What Can We Learn from the Past?
Val Goold | Wednesday, 28th March, 2018
As we have been encountering events marking 100 years since the events of World War 1, and as we see and hear examples of war and violence every time we read news bulletins, Saints and Stirrers provides extra food for thought about the complexities around Christian convictions and choices in a time of war or upheaval. As we wrestle with questions about how we respond to conflict and war in our contemporary context this book provides a catalyst for us to consider: What can we learn from the examples of the past?
The nineteenth century examples in the first few chapters (Geoff Troughton on Samuel Marsden, Peter Lineham on Te Waharoa, and Stuart Lange on Te Mānihera and Kereopa) all discuss actors that were strongly shaped by a gospel witness imperative. Peace was an essential part of the message that was trying to be communicated by the early missionaries and also a key aspect of this new encounter for Māori with the Christian gospel. They each express the conviction that peace is a key part of God’s character and that our choices and action for peace can point to God in a transformative way. As I read the later chapters it seemed as though this missional edge to peace activism seemed far more quiet, and yet I wonder if it is needed today as much as at any time in history.
In his introduction Troughton rightly acknowledges that the non-violent resistance against government land-grabs pursued by Māori under the leadership of Te Whiti O Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi at Parihaka (1870s-1880s) was “remarkable” (p.19). Troughton also helpfully draws attention to the ways in which the Parihaka movement worked creatively with a variety of traditions, including a Christian peace tradition. I found it very challenging, however, to consider how few examples we have of pacifist stands by Pākehā (European) Christians during the New Zealand Wars in the 1860s-1880s. Should we be naming and lamenting a lack of pacifist responses by Christians during this time or are there more stories to yet to unearth?
As I read Saints and Stirrers I was particularly struck by the differing experience of the Seventh Day Adventists and the Jehovah’s Witnesses during the Second World War as described in the chapter by Peter Ballis. The Seventh Day Adventists were very proactive in finding a position that they believed would “attract the favourable attention of the public” (p.191) while clearly adhering to their denominational convictions. However, this caused division and schism that weakened the denomination in the coming years. In contrast, the Jehovah’s Witnesses aimed to take a more neutral stance, which had harsher outcomes for its adherents during the war, but may have strengthened denominational growth after the war because its members experienced “enhanced solidarity” (p.201). Leaders of denominations must be wrestling with the question “are the ends or the means more important?”
What does it take to make a stand against prevailing ideas and yet not do it alone? From this book I learned that many of the most strident and courageous pacifists also had significant issues in wider community contexts – whether it be among the gathered faithful or in wider public settings. Their struggles made me think about what it takes for a community to collectively challenge issues of injustice and demonstrate peace in our troubled world, and also whether compromise and concessions are the reality, despite fiercely held convictions. Most of the characters in Saints and Stirrers experienced as much isolation within their denomination as they did from wider society. The final chapter by David Grant recounts the story of Reverend Ormond Burton, a prominent spokesperson for non-violence during the Second World War. Burton identified a key aspect of peace initiatives at his trial when he said: “I ask you to acquit me – not that I may be saved from imprisonment, but that something more important than myself shall live – the real freedom to think and to speak as conscience dictates” (p.215). Burton had deep Christian convictions, but he also exhibited a confronting personality that alienated him within his Methodist denomination, the wider peace movement, and the wider political and social context. It is often not easy to walk with “stirrers” (as many have experienced in their encounters with Jesus!!) but after reading this book I am convinced of the need for there to be more Christian expressions of saints who are also stirrers to be witnesses to the peace gospel so that the many in this world who experience hurt and violence as an everyday reality might also know God’s presence and hope.
Val Goold teaches at Laidlaw College in Auckland and is Pouwhakahaere (Campus Director) for Laidlaw College in Manukau. She is of Rangitane O Wairau descent. She was a history teacher for a number of years and worked previously with Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship where she led Student Ministries.