Messianic Pacificism

Pacifists are sometimes taken seriously, but pacifism rarely. I mean pacifism as a coherent intellectual and social-ethical position. The theologians of liberation and revolution, for example, are extremely critical of ethical Realism, yet they continue to accept Realism's rejection of pacifism. The dogmatic assumption that Niebuhr's arguments against pacifism were and are decisive has almost precluded serious intellectual attention to pacifism. Our socialethical reflection and options are the poorer because of this lack. John Howard Yoder, however, has formulated a pacifist position that provides a rationale and form for a Christian social ethic that actively engages the world. Yoder's highly creative work should stimulate a renewed interest in this traditional option.