Stanley Hauerwas said the following in this interview (excerpt starts at about 34.40) :

“I didn’t want to be committed to non-violence. I still don’t wanna…I mean, you know, I’m a very violent guy. I tell people that I don’t like the language of pacifism because it sounds like a position separate from your Christology and it is just so passive. But I tell people that I’m committed to Christian non-violence because I have no faith in my ability to live that on my own. So by creating expectations in others I hope they’ll keep me faithful to what I know is true.”

I couldn’t have said it better.

This last weekend I was at the home of some of my friends and we began discussing Christian non-violence. He told me he was surprised to find that non-violence was so important to what I think it means to be a disciple. I was excited to explain my views and I hope he found them convincing. The more of us who try together to follow Jesus in this way the better it will be for us.