Turner Ritchie

I am very thankful to have come across your meaningful story. Being a young Church of the Brethren youth, I’ve been a part of many peaceful witnesses whether at DC or in my hometown. I’ve often felt called to take a stand for Christ through civil disobedience, but something always held me back… it was the fear of rules staking upon rules which you were speaking of. It is a shame that I won’t risk such a small part of my “clean” reputation while others die and will continue to die until I take a stand.

A photo of Art Gish (CPT) standing on solid ground with open arms in front of a tank sits on my desk as I type this. I am encouraged by you and others which hold such a love that casts out fear. You are such a blessing to the church and to those made silent who you speak for. I pray I will continue to be called to this radical, new way of living… only then will I become what I need to be.

P.S. I have a short clip of you on a DVD at a DC peace rally in the winter of 2007. You are so passionate–keep it up!

Peace,
Kay

It’s always a tough call on discernment, isn’t it? I feel the same tensions between feeling very priveleged in terms of my wife, my job, and many situations in my life. And I am not at all comfortable with the large gaps in my life between issues such as financial wealth / financial poverty, and my own strivings of how to communicate a message of peace. I do know one thing - I am glad there are people such as yourself that help to push that awareness. Even while I don’t feel called to express it in that same way, I think there is certainly room in God’s vast creation for a variety of expressions. The over-riding issue I think is that as people of peace, we can support the efforts of any and all who are truly walking and expressing that path and message. Thanks for posting your actions, and giving all of us something to think about, and appreciate!

Speaking as a political activist - and I apologize to my fellow political activists - I am tempted to call activism a weak man’s witness. It’s my way of doing just a little bit while I live my cushy college student life because I can’t be where I’m actually needed. I’m with you 100% on the world’s need for a loving, non-judgmental witness, but I think there’s a crucial place for those who stand up and say “no more,” too.

One more note: Senator Lugar has since called for troop redeployment/withdrawal. I like to pretend it had something to do with our witness, but… well, resultant or not, our goal was achieved.

Everyone has to discern their own calling. I don’t know what God is speaking to you in your heart. But I hear your anguish when you castigate yourself, because you think you are not brave enough to stand in front of a tank in Iraq. Even though you undertook an action that many would not be brave enough to do, you still are flogging yourself for not doing more.

So never forget that it is not you who will change the hearts of others - only God working within their hearts will ever do that. I wonder if the best witness we can give is FOR God, not AGAINST any worldly failing or sin.

It is interesting that Jesus didn’t protest against the Roman war machine that occupied his own country. He didn’t chain himself to Pilate’s palace in protest, or harangue Herod when he beheaded John. Rather, when someone asked him to pass judgment on something or someone, such as with the woman caught in adultery, his response caused everyone to have a change of heart, and each one to drop their stones. You don’t have to stand in front of a tank to stop it. One person, standing in the presence of God, can do much more than that. Jesus demonstrated that, both in the manner of his life, and death.

Is the goal to end a war, or to live peace? I suspect that you touched the hearts of those in prison the most, rather than the government officials. Because in prison, you weren’t trying to change anyone’s mind about anything. You weren’t telling the guy who was in for assualt that violence against others was wrong. You weren’t telling the guy originally in jail for endangering the lives of others by DUI that it was wrong to drink and drive. You were simply living your example, and connected with them in a way that did not happen with Sen. Lugar.

You may have found the prison a much more violent place, had you used the same approach as you did with the government officials. If you had started pointing out to each prisoner what you thought they had done wrong, and what they could do to fix it, you would quickly have found less of a sense of community!

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven” How do we make that happen? Jesus somehow managed to get people to drop their stones, and change their lives, all while going humbly and quietly to his death.

basically i really respect them because of the way they do what they do. it is so inspiring. thank you for posting this and for sumandote a la resistencia a la guerra and right now, for passing on this piece. it is an encouragement.

Welcome to YAR and thanks for sharing your story here. Its a powerful testimony to the power of nonviolent action, both before and after arrest. I appreciate your reflections on the community you found in the county jail. We’re taught to see those in jail as “bad men” and “bad women” who don’t deserve freedom. You put a face on your cell mates in a way that debunks this dehumanization.

I also really appreciate your last few paragraphs reflecting on what keeps us from acting. These sentences really sum it up for me:

Fear keeps us in line. A far greater fear and stigma surrounds arrest than did forty years ago, to be sure. Rules stack upon rules until we all have jobs, careers, and reputations to worry about, so we pretend we can’t do anything about the travesties we witness.

I just read “FOR CONSCIENCE’ SAKE?: Examining a Commonplace” by JR Burkholder and he points out that loyalty rather than conscience must be our guide as Christians. Are we loyal first to the rules and expectations of our society or to Jesus? Your story reminds us that loyalty to Christ liberates us from the fear that weighs so heavily on so many decisions and choices people make today.