Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76i n s i g h t s on Peacemaking C ha rl e s S p u r g e o n It should ever be remembered that we have no war against persons, and that the weapons which we use are not such as are forged for the deadly conflicts of mankind. The wars of a Christian are against principles, against sins, against the miseries of mankind, against that Evil One who has led man astray from his Maker. Our wars are against the iniquity which keeps man an enemy to himself. The weapons that we use are holy arguments and consecrated lives, devotion and prayer to God, teaching and example. . . . Ours is battling for the peace, and fighting for rest. We disturb the world to make it quiet, and turn it upside down to set it right. . . . We have no sympathy with any other war, but count it an evil of the direst sort, let it be disguised as it may. Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892) was England’s most renowned preacher in the late nineteenth century. At age twenty he became pastor of London’s New Park Street Chapel. His sermons reached an estimated ten million people. J e a n n e t t e R a n k i n Boundaries are contacts as well as limits. At what point do the interests of our country meet and possibly conflict with those of other coun- tries? What are our real interests anyway and are they worth a war for their protection? And are the interests in question those of the nation as a whole or merely those of a small group of men or even of a single man? Are such clashes anyway settled better by heat and conflict or by a reasonable adjustment? Jeannette Rankin (1880–1973) was the first woman to be elected to the US Congress. A lifelong pacifist, she voted against US entry into both world wars. Rankin also championed the rights of women, children, and the poor. A n d ré T r o c m é Perhaps it is true that certain violent remedies employed against tyrants have put an end to certain forms of evil, but they have not elimi- nated evil. Evil itself will take root elsewhere, as we have seen through history. The fertil- izer that stimulates its growth is yesterday’s violence. Even “just wars” and “legitimate defense” bring vengeance in their train. Fresh crimes invariably ensue. But the future of the person who turns to God is not determined by the past, and therefore neither is the future of humanity. God’s forgiveness creates the pos- sibility of an entirely new future. The cross breaks the cycle of violence. Pastor André Trocmé (1901–1971) led a non- violent resistance movement in Le Chambon, France, during World War II. He and fellow villagers provided refuge for an estimated 2,500 Jews. After the war, he served as European sec- retary for the Fellowship of Reconciliation.  Carl Larsson, Fishing From WikiArt (public domain) Charles Spurgeon, “A Good Soldier of Jesus Christ” (Sermon No. 938), June 26, 1870 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. Jeanette Rankin, “Peace and the Disarmament Conference,” in Two Votes Against War: And Other Writings on Peace (A.J. Muste Memorial Institute, 2001). André Trocmé, Jesus and the Nonviolent Revolution (Plough, 2003) 152.