The basic premise for this program is that, contrary to conventional wisdom, violence and suicide are totally comprehensible and that the church of the followers of the nonviolent Jesus could have much to do and say about violence among their children, whether self-inflicted (low self esteem, depression, suicidality, risk-taking behavior, substance use and abuse, ) or directed at others (aggression, picking a fight, joining the military, homicidality).
It must be acknowledged that the roots and manifestations of violence are multiple (and often those roots are identical to those that lead to mental ill health). Therefore, considerable time is needed to discover those roots and decipher those manifestations, a difficult job even for skilled and compassionate therapists who will be able to access the important facts only by expending considerable time and effort.
That discovered history will undoubtedly reveal that it is psychological trauma, abuse, neglect, rejection, shaming, having basic human needs unmet and/or other negative early childhood experiences that are the major factors that will determine whether or not a child becomes a violent or suicidal teen. Thus, the complex psychology of violence and the effects of cruelty or harshness in child-rearing and societal violence must be understood by the church.
In addition, the use of illicit and/or legal (i.e., prescription) drugs, most of which can be addictive, has serious consequences for a person's capacity for compassion or cruelty, mercy or murder, suicide or violence. Thus, the biochemistry and pharmacology of violence must be understood by the church.
The nutrition of the brain, from prenatal times onward, is an important factor in violence and mental ill health. Malnutrition, toxic food and food additives significantly undermine the healthy functioning of the body, brain, psyche and spirit. Thus, the realities of malnutrition, toxic nutrition and proper nutrition must be understood by the church.
Social factors such as poverty, unsafe housing, intimidation, teasing, victimization, traumatic school experiences, violent sports activities and violent and/or age-inappropriate entertainment are factors that determine one's mental and spiritual health, including the ability to truly believe in a loving God or to have hope for the future. Thus, the sociology of violence must be understood by the church.
Political influences that determine military violence (and its inevitable, and highly contagious offshoot, domestic violence), economic disparities, environmental pollution, job availability, job satisfaction, a living wage and accessible and affordable health and dental care determine how much shame and humiliation is experienced and how much resultant anger against society, institutions, individuals, scapegoats or the self is generated. Thus, the politics of violence must be understood by the church.
An effective suicide and violence prevention program requires a sincere and energetic effort from many sectors of society, and the church must engage itself honestly in this effort. Christianity, since the time of Constantine, has been overwhelmingly a pro-violent, pro-military, justified war church (or, at least, non-resistant bystanders). The pro-military churches in every nation-state teach, particularly by their silence on issues of un-Christ-like nationalism and patriotism, that homicidal violence is acceptable behavior under certain circumstances (often justified simply because "somewhere there is such a thing as a Christian Just War Theory and so war must be OK somehow") and that killing other humans and destroying their livelihoods and their habitat can be done while simultaneously claiming to be followers of the nonviolent Jesus, their Lord and Savior. Thus, the sad history of Christian-mediated violence must be understood by the church.
There is no question that Jesus was totally nonviolent, lived that way and taught his followers to live that way. The early church lived as "implementers," rather than "modifiers" of the Sermon on the Mount and refused to retaliate against others, even in the face of horrific persecutions. "Love your enemies" was the most quoted phrase of the early church in the first two centuries and the church struggled, very successfully, to be obedient to that command. Thus, the history of Christian nonviolence must be understood by the church.
The image Jesus used to encapsulate for us the true nature of God was "Abba," which was Aramaic for a "loving nurturing father/parent figure" who loved unconditionally, forgave 70 times 7 and exemplified everlasting mercy and trustworthiness. The theological understandings of the early Christians, that understood Jesus to be the incarnation of a nonviolent God here on earth, was clearly reflected in their refusal to engage in killing. Thus, the theology of Christian nonviolence must be understood by the church.
The spirituality that accompanies Christian nonviolence is a reflection of the gentle, fearless, loving spirit of the all-merciful Jesus. The early church, understanding that the human person was the temple of God here on earth, never justified, nor did it use, violence against other humans during the first three centuries of Christianity. Thus Christian men and adolescent boys were not traumatized by the training that is required to become paid professional killers in their nation's militaries and thus they did not participate in the soul-destruction that always happens in war zones. The early Christians also did not participate in those other professions where killing was a possibility (policeman, executioner, slave trader, "hanging judge"), nor was there likely to be physical or sexual abuse from truly spirit-led members of true peace churches. Thus the earliest Christians overcame the human tendencies to fear and hate "the other," regarding as sinful behavior the use of violence in any of its forms. Therefore, as evidenced by the historical records, there was very little suicidality or homicidality in these true peace churches, nor was there anything that could be construed as PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder). The major thing that explains the unexpected survival of such nonviolent faith communities was that, mainly because of their use of love instead of fear, they would likewise be less feared and hated as enemies, or as perpetrators of violence and oppression, and thus they would be generously treated as fully human friends rather than as despised enemy barbarians. Thus, the spirituality of Christian nonviolence must be understood by the church.
The early economics of Christianity was non-dictatorial communism or socialism, where resources were lovingly shared for the common good of all and where the motivation for providing for human need was simply the existence of that need. Those who had more shared with those who had less. The shame-inducing and anger-inducing humiliation of not having one's basic needs met was non-existent in the earliest altruistic form of Christianity. Greedy, exploitive, violent, dog-eat-dog capitalism was incompatible with the way of Jesus. Thus, the economics of Christian nonviolence must be understood by the church.
The above is an early draft entailing a number of the issues that need to be explored and discussed if a comprehensive understanding of the roots, and therefore the treatment and prevention, of the deadly epidemic of violence and suicide that confronts our families, communities, nations, world and our progeny into the immediate and distant future. These critically important issues must be boldly confronted by the church of Jesus Christ -- and soon, even if that process exposes certain church weaknesses. Anything less will be a prescription for further disasters for our children and the world. The program that emerges from this project will help to start that process of understanding. May God bless these efforts.
© Gary G. Kohls, MD, 1306 E.8th St., Duluth, MN 55805 Ph/fax (218) 728-9756, email: gkohls@cpinternet.com, Project Director of the Teen Violence and Suicide Prevention Program and Midwest Coordinator for Every Church A Peace Church (http://www.ecapc.org).