Gospel or active nonviolence is the mission of Jesus’ nonviolent love of friends and enemies. (Matthew 5:44, John 15:9-13)
Nonviolence is a spirituality, a way of life, a method for change, and a universal ethic. It is at the heart of the Gospel, in which Jesus combined the rejection of violence with the power of love in action. Followers of Jesus are summoned to the way of faithful nonviolence, especially as we face the realities of violence in our communities and around the world.
Violence is utterly opposed to the Gospel; nonviolence is at the heart of the Gospel. Being Christian meant rejecting violence and loving one another. Being Christian meant taking up the nonviolent life as part of a nonviolent community.
Jesus’ nonviolence was the transformative power of love in action and resistance. As a way of life, Jesus calls us to develop the habits and practices of active nonviolence in our daily life.
