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Rooted in ResistanceStories and ReflectionsOne of the most meaningful ways to inspire congregationsto resist war is to tell stories of thosewho have faced the tough choices of peacemaking.Following are some stories that can be used in theworship service, as inspiration, or as discussionpoints.CO’s sitting at theentrance of a tentin Clear Lake,Riding MountainNational Park.MHC Ed Brooks PhotoCollectionConscientious objection did not begin with the war resisters in the1940s. The thread of resistance to evil systems began already inOld Testament times, in stories like the midwives in Egypt(Exodus 1:15-22) or Daniel and his friends (Daniel 3 and 6).Jesus went on to model firm but loving confrontation of thestatus quo. The early church wrestled to understand what followingJesus meant in their Roman context. The Church andstate became allied during the Emperor Constantine, and the “justwar” framework was elaborated. The Anabaptists were imprisoned and gave up their livesin opposition to laws that ran contrary to their non-violent convictions. People in Canadaharboured runaway slaves because of their beliefs against slavery. And so on.The peace churches have historically called their position one of non-resistance, a referenceto the choice against violence. While building on this historical understanding, this packetemphasizes that for followers of Christ choosing against war and in favour of peacerequires active resistance to the forces of violence in our world. 1God has been inspiring and empowering peacemakers in all of history, leading up to thispoint. It is now our turn to continue the work of resisting war and cultivating peace.The Church tills the soil for conscientious objectionDuring World War I, there was no official option to be a conscientious objector in Canada,and this created many conflicts for the young men at the time. Some even suffered anddied because they refused to fight. Because of this experience, church leaders took on thetask of actively intervening with the government seeking alternatives in keeping with theirpeace theology. In November 1940, they met with Canadian government officials. As analternative to military conscription, they proposed a service administered by the churchthat would be active in relief work, public works, forestry, and health and welfare services.The government representatives suggested instead a non-combatant service under militarycontrol and both sides became frustrated.At one point a heated exchange took place between Deputy Minister Lafleche and Rev.Jacob H. Janzen, one of the Mennonite leaders from Ontario.Lafleche asked: “What will you do if we shoot you?” Janzen, who had survived severaldesperate situations in the Soviet Union became agitated and replied: “Listen, General, youcan’t scare us like that. I’ve looked down too many rifle barrels in my time. This thing hasbeen in our blood for 400 years and you can’t take it away from us like you’d crack apiece of kindling over your knee. I’ve been before a firing squad twice. We believe in this.”Eventually, the delegation’s persistence paid off, and the alternative service option wasapproved. —adapted from www.alternativeservice.ca71For further reflection see Tom R. Yoder-Neufeld, Resistance and Nonresistance: The Two Legs of a BiblicalPeace Stance cited in the “Turning over the soil” section.