The martyrdom of St. Stephen is a story of violence. Unfortunately, as Stephen’s speech reminded his listeners the violence did not begin with him. “Your ancestors … put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one.” Nor did the violence end with him. There was ongoing violence against the Christians for centuries. Nor were Christians merely the victims of violence — they practiced violence in the inquisition and the crusades. There has been much research and speculation by social scientists and philosophers about the “why” of violence. There is no clear answer but one thing is clear: violence does not work. Violence only produces more violence. The challenge for us in our violent world is to find non-violent ways of dealing with conflict.
MAY72019
By Church Staff
