Addressing Militarism in U.S. Christianity

In nine years of peace work next door to a major military base during wartime, I've become convinced that what I call "American War Christianity" is a central pillar of the self-perpetuating American war machine christened the "Military-Industrial Complex" by President Eisenhower. Ike saw this "spiritual" aspect of the MIC, but little useful scholarly or activist attention has followed up on this insight.

Given this premise, I'm also persuaded that antiwar work will not make much progress until it understands and figures out how to begin dismantling this "American War Christianity," or AWC.

So we'll undertake to get started on this project. I hope to look at the history of AWC, its biblical and theological roots, and its strengths and weaknesses, considered from both practical and religious perspectives, and potential strategies for challenging it in meaningful ways.

We will also critically examine the history of Quaker peace activism, particularly its recent forms, to see how this tradition might be developed to take on this AWC, something it has not done in recent times.

As part of this effort to open a new front of peace work, we will "Study War Some More," including the work of Sun Tzu in the strategic classic, "The Art of War." paradoxically, the military has much to teach us in this regard.

For the most part, the material in this workshop will be new, or newly compiled and interpreted. There will be reading material offered ahead of time, as way opens.

We will proceed by means of formal presentations and discussions. At some points there may also be small group work.