Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God, not through violent resistance, but by dying on a cross at the hands of the Roman empire. Life in the Kingdom is marked by peace rather than violence, and the Church serves as a witness to that reality (Hays 338). The Church does so, not by shying away from conflict, but by actively facing it with truth and forgiveness (Hauerwas 31). Christians’ forgiveness is not lorded over others as a form of power but is owed to one another because we have already been forgiven by Christ (29).
The Church’s concern for peace requires a general rejection of violence. While the Church has disagreed on issues of pacifism and just war in the public sphere (Hays 341-342), the Church itself is a community of peace, called to follow Jesus on the way of peace and suffering rather than wielding the coercive sword over others (Hays 342-343). The Church’s rejection of violence requires a consistent ethic of life, “respecting, protecting, and enhancing human life at every stage and in every context” (Gushee 249). The Church is particularly challenged to exercise such an ethic in the 20th-21st-century debates over abortion. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) requires Christians to become neighbors to “those who are helpless”, even those “whom we might not have regarded as worthy of our compassion” (Hays 451). All human life has value because it is created by God in His own image (Gushee 250-251). Abortion rejects the responsibilities humans and, particularly Christians, have towards all life, particularly unborn life (Callahan 268-269). Churches have a responsibility to care for mothers and children, particularly those who are in need, as an expression of Christ’s self-giving love to us in order to bring us peace in the Kingdom (Hays 458-460).
Callahan, Sidney, "Abortion and the Sexual Agenda" in Ahearn, David Oki and Peter R. Gathje. Doing Right and Being Good: Catholic and Protestant Readings in Christian Ethics. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2005.
Gushee, David, "The Consistent Ethic of Life" in Ahearn, David Oki and Peter R. Gathje. Doing Right and Being Good: Catholic and Protestant Readings in Christian Ethics. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2005.
Hauerwas, Stanley, "Peacemaking: the Virtue of the Church" in Ahearn, David Oki and Peter R. Gathje. Doing Right and Being Good: Catholic and Protestant Readings in Christian Ethics. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2005.
Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament. New York, NY: HarperOne, 1996.