Walter Wink, Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way Summary by Matthew J Frizzell

Nonviolence is an easily misunderstood term. Some confuse it with being passive. Some believe it means accepting
violence without resistance. The prefix “non-“ gives “nonviolence” a negative feel as if it does not mean pursuing
something positive and good. In the 20th century, nonviolent political and social movements affected as many as 3.4
billion people. Most of these movements were successful. Nonviolence is a positive tool for pursuing justice, peace,
and change.

Many who pursue justice and peace dismiss Jesus’ teachings as impractical and idealistic. However, if we put Jesus’
teachings in their proper historical context and consider his violent death, the opposite is true. Those who find Jesus’
teachings idealistic and impractical cite Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:38-41 as an important example. This passage
reads:

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist
an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you
and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.

In this passage, Jesus’ teaching for facing evil seems passive. However, the Greek word antistēnai translated as “Do not
resist” is poorly translated. The passage is better understood if we translate it as “Do not retaliate against violence with
violence” or “Do not strike back at evil in kind.”

There are three general responses to evil. They are a) be passive, b) react violently, and c) creative nonviolent
resistance. Choices a) and b) are similar to flight or fight. Jesus’ teachings point to a third way. Jesus’ third way
becomes clear when we put Jesus’ teachings from Matthew 5:38-41 in historical and cultural context. Understood in
context, turning your right cheek, giving both your coat and cloak and going an extra mile after forced to travel one are
acts of resistance. They upset the social order of oppressed and oppressor. They reveal the absurdity of unjust laws or
shame the oppressor with acts that equalize relations. Jesus’ third way of nonviolent resistance aims at recovering the
humanity, initiative, and choice for the oppressed, which violence and injustice have taken away.

Jesus’ teachings can be compared to the principles of community organizing and nonviolent direct action. (Wink
compares Jesus’ teaching to Saul Alinsky’s principles. Saul Alinsky was a famous 20th century community organizer.)
Jesus’ teachings pose a threat to the worldly powers that be. Jesus’ teachings are a threat to the Jewish leaders who
support the Roman Empire and the rule of the Roman Empire, itself. By refusing violent revolt or accepting injustice,
Jesus reveals the hostility in Jerusalem and does so openhanded. He uses the truth as a force, itself. In Jesus’ death,
the cross reveals two things at the same time. First, the violence of the cross reveals the truth about Caesar’s power. It
is enforced with violence and death. Second, the cross for Jesus reveals how we are liberated from that power. Jesus’
alternative to the Roman Empire was the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ life and ministry declared the Kingdom of God. He
establishment of a counter-community based in Jewish teachings and beliefs, which grew beyond the Roman Empire.

Walter Wink says, “Jesus did not advocate nonviolence merely as a technique for outwitting the enemy, but as a
just means of opposing the enemy in such a way as to hold open the possibility of the enemies’ becoming just as
well. Both sides must win. We are summoned to pray for our enemies’ transformation, and to respond to ill-
treatment with love that not only is godly but also…can only be found in God.” (45-46)

Nonviolence not only works. It fails better than violence. Nonviolent movements, successful and unsuccessful, result in
fewer deaths and injuries than violent revolutionary struggles. A commitment to nonviolence does not mean that
violence is never an option. Rather, a commitment to nonviolence comes from our commitment to living in and with
Jesus Christ. Jesus’ third way is a creative lifestyle. It is based on discipleship and the following foundations:

1. Jesus’ Call to Love Our Enemies

Loving our enemies is foundational to nonviolence. A commitment to justice, liberation, or overcoming oppression is
not enough. Too often, the ones who seek liberation come to power only to recreate injustices. Loving our enemies
means God’s Kingdom is not another hierarchy but a new vision for human community. All are neighbors and children
of God. Faith in God’s Kingdom requires we believe all can be transformed from enemies into neighbors, if not friends.

2. The Means of Nonviolence are Commensurate with the New Order (the Kingdom of God)

Walter Wink says, “Violent struggles are necessarily hierarchical; all warfare inevitably is.” (69) By contrast, nonviolent
revolution is not about seizing power but aims at transforming relationships. It is about transitions of power. He also
says, “Violence simply is not radical enough since it generally changes only the rulers but not the rules. What use is a
revolution that fails to address the fundamental problem: the existence of domination in all its forms, and the myth of
redemptive violence that perpetuates it?” (72)

3. Respect to the Rule of Law

People who practice civil disobedience, non-cooperation, and direct action do not protest or use nonviolence because
they disrespect laws or the rule of law. On the contrary, nonviolence requires respect for law and obedience to a higher
law. Laws and rules are broken not to create chaos but to transform unjust laws into a more just order. Romans 13:1-7
does not counsel us to submit to all governmental authority regardless of its injustice, but refrain from armed resistance.

4. Rooting Out Violence within Us

Jesus’ third way requires that we remove the violence within our own souls. We must confront our own hatred, love our
enemies, remove our fantasies of self-righteousness, and our belief that there are only good and bad people in the
world. (Of course, we always imagine ourselves as righteous and good!). This is why training in nonviolence and
nonviolent methods is so important. Nonviolence is a spiritual, emotional as well as physical approach to evil. We are
conditioned for violence. Purifying the violence within us is necessary for nonviolent practice.

5. Not a Law but a Gift

Jesus’ third way is not a law, but a gift. Creative nonviolence is a choice, not an absolute law. There are times when
creative nonviolence is not possible to confront evil under certain circumstances. In these times, we may have to
choose between the lesser of two evils and throw ourselves on the mercies of God. Bonhoeffer’s decision to participate
in a plot to kill Hitler is an example. Wink states, “Violence is not an absolute evil to be avoided at all costs. It is not
even the main problem, but only the presenting symptom of an unjust society. And peace is not the highest good; it is
rather the outcome of a just social order.” (83)

6. The Way of the Cross

Jesus’ third way is ultimately revealed in the symbol of the cross. The cross is not just Jesus’ way of being in solidarity
with the oppressed. It is also Jesus’ way of dealing with evil. Life’s greatest evil is not death. Our natural fear of death
means accepting Jesus’ third way is not natural. It requires regular and disciplined spiritual formation and practice. The
promise is that the Reign of God is on its way whenever we choose nonviolence because nonviolence is a way of life
consistent with its arrival. Violence is ultimately the outward expression of hate. Nonviolence requires courage. The
way of the cross reveals the truth of our world. Its order rests in violence and we need liberation from it.

In conclusion, humanity created at a world in which nonviolence is the only lifestyle and viable choice. Our human
capacity for violence and destruction is unprecedented. The choice to take up violence can only lead to greater violence.
Peace maintained by mutually assured destruction (MAD), drone warfare, or terrorism is neither just nor peaceful. This
is the rule of the worldly powers. Nonviolence is a New Testament pattern and alternative. It worships a different God
and order. We can commit to nonviolence not because it will always win but because it is the only way we can continue
in life together.

Wink, Walter. Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way. Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 2003.