In October, GC Bellflower in Southern California hosted a three-day weekend retreat centered around the message of the nonviolent gospel as revealed in Jesus. Our guest teachers were Anthony and Linda Bartlett of the Bethany Center community in Syracuse, NY, and our invitation was to come and join others who are open to learning about the nonviolent Bible. It drew more than thirty participants over the course of the weekend (including a few virtual attendees). Half were neighbors from the community, including two followers of Islam.
The interactive teaching sessions took place in the shade of my family’s yard. Sitting in a circle, we were in the company of Jesus to learn from Him the way of nonviolence, His way of being human, which is hope for the world. We rehearsed what has happened before among Christians, the terror of war with its staggering death toll and the continuing threat of wars.
We talked of how violence is an illness between humans, a disease of mutual and mimetic nature, the economics of rivalry, to be cured only by forgiveness and love. We talked of war and the Bible, and how Jesus heals any connection between the two. We shared our stories and prayed for one another. We deconstructed key anthropological elements of the story of Jonah by comparing it to a parallel Japanese account and respected how Jesus can calm our storms of violence and destruction with his word.
On Saturday, our Muslim guests stayed from early morning to late in the night. They represent an eagerness to learn about Jesus and the Bible. We all enjoyed singing and praying; we were, in effect, together with Him, in love and peace like branches on the vine. We were in His house and communion of peace, which is the church.
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