Editing Peace churches (section)

{{Short description|Christian churches advocating pacifism}}
{{Distinguish|Churches of Peace}}
{{Anabaptist vertical}}
'''Peace churches''' are [[Christianity|Christian]] churches, groups or communities advocating [[Christian pacifism]] or Biblical nonresistance. The term '''historic peace churches''' refers specifically only to three church groups among pacifist churches:
* [[Church of the Brethren]], including all daughter churches such as the [[Old German Baptist Brethren]], [[Old Brethren]] and [[Dunkard Brethren]]; 
* [[Religious Society of Friends]] (Quakers); and 
* [[Anabaptists]], including [[Mennonites]], [[Amish]] and [[Hutterites]].

In addition to the Schwarzenau Brethren and Mennonites, other Anabaptist Christian fellowships, such as the [[Hutterian Brethren]], [[River Brethren]], [[Apostolic Christian Church]] and [[Bruderhof]] teach pacifism as well.<ref name="Jones1974">{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Charles Edwin |title=A Guide to the Study of The Holiness Movement |date=1974 |pages=213–314 |language=English}}</ref><ref name="Bruderhof2022">{{cite web |title=The Way of Peace |url=https://www.bruderhof.com/en/our-faith/foundations/our-calling/the-way-of-peace |publisher=[[Bruderhof]] |access-date=17 June 2022 |language=English}}</ref>

This phrase has been used since the first conference of the peace churches in Kansas in 1935.<ref name="Concise">Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites p6 Donald B. Kraybill – 2010  "In 1935, BRETHREN, Mennonites, and Quakers met in North Newton, Kansas, for a conference on peace. The term HISTORIC PEACE CHURCHES was developed at this conference in order to distinguish between the groups' biblically based peaceful ..."</ref><ref>The Brethren encyclopedia 1983 p608 "The American Civil War brought the peace churches together in combined appeals to government, both in the North and in the South ... This conference used the term historic peace churches as more acceptable to Mennonites than the term pacifist churches because the latter connoted theological liberalism. Called without prior agenda, the three-day meeting concluded with "</ref><ref>Mark Matthews ''Smoke jumping on the Western fire line: conscientious objectors'' p36   – 2006 "CHAPTER TWO The Historic Peace Churches – The three historic peace churches that united to lobby for reforming the treatment of conscientious objectors during World War II shared many religious beliefs, but they also differed in many  "</ref><ref>Speicher, Sara and Durnbaugh, Donald F. (2003), Ecumenical Dictionary: [http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/who/dictionary-article8.html ''Historic Peace Churches'']</ref><ref>G. Kurt Piehler, Sidney Pash ''The United States and the Second World War: New Perspectives on'' 2010 p265 "The Selective Service, in collaboration with the historic peace churches, created Civilian Public Service to provide ... In October 1940, to coordinate administration of the CPS camps, the historic peace churches established the NSBRO.  "</ref>

The definition of "peace churches" is sometimes expanded to include [[Christadelphians]] (from 1863) and others who did not participate in the conference of the "historic peace churches" in Kansas in 1935.<ref>Law review digest 1957 "Among the peace churches may be listed the Mennonite, Brethren, Friends, Christadelphians and Molakans. Other sects having a degree of pacifism in their doctrines include the Seventh Day Adventists, Assemblies of God and Churches of Christ. A more complex situation arises in connection with those registrants who do not base their nonresistant claims on church membership. "</ref>

The peace churches agree that [[Jesus]] advocated [[nonviolence]]. Whether physical force can ever be justified in [[self-defense|defending oneself]] is controversial. Most believers adhere strictly to a moral attitude of [[nonresistance]] in the face of violence. These churches generally concur that violence on behalf of nations and their governments is contrary to [[Christian morality]], but agree that the teachings of Jesus were to explain the principles of the Kingdom of God rather than and contrasted with the ways of any earthly government.