Sex, Love and…Peacemaking?

IV.    Vows of Voluntary Sacrifice

“We freely offer up our appetites, wealth, and pride to relieve the suffering of the world, for the sake of our neighbors and God’s joy.”

17. I will discipline my sexual appetite by practicing chastity and purity in my relationships and recreation; I will treat sexual intimacy as a public, lifelong and exclusive covenant for marriage; I will respect the bodily image and sexual dignity of each person as a child of God, and refrain from lust and pornographic media.

(by D. Sharon Pruitt via Flickr)

Wait—sexual intimacy? What does that have to do with nonviolent Christian discipleship? That sounds a whole lot more pleasant than that “expect to be persecuted and bear your crosses” stuff in the other vows!

When we talk about the very real specter of sexual violence and abuse in war-ravaged settings or even behind domestic doors, the connection between sexuality and Christian nonviolence is abundantly clear. But the clarity dissipates as we move closer to our own practices and experiences of sexuality (though some of us may indeed have experienced or even committed some of this more explicit violence).

Let it Begin with Me

III.    Vows of Nonviolent Witness

“We pledge to act in allegiance to God alone, and to resist injustice with goodness”

Penn State Special Collections via Flickr

14. I will seek to abolish war and the causes of war from my own heart and from the world around me.

Many reasons are given for specific occurrences of violence and war. Some sound more honorable than others: We needed to strike back in self-defense, compassion obligated us to stand with an oppressed group or friend or ally. Some are more critical: He was jealous and drunk, those two had a sour history already, they were after desperate for more resources or money, they wanted to prove their power and be taken seriously. Some of these may be true at times, but every act of violence and war whether at home, in the neighborhood or overseas arises from a cocktail of causes.

The Fruitful

I.        Vow of Affirmation

“We devote our daily life to God, and to serving our neighbors as images of God”

3. I will live, speak and act with truth, compassion, kindness, gentleness, mercy, patience, generosity, and expectant hope that others will respond in kind.

purpletwinkie via Flickr

The call to Christian peacemaking involves our whole being and takes place in the whole of life. It involves our thinking and speaking as well as our acting. It is manifested in more than just retaliation from harmful force and power—in fact it is characterized as much by positive action as by negative avoidances. Among these positive responses, the diverse fruit of the Spirit are clear signs and elements of Christ’s peaceful way.