I watch with concern as Anabaptist bodies file or support lawsuits against the government. Our tradition has always taught that taking a dispute to court is to invoke the state’s coercive power, which stands in stark contrast to Christ’s call to turn the other cheek. We have been known as a people who prefer mediation, forgiveness and reconciliation over legal confrontation. When Anabaptists engage in litigation, we risk becoming complicit in a process that prizes adversarial tactics and personal victory over the gospel of peace.

Defending those who suffer injustice is a godly and urgent task. However, in our zeal to protect, some among us have embraced litigation more akin to modern American social justice than the radical witness of our forefathers. While I condemn unjust state actions such as the rescinding of sanctuary protections, I worry that by summoning the courts we are setting aside our historic mandate to bear the cross in silence and love. Are we following Christ’s example by engaging in legal battles that rely on state violence and lawfare? 

With a heavy heart, I have distanced myself from Mennonite congregations because I have witnessed a shift in which our cherished traditions increasingly mirror American political ideologies rather than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our distinctiveness has never been measured by our capacity to wield state power but by our willingness to suffer and forgive, to love relentlessly even in the face of injustice. The courts may offer a temporary remedy, but they are not the wellspring of true reconciliation or lasting justice.

Vaughn Miller, Gaithersburg, Md.