarmed on the battlefield to rescue wounded soldiers.
And amid gunfire and explosions, he would carry men to safety, most of them wounded, and would lower them down the ridge by a rope.
And after each rescue, Doss would pray, Lord help me get one more.
Instead of getting himself to safety, he looked for one more.
DOS is believed to have saved around 75 soldiers without ever firing a shot
in a setting World War two just dominated by hate and animosity and violence, he chose saving instead of killing.
And for his actions he became the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor.
And so the life of Desmond Doss is a powerful witness.
That Christian nonviolence isn’t cowardly.
It’s not weakness.
Rather, it’s a courageous faithfulness to Jesus.
And so that’s my case.
Perhaps an imperfect case, but that’s my case for Christian nonviolence.
Let me know what you think.
Find me on social media.
All my social media accounts are in the show notes.
Let me know what you think about this case and offer a rebuttal.
What have I missed?
What am I overlooking?
And maybe just
Just maybe examine the teachings of Jesus and see how it might lead you into becoming a peacemaker.
Well, that’s it for this episode.
Thank you for joining me.
Go in peace.
And be kind.
This transcript was generated with AI and may contain errors.