What does Gospel nonviolence look like in action? The Fellowship of Reconciliation held a joint conference with the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship looking at this, and included a talk from the Revd David Mumford. Over a series of 14 blogs, some short and some longer, he outlines the different themes and topics covered in his presentation.
There are many examples of Christian pacifism and other forms of nonviolence in the twentieth century (FoR has gathered many of them together in Nonviolence Works!). Some of the most famous include the Revd Dr Martin Luther King Jr and German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
Following in the footsteps of Jesus and the early Christians, are people such as the blessed Franz Jägerstätter who refused to be conscripted into the army. He refused to bear weapons. Although he offered to do unarmed medical work, this offer was refused and he was sentenced to death. He was executed on 9th August 1943 in Brandenburg. In 2007 the Vatican recognised the martyrdom of Franz Jägerstätter. The Austrian bishops conference described him as a martyr of conscience and a witness to the sermon on the mount.
