Violence must not be used in any circumstance. The way of nonviolence is patterned after the example of Christ who never exhibited violence in the face of persecution or as a punishment for sin. A Christian should not pass judgment in worldly disputes. It is not appropriate for a Christian to serve as a magistrate; a magistrate acts according to the rules of the world, not according to the rules of heaven; their weapons are worldly, but the weapons of a Christian are spiritual.
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This commitment to nonviolence was one of the things that attracted me to the Anabaptists in the first place. I simply believe that's what the New Testament teaches, and that that's what Christians are called to. It's not cowardice; imagine being beaten to a pulp without even fighting back even to defend yourself, or standing unarmed in the middle of 100 men pointting rifles at you. It's trusting that someone else will do the fighting for you.
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