Brethren

Church of the Brethren

Prophetic Proclamation and Action for Peace

They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isa. 2:4).

In the tradition of Moses to Malachi, prophetic proclamation and action has been a distinctive part of our heritage. The prophetic, whether a word of judgment, a cry of anguish, a symbolic act of resistance or defiance, a confession, or a vision of hope and promise, always presupposes that Yahweh is active in our time. Jesus, our prophet, modeled the prophetic in the way he taught, preached, and performed miracles. Paul proclaimed this prophetic tradition as the inheritance of the church, seeing it as one of God’s greatest gifts to the church and ranking the prophet second only to an apostle in honor and importance in its life (1 Cor. 12:28-29).

It is to this prophetic tradition that the Church of the Brethren aspires in its proclamations and actions for peace with justice as it:

1. declares that peace is the will of God and all war is sin;

2. calls all its members not to participate in the military in any way and to find constructive avenues of peacemaking;

3. proclaims that our first allegiance is to God even when obedience requires civil disobedience;

4. condemns the outrageous expenditures of the state for military forces and weapons of destruction, and condemns national security doctrines and strategies of deterrence that rationalize such expenditures and the militarization of societies;

5. calls for complete nuclear, biological and chemical weapons disarmament;

6. calls on government for the provision of alternatives to heavy taxes for the military and supports those who are war tax resisters;

7. encourages the boycott of products produced and sold by companies that derive large amounts of their income from military contracts;

8. provides sanctuary and refuge for those who illegally enter our country seeking a safe haven from war and/or threats to their lives because of political beliefs.

(From 1991 Annual Conference Statement, “Peacemaking: the Calling of God’s People in History”)

For further information, contact: Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120-1694; www.brethren.org

Hutterian Brethren, Church of Christ (Hutterites)

We can have no part in the financing of war operations through the purchase of war bonds and war taxes in any form or through voluntary contributions to any of the organizations or activities falling under the category described immediately above, unless such contributions are used for civilian relief or similar purposes.

(From a statement by Montana Hutterites, 1951)

For further information, contact: Rev. William Gross, 3610 N. Wood Road, Reardon, WA 99029; Rev. Joseph J. Waldner, #1129, Havre, MT 59501; Rev. Joseph J. Hofer, Rim Rock Colony, Sunburst, MT 59482; Rev. Joseph D. Waldner, #34, Route 1, Sun River, MT 59483; Rev. Peter J. Hofer, Harlowtown, MT 59036; Rev. John J. Entz, Ulm, MT 59485; Rev. John J. Wipf, Box 417, Cut Bank, MT 59427; Rev. Paul P. Wipf, Chester, MT 59522; www.hutterianbrethren.com