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A review by leswag97
Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands But Most Christians Have Never Really Tried by Ronald J. Sider
4.0
This work by Ron Sider is an incredible resource, not only for the historic peace churches and Christians committed to nonviolence, but for all Christians, the majority of whom would consider themselves Just War adherents. Sider presents a detailed and insightful look into successful nonviolent movements in the 20th century especially, all of which stand in stark contrast to the bloodbaths of the two World Wars and many other violent revolutions, genocides, etc. Not only does he draw attention to the popular nonviolent movements of Gandhi in India and King in the U.S., but he also focuses on lesser known successful nonviolent movements and revolutions, even in some places where it would be deemed unlikely that nonviolent action could hold any true power, such as in the Soviet Union, Egypt, Liberia, Philippines, and Nicaragua.
Perhaps most helpful is Sider's final section of the book in which he details and lays out what would be required to truly test the far-reaching potential of nonviolent action. While much effort, time, and money has been poured into military campaigns and violent power, the amount of effort, time, and money that has been poured into international and domestic peacemaking pales in comparison. If Christians, and countries and nations worldwide, truly desire world peace, justice, and equity among all peoples, we must be committed to peacemaking whatever the cost. Even within the Just War Tradition, the hope is that war would be the last resort, only after other negotiations and peace-making agreements have been tried and tested. That being said, it is important to make peace-making, seeking of justice by nonviolent means, and even nonviolent revolutions a top priority. This is especially the case, because of the fact that we live in an age of nuclear warfare, which could and would have ramifications that would be deadly not only to combatants, but to non-combatants as well.
Reading this book in the midst of state-wide, national, and even global protests against racism and white supremacy casts it in a totally different light, as well. At the end of May, 2020, I had the opportunity to join in a peaceful protest against racism and in support of Black lives, in Tulsa, OK. On that Saturday, as I was joined by hundreds of other peaceful protesters, we were able to travel throughout the city on foot, even blocking one of the main highways in the city, stopping traffic for well over half an hour. Ultimately, this led to a timely meeting with the mayor of the city, in hopes of having our demands heard and met. On that day, I witnessed firsthand the tip of the iceberg of nonviolent and peaceful protesting, which can and will and has led to powerful change in cities and nations worldwide.
Perhaps most helpful is Sider's final section of the book in which he details and lays out what would be required to truly test the far-reaching potential of nonviolent action. While much effort, time, and money has been poured into military campaigns and violent power, the amount of effort, time, and money that has been poured into international and domestic peacemaking pales in comparison. If Christians, and countries and nations worldwide, truly desire world peace, justice, and equity among all peoples, we must be committed to peacemaking whatever the cost. Even within the Just War Tradition, the hope is that war would be the last resort, only after other negotiations and peace-making agreements have been tried and tested. That being said, it is important to make peace-making, seeking of justice by nonviolent means, and even nonviolent revolutions a top priority. This is especially the case, because of the fact that we live in an age of nuclear warfare, which could and would have ramifications that would be deadly not only to combatants, but to non-combatants as well.
Reading this book in the midst of state-wide, national, and even global protests against racism and white supremacy casts it in a totally different light, as well. At the end of May, 2020, I had the opportunity to join in a peaceful protest against racism and in support of Black lives, in Tulsa, OK. On that Saturday, as I was joined by hundreds of other peaceful protesters, we were able to travel throughout the city on foot, even blocking one of the main highways in the city, stopping traffic for well over half an hour. Ultimately, this led to a timely meeting with the mayor of the city, in hopes of having our demands heard and met. On that day, I witnessed firsthand the tip of the iceberg of nonviolent and peaceful protesting, which can and will and has led to powerful change in cities and nations worldwide.