I struggle with being a Christian. I struggle with what it means to faithfully live out a Christian life that is honest to the demands of Jesus. I struggle with questions about the Christian faith, many of which center around Jesus. I don’t have the answers to my questions, and probably never will, but ultimately I decided to follow the Christian faith because of the human Jesus. For me, it is not about his death, it is about his life and teachings. I have always believed in the possibility for a better world and I think Jesus’ teachings provide a radical and beautiful way to create something better.
When I graduated from college I felt the need to actively practice being a Christian and spent a year in Guatemala through the Young Adult Volunteer Program of the Presbyterian Church, USA. Guatemala is a country that barely survived a brutal 36 year civil war that left a scarred nation plagued by violence. Before living in Guatemala I was unsure of my dedication to non-violence. Academically and theologically I understood that Jesus’ stance on violence was clear and indisputable. However, our culture often trumps biblical constancy and I allowed of myriad of things to influence my views on nonviolence. I used to support violence in certain instances because I felt it was the only applicable way to protect life. Then I lived in a country where violence ruled. The violence in Guatemala is the remnants of their civil war and is deeply entrenched in the culture and lifestyles of the people. That experience made me realize that the only way to create peace is through non-violence. You can’t fight violence with violence because it is the civilians who pay the highest price. I realized it is the lives that I wanted to protect, via violence, that are the ones that are lost.
Since returning from Guatemala I have been actively exploring what it means to embrace nonviolent principles, and what Jesus meant by nonviolence. I am finding this is one of my most difficult journeys, but also the most fulfilling. This is the most intentional faith journey I have undertaken, and will probably remain the most difficult. Nonviolence is not a spiritual idea, it is a way of life. These struggles have brought me to the decision that I need to spend a month in Colombia, South America, as an accompanier through the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s Colombia Accompaniment program.
The program was created in 2004 in response to a requests from the Presbyterian Church of Colombia (IPC). Colombia is a rich country with fertile land and yet many people die from hunger and are displaced from their land. Colombia is another country where violence rules. There are four armies that fight over the land in order to grow coca for the cocaine trade and for the development of oil fields and it is the civilians who are most affected. They are thrown from their land and forced to live in displacement camps. Currently Colombia has about 4,000,000 displaced people who live in camps without access to their basic needs. Four million people. When Colombians speak out on behalf of these displaced peoples the government declares them enemies, putting their lives in danger.
The IPC decided, despite the dangers, it must speak out against the killings in Colombia and offer services to the displaced. The leaders of the IPC soon received death threats and became victims of arbitrary arrests. So they asked for help and the Colombian Accompaniment Program was created to stand in solidarity and protect Colombians via nonviolent, direct action. This type of action is called protective accompaniment which maintains a steady presence in vulnerable communities with the intention of deterring attacks, or acting as a witness to report and internationalize any violence that might occur.
So, I continue my journey of nonviolence by becoming a peacemaker. We have to work to create peace, it cannot be an ideal we keep on a shelf. I know the only way we can truly create peace is through nonviolent direct action. I also believe that engaging in a nonviolent lifestyle is the core of what it means to follow Jesus.
