A few weeks ago we were at the end of our rope. We had endured several years of difficulties, especially as it related to our family - and particularly our daughter. Now, for five weeks straight, our daughter was coming to us in the middle of the night - every night - and telling us that she was having nightmares. We know this is a phase that many young children go through, but because of the frequency with which they were happening and her inability to ever tell us about her dreams at all, at first we thought this was just a ploy for her to get our attention and sleep with us, but we began to see that there was genuine fear each night as we were going to bed. At the same time, her behavior became increasingly horrible again, which could be expected with nightly loss of sleep. But this was to another degree. She began having some very severe rages again. We watched her spiritual life decline. For no apparent reason she didn't ever want to pray anymore. She seemed to be taking pleasure in her cruel behavior, and we were seeing no signs of her sweet compassion or repentance we knew before. She began acting very hateful toward us, yelling that she hated us and that we didn't love her during her rages. 

As usual, Catalina caught the brunt of her nasty behavior, and it was clear that Catalina was really struggling with this major stress, too. Providentially, Elin's worst meltdown yet happened the night before Catalina was set to leave for our organization's Europe Women's Retreat. While there, she sought prayer from the more veteran missionary ladies. She went in, saying that she didn't really even know what to ask for per se. She knew she needed prayer about the anger she was struggling with, and then she began slowly telling the struggles that we've faced with Elin ever since arriving on the field - how her personality has done a complete 180 from when we were in the States. Without hesitation, the other women immediately declared that our experiences sounded like spiritual warfare. I'm not talking about the metaphoric spiritual warfare we always mention and don't really believe. I mean real warfare. They prayed fervently with hands over Catalina, praying for and declaring the Lord's victory over our situation - praying like they were doing battle.When Catalina got home we began to pray over our children each night - not simply for peaceful sleep - but that God would sanctify us and our house, that he would post angels around us to guard us, and that he would drive away any demonic forces which surrounded us. We rebuked the evil forces and declared God's victory.

Her first night back, Catalina slept with Elin after praying over the room. It was the first night Elin didn't have a nightmare, but Catalina had the worst, very vivid, very demonic nightmare she can remember. And after all this time of not really even knowing if Elin was telling the truth, the second night after Catalina's return, our daughter opened up to my wife and told her that in her dreams, there were dark monsters chasing and trying to eat her. She said she couldn't speak at all in her dreams and always wanted to find her sword. We were heartbroken for her. The next day - a Sunday - we taught our children the Armor of God for the first time. We acted it out and reviewed it over and over. We prayed it again before she went to bed. 
The nightmares immediately stopped. Elin has only had one nightmare in the last seven weeks, and that was on the only night in that time span we broke our discipline of praying over our children before we went to bed. ​​

- "Fight" (book): This is a good, comprehensive book (by an Evangelical who is also Reformed) which begins in the OT, goes through Revelation, discusses church history, and ends with common objections. Because it covers so much and is directed for regular people, it's not as in-depth as some of the other resources below. It digs pretty deep, but you'll definitely need more. Nevertheless, it's a wonderful aerial view that will help the rest of the sources to fill in the gaps. You can also check out an interview the author had with the Gospel Coalition where he addresses some questions. 

- "The Early Church on Killing" (book): This book compiles the early church documents and quotes with references to violence (abortion, murder, warfare, capital punishment, soldiering, being a politician, etc). It references quotes that could also be questionable for the case of pacifism. 

- "The Crucifixion of the Warrior God" (book): I recommend this book above all others for a comprehensive look at non-violence, but only if you want a heavy, long read. I heard a lot of negative things from my conservative community said about the author of this book, Greg Boyd. After reading the book, I am ashamed my community seems to have failed at being thoughtful. You can't just dismiss the things Boyd says as "Liberal" or "misguided." We can't make Christianity like we've made our moral schemes and politics - packaged platforms with an all or nothing choice. This book comes in two volumes, and sits at about 1500 pages. There are references galore. Even if you end up dismissing Boyd's explanation for violent attributions of God in the Bible (volume 2), you have to deal with the 600 pages Boyd spent tearing down modern hermeneutics in volume 1, which are often shown to be incomplete, shortsighted, and culturally influenced hermeneutics. Boyd explores how the NT writers handled OT scriptures, he explains the moral problems with divine violence and the character of God, he attacks modern notions of empiricism and the historical approach to the Bible as stand-alone hermeneutics, and he just rips Christian hypocrisy and syncretism to shreds in his call for us to be consistent. Even if Boyd's positive assertion in volume 2 ends up being wrong, his attacks on what we think we know are powerful and require the Christian community to do a lot of work if they want to maintain some of the views they currently hold. Wherever you land, this book gets you to think. It is extremely academic, but extremely powerful. You don't have to latch on to all of Boyd's theology to appreciate what he has written here. 

- Tim Mackie from the Bible Project (podcasts): Tim Mackie is a brilliant theologian who I believe does a great job putting the Bible into its historical context, and faithfully works within the Bible's tension of it as both a human and divine work. There is an interview where Mackie works through both Revelation and the Old Testament violence, and an extended podcast where he fleshes that out in a six part series. 

- "It's Just War" video debate (Youtube): This is the debate that kicked off my inquiry into pacifism. It's a great discussion and I think the pacifists win pretty handily. If I didn't think they won, I wouldn't be in their camp today. 

- Pacifism, Just War, and Peace (Youtube): A video with three speakers who explore the early church context of non-violence, what that looks like in the real world, and an evaluation of the Just War Theory in contrast to pacifism. 

- Pablo Yoder's Testimony (Youtube): ​A wonderful testimony of how this regular Christian has prepared for and implemented non-violence, the impact it's had on him and his family, and the influence it has had on the lives of others. 

​- Naked Bible Podcast (or Youtube): This particular episode is on the two swords of Luke, referenced in my counter-rebuttal to the idea that Christ validated self-defense in telling his disciples to arm themselves. While the episode is on that specific passage, I think it not only undercuts the initial rebuttal against pacifism, but shows how Christ was instituting an expectation for non-violence through the passage. It's a good reminder about how we can insert interpretations into the text because of tradition or misunderstanding, and the speaker points out a number of ways that we have done this in such an obvious manner (e.g. Christ being numbered with the transgressors so obviously has nothing to do with the thieves on the cross in context, yet that's how most interpret it today). 

-Unbelievable Podcast: "Unbelievable" is a fantastic podcast for tons of Christian issues. You always get to hear a proponent from each side argue their position. In this episode you can hear Hauerwas and Biggar - Duke vs. Oxford - have a cordial discussion on the topic. They're two of the greatest minds for their respective side and the podcast will fill you in on the main points and contentions in about an hour.

-The Christian Humanist Podcast: While I don't think any of the speakers on this episode are full-fledged pacifists, they do a pretty fair job explaining the positions and elaborating. 

- The Politics of Jesus Book: John Howard Yoder writes a phenomenal book that explains why we need to take Christ's words and commands seriously rather than metaphorically. He really focuses on the two kingdoms and explains what allegiance to the Kingdom means for our subordination to our kingdom (nation). I recommend the book, but if you want something a bit shorter, I pulled out the best quotes and summarized this book here. 

- The Anatomy of a Hybrid Book: While there are better sources for the history of individuals or time periods, I think this book does a good job of making a case for the problems we get when the church and state are married. It helps to explain why a Europe run by professing Christians can be such a horrendous place to live - why there were tortures, wars amongst Christians, etc. Whereas "The Politics of Jesus" focuses on Christ and his teaching, this book focuses on how an allegiance to nations and kingdoms along with or over Christ plays out. 

Telling the Truth About the Sacrifices of War Article: Stanley Hauerwas explores how war is a secular religion and idol that Christians ought to avoid. He delves into the role of the church, the Lordship of Christ, and the City of God vs. the City of Man. I believe he does a good job getting Christians to think about their role in this world and how war is antithetical not only to our Christian ethic, but to the Lordship of Christ and the vision of the Kingdom we are supposed to be spreading. 

- Letters from a Birmingham Jail: This isn't specifically about Pacifism, but it's a fantastic document to read from a man who implements non-violence. There is some talk about non-violence, but I think the main thing it does is show how non-violence is not inaction. It can be a very active path. Martin Luther King Jr. is so eloquent here, and this is one of the best pieces of prose you'll find in the English language. 

- The Case for Christian Realism Article: Stanley Hauerwas is an influential, intellectual who happens to be a pacifist. In this article he assesses the Just War position and explains how it is as unrealistic (or more so) than pacifism. Pacifism can be lived out, but there has never been such a thing as a just war. It seems an impossibility to implement. 

​- Does ISIS Prove Non-Violence Wrong Article: This article takes a modern day issue and discusses non-violence. It also provides a good list of successful non-violence campaigns from around the time of Christ until today. 

- Love Your Enemies Audio by MLK: Martin Luther King Jr.'s voice is a treat to listen to in and of itself. He is so well spoken, genuine, and compelling. But hearing about enemy love from him with an understanding of his persecution and ultimate assassination just infuses this sermon with meaning. I have nothing to say to a man who preaches love and embodies it at the cost of his own well-being, and ultimately his life. While you might say that King is a fallible man and could have embodied the wrong ethic, what then do you have to say to Christ who unarguably preached and embodied the same ethic? The ethic isn't only for God. It's for us too. Jesus is a living example, and so is MLK. But sometimes its helpful to see a more contemporary example and actually hear their voice. I hope you will see Christ through MLK's example and words. 

- The Upside Down Kingdom Book: This book isn't really about pacifism at all. It does have one chapter on it, but it can easily be skipped. The first time I read this book I wasn't even thinking about pacifism. I found the book to be extremely profound and applicable to anyone's Christian life. I highly recommend this book for every Christian, even if you want to skip the chapter on pacifism. The reason I'm recommending it here is because I have been arguing that pacifism isn't inaction (or passive). Pacifism is a mindset - a theology. It's a foundation for living. "The Upside Down Kingdom" is essentially a layman's version of Yoder's "The Politics of Jesus," which looks at what a Christian's life should look like in light of Christ's teachings. It's a fantastic book. 

- Christian Pacifism Article: This is a pretty long article, but it does a good job highlighting some of the main theological grounding for Christian pacifism. It's not so much an argument as it is a framework for understanding how pacifists come to the conclusions they do. It really gets at the core of pacifism and is a good jumping off point to research more. 

​- Why Civil Resistance Works book: Modern research which indicates that non-violent movements are far more effective than those which are violent. 

- Quotes 1, Quotes 2, Quotes 3: These are some quotes from the early church fathers. While I included a lot of these in the tradition section, there are more here I left out. 

I tried to compile all of the best rebuttals I could think of and find, and then refute them - or at least supply a reasoned alternative. I'm sure I have missed some arguments, but I believe these are pretty representative. 

The following quotes are not intended as proofs that pacifism is true. They are, however, an undergirding of the truths already put forward. In these quotes you will find individuals who have thought deeply about their experiences with evil and love, violence and non-violence. Most on this list had to confront violence head-on. Some, like Ronald Skirth, were actually converted to pacifism because of his use of violence and his experience with it. Some, like Bonhoeffer, were pacifistic, but gave that up when facing an evil they felt they had to address with violence. And others, like MLK, held on to non-violence throughout life.

These quotes express what some great minds have contemplated and learned about non-violence. These quotes aren't just sayings by idealists, but ideas from great people, most of which endured enormous horrors. I think you'll find these quotes insightful, as they bring to life some of the ideas and implications of violence and pacifism that may seem a bit more esoteric. ​I hope to grow this list as I come across good quotes. 

​This section deals with extra-biblical accounts of individuals who have embraced non-violence, if not as a whole lifestyle and ethic, at least as a strategy in certain parts of their life. These accounts are not proof that non-violence is right, but I think they help to paint a picture of what it looks like to embrace non-violence, why it can be important to embrace non-violence for the sake of a message, and show that non-violence doesn't mean that one is disengaged from meaningful actions and encounters in life. Sometimes it's easier to process difficult to digest information when you are able to see how a concept plays out in real life, especially when some examples are temporally closer to home.

If you want more examples than those below, this article provides a good list of not only non-violent campaigns throughout history, but successful ones. The article also deals with what non-violence may look like today in countries like Syria or Iraq.