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“Peace, Peace, but there is No Peace”: A Critique of Christian Pacifist Communitarianism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2008

Phillip W. Gray
Phillip W. Gray*
Affiliation:
Hong Kong Baptist University
*
Address correspondence and reprint request to: Phillip W. Gray, Department of Government and International Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, 8F, David C. Liam Building, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong HKSAR. E-mail: pwgray@hkbu.edu.hk
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Abstract

The communal elements of Christianity are of increasing concern to religious thinkers. Indeed, for some religious thinkers, the importance of community is paramount in Christian belief and practice, especially as these communitarian views interact and enhance Christian pacifism. The community of Christians as the “peaceable kingdom” becomes the core element of Christian life. But is this pacifist communitarian Christianity tenable? In this article, I will argue that pacifist communitarianism leads to unexpected and objectionable consequences. Specifically, I will consider the views of John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas. By explicating the weaknesses of their pacifist views, most especially on the issue of coercion and the notion of “Constantinianism,” I will show that both thinkers tend toward a view of Christian separatism vis-à-vis the secular world. Both thinkers' systems present problems in communicating truth to those not already in the community. Finally, their communitarian views conflict with their pacifism, in the end requiring those not within the community to act as if they were members.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 1 , Issue 3 , December 2008 , pp. 411 - 435
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2008

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Footnotes

The author would like to thank Sara R. Jordan, Cary J. Nederman, and the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions.

References

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