In Defence of Mothers and Sisters
by Henry Neufeld.

 The ultimate test of non-resistance for Mennonites in Russia occurred during the Bolshevik revolution. Non-resistance seemed ludicrous to many in the face of mounting violence. The armed Mennonite resistance reflected a bankruptcy in Mennonite peace theology, said historian Dr. John B. Toews in a recent Mennonite Historical Society of BC lecture.

 The Russian government had collapsed, the army disintegrated and was fighting amongst itself, and there was no police force: a situation ripe for criminal gangs and would-be-warlords wanting to seize power. This was what the Mennonites in Ukraine faced in 1918–1920.  In that situation, said Toews, armed gangs came and took whatever they wanted, murdering and raping in the process. Do you surrender to these lowest forms of evil or do you resist? Do you protect your mother and sisters?

 Retired history professor (University of Calgary and Regent College), Toews said when Mennonites found themselves in that chaotic situation, some decided to resist. They formed armed militia units, the Selbstschutz (self-defence) whose purpose was to protect, not to fight. Gradually they moved from being protectors and engaged in armed conflict.

 In considering armed self-defence, Mennonite church leaders debated the idea; they affirmed the non-resistance principle but allowed individuals to disagree and follow their own conscience. “A key element in the Mennonite confession of faith was declared optional,” said Toews.

 In the self-contained and self-governing Mennonite villages of Ukraine the line between government and church was unclear, blurring the interests of church and state.   “The Mennonites had made a decision (allowing individuals to join the Selbstschutz) and the Mennonite church is debating its theology of non-resistance when in fact it is already compromised,” he said.

 Toews did not fully blame the Mennonite pastors, many of whom lacked theological training. They were influenced by German evangelists whose preaching and teaching brought renewal to the soul along with overtones of German nationalism. The biblical and historic peace position did not retain its importance.

 Initially the self-defence idea seemed logical: the villages were threatened and self-defence was very different from actual participation in war. Protecting family and home was a fundamental duty.  Mennonites were seduced into fighting with the White Russian army against the Red Russians. The Red army was victorious and consequences began to be felt in Mennonite villages.

 The consequence of violence often is more violence. The Mennonite foray into militarism came to an ignoble end. Some members of the self-defence group were tried and executed by a military tribunal in Melitopol.  Mennonite villages were attacked, people massacred, and village buildings were burned: retaliation for Mennonite armed activity.

 Toews said the Mennonites finally did what they should have done all along: they organized a prayer meeting and prayed for forgiveness. In times of crisis, he said, the interests of the state tend to triumph over the church.

 Toews noted that Selbstschutz advocates lacked a long term perspective; to them non-resistance in the face of growing violence directed at families, women and children seemed ludicrous. The position of self-defence also reflected a bankrupt theology:  Mennonite leaders had listened to German theologians, none of whom considered non-resistance to be part of the gospel. When faced with violent evil to person and property the historic peace position seemed an abstract principle.

 We should not judge our ancestors too harshly, Toews cautioned, for, “like us, they lacked a theology of the suffering church.” For Mennonites in Ukraine, life was comfortable, perhaps too comfortable.  Then they had to learn to become a suffering church.

 If history tends to repeat itself, this lecture raises some troubling questions. What would we do if our well-ordered world erupted into chaos and lawlessness? Are we too comfortable with our government so that our prophetic voice is lost in the bureaucratic maelstrom? Do we look on idly as our country becomes increasingly militaristic?  If the self-defence in Ukraine represented a bankruptcy in peace theology, is that theology being practiced today? If, as Toews said, we need a theology of a suffering church, what might that look like?

 The annual MHSBC fundraising banquet attracted over 400 people.  The program also included hymn singing and a stirring rendition of Jerusalem played by cellist  Joel Stobbe and accompanied by Linda Stobbe on piano.